Patent ID: 7082235

Claim:
An apparatus comprising integrated optics including a waveguide having a cladding regions that cause light to propagate along a core region of the waveguide, said waveguide comprising: a microstructure-doped waveguide portion comprised of microstructures in a slab of material, said microstructures disposed in cladding regions of said doped waveguide so as to define a core region in said microstructure-doped waveguide; an elongate waveguide portion having a core region comprised of elongate transmissive material, said elongate waveguide portion having dimensions such that said elongate waveguide portion supports only a transverse-electric mode, said waveguide portions optically coupled to propagate light therebetween in a transition region defined by at least one of said elongate transmissive material and said microstructures, said transition region including a core region and a cladding region; an upper cladding region comprising one or more dielectric materials formed over the microstructure-doped waveguide portion, and the elongate waveguide portion, the upper cladding region confining light propagating through the core region of the waveguide; one or more electronic components positioned proximate the upper cladding region, wherein the upper cladding region provides electrical isolation for the one or more electrical components; wherein the upper cladding region confines light propagating through the core region of the waveguide, said confinement being significantly different in said microstructure-doped waveguide portion than in said elongate waveguide portion, said waveguide portions configured such that the strength of said confinement gradually changes through said transition region, said elongate waveguide portion terminating with a taper in said transition region.