Patent ID: 6271954
Filing Date: 2001-08-07
Classification: B82Y,G02B,G02F

Abstract:
A method of controlling the coupling of optical radiation into a multiple layer semiconductor optical modulator of the electro-absorption type that comprises at least a waveguide core layer, an input facet and an output facet for transmission of said optical radiation through said waveguide layer, and at least one cladding layer that is ribbed for lateral confinement of said optical radiation that passes through said waveguide core layer, and that comprises the steps of:depositing a metallic modulation input signal layer over a selected portion of said at least one rib to define a modulation region along said at least one rib;depositing at least one metallic bias input signal layer from the vicinity of the plane of at least one of said facets to the vicinity of said modulation input signal layer to define at least one isolation region along said at least one rib; andapplying a bias potential to said at least one isolation region to control the coupling of optical radiation between said at least one facet to said modulation region.