Patent ID: 8735868

Claim:
A semiconductor optical modulator, comprising: a first n-type semiconductor region; a second n-type semiconductor region; a first p-type semiconductor region between the first n-type semiconductor region and the second n-type semiconductor region; a second p-type semiconductor region between the first p-type semiconductor region and the second n-type semiconductor region; and an i-type semiconductor region between the first p-type semiconductor region and the second p-type semiconductor region, wherein the first n-type semiconductor region, the first p-type semiconductor region, the i-type semiconductor region, the second p-type semiconductor region, and the second n-type semiconductor region constitute a stacked layer structure, the stacked layer structure includes a first cladding layer, a second cladding layer, and a core layer disposed between the first cladding layer and the second cladding layer, the first n-type semiconductor region and the first p-type semiconductor region form a first p-n junction disposed in an intermediate region between the first cladding layer and the second cladding layer, the second p-type semiconductor region and the second n-type semiconductor region form a second p-n junction disposed in the intermediate region or the second cladding layer, the intermediate region includes the core layer, the first n-type semiconductor region includes the first cladding layer, the second n-type semiconductor region includes part or all of the second cladding layer, the first p-type semiconductor region and the i-type semiconductor region form a first p-i junction, and the i-type semiconductor region and the second p-type semiconductor region form a second p-i junction.