Wavelength division multiplexing device and wavelength division multiplexing system

Abstract

Provided are a wavelength division multiplexing device and a wavelength division multiplexing system. The wavelength division multiplexing device includes a substrate, an isolation layer, and a waveguide layer sequentially arranged along a first direction, wherein the wavelength division multiplexing device has a first end face and a second end face parallel to the first direction, one of the first end face and the second end face is an input end face of the wavelength division multiplexing device, and the other is an output end face; the waveguide layer includes a flat plate layer and a ridge convex layer located on a side of the flat plate layer away from the substrate, the ridge convex layer includes an interference region, a first transmission arm region connecting the interference region and extending to the first end face, and a plurality of second transmission arm regions connecting the interference region and extending to the second end face. The technical solution of the disclosed embodiment can reduce the transmission loss of the wavelength division multiplexing system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of optical communication technology, and in particular to a wavelength division multiplexing device and a wavelength division multiplexing system. Background Art

[0002] Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) is a communication technology that combines a series of optical signals carrying information but with different wavelengths into one beam through a multiplexer (also called a combiner) at the transmitting end, transmits them along a single optical fiber, and then separates the individual optical signals through a demultiplexer (also called a wavelength splitter) at the receiving end.

[0003] The technical advantages of wavelength division multiplexing include: it can make full use of the huge bandwidth resources of optical fiber to increase the transmission capacity by dozens or hundreds of times compared with single wavelength; it can save a lot of optical fiber and 3R regenerators (reshaping, re-amplification, and retiming) during large-capacity long-distance transmission, and the transmission cost is significantly reduced; when upgrading and expanding the network, there is no need to modify the optical cable line, and new services can be opened or superimposed by adding wavelengths; it is independent of signal rate and modulation format, which facilitates the introduction of new large-bandwidth services; and, using WDM routing can realize network switching and recovery, thereby realizing the future transparent all-optical network, etc.

[0004] How to reduce the transmission loss of wavelength division multiplexing system is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a wavelength division multiplexing device and a wavelength division multiplexing system to reduce the transmission loss of the wavelength division multiplexing system.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a wavelength division multiplexing device is provided, comprising a substrate, an isolation layer and a waveguide layer arranged in sequence along a first direction, wherein the wavelength division multiplexing device has a first end face and a second end face parallel to the first direction, one of the first end face and the second end face is an input end face of the wavelength division multiplexing device, and the other is an output end face; the waveguide layer comprises a planar layer and a ridge convex layer located on a side of the planar layer away from the substrate, the ridge convex layer comprises an interference region, a first transmission arm region connecting the interference region and extending to the first end face, and a plurality of second transmission arm regions connecting the interference region and extending to the second end face.

[0007] In some embodiments, the first end face is orthogonal to the second end face, the interference area includes a rectangular portion, the rectangular portion includes a first side and a second side parallel to the first end face, and a third side and a fourth side parallel to the second end face; the first transmission arm area is connected to the first side of the interference area, and multiple second transmission arm areas are connected to the third side of the interference area.

[0008] In some embodiments, the first transmission arm region extends to the first end surface along a direction parallel to the third side, or the first transmission arm region extends to the first end surface along a direction away from the third side; each second transmission arm region extends to the second end surface along a direction away from the first side.

[0009] In some embodiments, a side edge of the first transmission arm region is flush with a fourth side edge of the interference region.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first end face is parallel to the second end face, the interference area includes a rectangular portion, the rectangular portion includes a first side and a second side orthogonal to the first end face, and a third side and a fourth side parallel to the first end face; the first transmission arm area is connected to the fourth side of the interference area, and multiple second transmission arm areas are connected to the third side of the interference area.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first transmission arm region extends to the first end surface along a direction parallel to the first side edge, or the first transmission arm region extends to the first end surface along a direction away from the second side edge; each second transmission arm region extends to the second end surface along a direction away from the first side edge.

[0012] In some embodiments, a side edge of the first transmission arm region is flush with the first side edge of the interference region.

[0013] In some embodiments, the wavelength division multiplexing device further has a third end face and a fourth end face parallel to the first direction; and the interference region extends to the third end face and / or the fourth end face.

[0014] In some embodiments, the extension directions of the plurality of second transmission arm regions are parallel.

