Hybrid Integrated Optical Amplifier
Capability to scale power outputReduction in cost, size, weight, and powerCapability to tailor the signal and pump wavelengthsFully integrated rare-earth-doped device that only requires electrical pumping (no external pump)Increased pump efficiency compared to traditional EDFAs
Optical communicationsHigh-energy lasersLaser machiningCMOS-compatible light sources
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have created a hybrid integrated optical amplifier by bonding a group III-V semiconductor pump laser and a rare-earth-doped waveguide amplifier. The bonded structure provides an integrated optical pump for the rare-earth-doped amplifier, eliminating the need for an external pump. This hybrid optical amplifier can be integrated with other active components such as lasers, modulators, and photodetectors as well as passive components such as splitters, couplers, multiplexers, demultiplexers, polarization control elements, and spot-size converters. Laser structures are also possible such as distributed feedback lasers, distributed Bragg reflector lasers, and super structure grating distributed Bragg reflector lasers. This invention offers a significant reduction in cost, size, weight and power owing to the ability to integrate the optical amplifier completely on a chip, including the rare-earth-doped gain medium and the optical pump.
Background Rare-earth-doped optical amplifiers and lasers have applications ranging from optical communications and laser machining to CMOS-compatible light sources. However, today’s amplifiers are fiber-based devices that require external optical pump lasers. Therefore, the overall system is larger than necessary, and not power efficient. There exists a need for a compact rare-earth-doped optical amplifier that does not require external pump lasers. Tech ID/UC Case 28872/2016-911-0 Related Cases 2016-911-0
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