Integrated Reconfigurable Circulator

ReversibleReconfigurableReduced cost

Can be integrated with lasers & modulators

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have created a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) comprised of an integrated non-reciprocal device that can be reversed, is monolithic, and can be integrated with lasers and modulators. This method takes an input from one port (#1) and sends it to the next port (#2) and so forth, until the last port (N) sends the signal to the first port (#1). The present invention enables integration of low-optical-loss non-reciprocal devices in a PIC in a simple, low-cost manner.

Background

Non-reciprocal devices demonstrated to date have been relatively large, have had fixed functionality, and required complex fabrication to integrate permanent magnetic material. While there are many circulators available, none can be reversed. A reconfigurable circulator has never been proposed or demonstrated before.

Additional Technologies by these Inventors

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• Advanced Tunable Long-Wavelength Vertical-Cavity Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers
• Epitaxial Laser Integration on Silicon Based Substrates
• Orthogonal Mode Laser Gyro
• Unipolar Light Emitting Devices On Silicon Based Substrates
• A Hybrid Silicon Laser-Quantum Well Intermixing Wafer Bonded Integration Platform
• On-Chip Calibration And Control Of Optical Phased Arrays
• Quantum Dot Photonic Integrated Circuits
• Misfit Dislocation Free Quantum Dot Lasers

Tech ID/UC Case

25991/2016-319-0

Related Cases

2016-319-0

USA