[0015] In some embodiments, the plurality of second transmission arm regions are arranged at unequal intervals.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first transmission arm region includes a first width reducing portion and a first equal-width portion sequentially arranged along a direction close to the first end face, and the width of the first width reducing portion gradually decreases along the direction close to the first end face, and the width of the first equal-width portion remains unchanged; each second transmission arm region includes a second width reducing portion and a second equal-width portion sequentially arranged along a direction close to the second end face, and the width of the second width reducing portion gradually decreases along the direction close to the second end face, and the width of the second equal-width portion remains unchanged.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a wavelength division multiplexing system is provided, comprising a transmitting device, a receiving device, and an optical fiber connected between the transmitting device and the receiving device, wherein the transmitting device and the receiving device respectively comprise the wavelength division multiplexing device according to any embodiment of the aforementioned aspects.

[0018] According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the specifications of the first transmission arm region and the plurality of second transmission arm regions can be designed accordingly based on the wavelengths of the plurality of optical signals being transmitted, so that the interference effect of the interference region on different optical signals can be accurately matched with their wavelengths, and the plurality of second transmission arm regions can be well coupled with the corresponding optical modulators at the second end faces, thereby reducing the transmission loss of the wavelength division multiplexing system.

[0019] These and other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Further details, features and advantages of the present disclosure are disclosed in the following description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a wavelength division multiplexing device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a wavelength division multiplexing device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a wavelength division multiplexing device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a wavelength division multiplexing device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a wavelength division multiplexing device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a top view of a wavelength division multiplexing device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0027] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the top view structure of the wavelength division multiplexing device of some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0028] Reference numerals:

[0029] 100-Wavelength Division Multiplexing Device

[0030] 1a-First end face

[0031] 1b- Second end face

[0032] 1c-third end face

[0033] 1d-Fourth end face

[0034] 110-substrate

[0035] 120-Isolation layer

[0036] 131-Slab layer

[0037] 132-ridge convex layer

[0038] 20-Interference Zone

[0039] 21-First transmission arm area

[0040] 22-Second transmission arm area

[0041] 201-First side

[0042] 202-Second side

[0043] 203-third side

[0044] 204-Fourth side

[0045] 2010-Trapezoidal section

[0046] 211-First equal width part

[0047] 212-first width reduction portion

[0048] 221-Second equal width part

[0049] 222-Second width reduction portion DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In the following, only some exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the described embodiments may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the drawings and descriptions are considered to be exemplary and non-restrictive in nature.

[0051] Wavelength division multiplexing devices are widely used on chips. Due to the integration of chips, wavelength division multiplexing devices can be integrated with optical modulators on the same wafer, which can greatly reduce the cost of raw materials and packaging. The inventors of the present disclosure have noticed that in some related technologies, there is a large loss in the coupling between wavelength division multiplexing devices and optical modulators, which is caused by their respective structural characteristics.

[0052] Based on this, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a wavelength division multiplexing device and a wavelength division multiplexing system to reduce the transmission loss of the wavelength division multiplexing system.

[0053] like Figure 1As shown, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a wavelength division multiplexing device 100, comprising a substrate 110, an isolation layer 120 and a waveguide layer arranged in sequence along a first direction, the wavelength division multiplexing device 100 having a first end face 1a and a second end face 1b parallel to the first direction, one of the first end face 1a and the second end face 1b being an input end face of the wavelength division multiplexing device 100, and the other being an output end face; the waveguide layer comprises a planar layer 131 and a ridge convex layer 132 located on a side of the planar layer 131 away from the substrate 110, the ridge convex layer 132 comprising an interference region 20, a first transmission arm region 21 connected to the interference region 20 and extending to the first end face 1a, and a plurality of second transmission arm regions 22 connected to the interference region 20 and extending to the second end face 1b.

[0054] In some embodiments, the wavelength division multiplexing device 100 is used as a multiplexer at the transmitting end of the wavelength division multiplexing system, the second end face 1b is used as the input end face of the multiplexer, and the first end face 1a is used as the output end face of the multiplexer. Multiple optical signals with different wavelengths are input from the second end face 1b, and enter the interference area 20 under the guidance of the multiple second transmission arm areas 22 in a one-to-one correspondence. After the interference area 20 completes the wavelength combination, it is output from the first end face 1a under the guidance of the first transmission arm area 21, and then can enter the optical fiber for transmission.

[0055] In some embodiments, the wavelength division multiplexing device 100 can also be used as a demultiplexer at the receiving end of the wavelength division multiplexing system, the first end face 1a is used as the input end face of the demultiplexer, and the second end face 1b is used as the output end face of the demultiplexer. The combined optical signal transmitted by the optical fiber is input from the first end face 1a, enters the interference area 20 under the guidance of the first transmission arm area 21, and is separated into multiple optical signals with different wavelengths in the interference area 20. After being output from the second end face 1b under the guidance of multiple second transmission arm areas 22 in a one-to-one correspondence, the optical signal is restored.

[0056] For the wavelength division multiplexing device 100 used as a multiplexer, multiple optical signals with different wavelengths need to pass through interference paths of different lengths to complete the combination when reaching the first transmission arm area 21, while for the wavelength division multiplexing device 100 used as a demultiplexer, the combined optical signal can be separated into multiple optical signals with different wavelengths only after passing through interference paths of different lengths. The technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure can design the specifications of the first transmission arm area 21 and the multiple second transmission arm areas 22 based on the wavelengths of the multiple optical signals transmitted, so that the interference effect of the interference area 20 on different optical signals can be accurately matched with their wavelengths, so that the multiple second transmission arm areas 22 can be well coupled with the corresponding optical modulators at the second end surface 1b, thereby reducing the transmission loss of the wavelength division multiplexing system.

[0057] In the disclosed embodiment, the waveguide layer adopts a ridge waveguide structure, which has a series of excellent characteristics such as low main mode cutoff frequency, wide bandwidth and low impedance. The pattern of the waveguide layer can be formed by a composition process. The composition process can, for example, undergo film formation, photoresist coating, exposure, development, etching, photoresist stripping and other processes, and finally form a relatively precise pattern structure of the waveguide layer, and the manufacturing process is relatively simple.

[0058] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the first end face 1a is orthogonal to the second end face 1b, and the interference area 20 includes a rectangular portion including a first side 201 and a second side 202 parallel to the first end face 1a, and a third side 203 and a fourth side 204 parallel to the second end face 1b.

[0059] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the first transmission arm region 21 is connected to the first side 201 of the interference region 20, and the plurality of second transmission arm regions 22 are connected to the third side 203 of the interference region 20. The first transmission arm region 21 extends to the first end surface 1a in a direction parallel to the third side 203, and each second transmission arm region 22 extends to the second end surface 1b in a direction away from the first side 201.

[0060] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the first transmission arm region 21 is connected to the first side 201 of the interference region 20, and one side edge of the first transmission arm region 21 is flush with the fourth side 204 of the interference region 20. A plurality of second transmission arm regions 22 are connected to the third side 203 of the interference region 20, and each second transmission arm region 22 extends to the second end surface 1b in a direction away from the first side 201.

[0061] like Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the first transmission arm region 21 is connected to the first side 201 of the interference region 20, and the first transmission arm region 21 extends to the first end surface 1a in a direction away from the third side 203. A plurality of second transmission arm regions 22 are connected to the third side 203 of the interference region 20, and each second transmission arm region 22 extends to the second end surface 1b in a direction away from the first side 201.

[0062] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the first end face 1a is parallel to the second end face 1b, and the interference area 20 includes a rectangular portion, which includes a first side 201 and a second side 202 orthogonal to the first end face 1a, and a third side 203 and a fourth side 204 parallel to the first end face 1a. Figure 4As shown, in some embodiments, the first transmission arm region 21 is connected to the fourth side 204 of the interference region 20, the first transmission arm region 21 extends to the first end face 1a in a direction parallel to the first side 201, and a plurality of second transmission arm regions 22 are connected to the third side 203 of the interference region 20, and each second transmission arm region 22 extends to the second end face 1b in a direction away from the first side 201. In this embodiment, one side edge of the first transmission arm region 21 is flush with the first side 201 of the interference region 20. In some embodiments, the first transmission arm region 21 may also have a spacing from the first side 201.

[0063] like Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments, the first transmission arm region 21 is connected to the fourth side 204 of the interference region 20, the first transmission arm region 21 extends to the first end surface 1a in a direction away from the second side 202, and multiple second transmission arm regions 22 are connected to the third side 203 of the interference region 20, and each second transmission arm region 22 extends to the second end surface 1b in a direction away from the first side 201.

[0064] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, in some embodiments, the wavelength division multiplexing device 100 further has a third end surface 1c and a fourth end surface 1d parallel to the first direction, and the interference region 20 may extend to the third end surface 1c and / or the fourth end surface 1d. Figure 6 As shown, the interference area 20 includes a rectangular portion that extends directly to the third end surface 1c. Figure 7 As shown, the interference area 20 includes a rectangular portion and a trapezoidal portion 2010 , wherein the trapezoidal portion 2010 extends to the third end surface 1 c and the upper base of the trapezoidal portion 2010 is adjacent to the second side 202 of the rectangular portion.

[0065] Taking the wavelength division multiplexing device 100 used as a multiplexer as an example, the interference area 20 is mainly used to perform interference coupling on multiple optical signals with different wavelengths so that they are combined when they reach the first transmission arm area 21. However, in the interference area 20, there is always a small amount of stray light that cannot be coupled and thus cannot be output from the first transmission arm area 21. By adopting the design of the above-mentioned embodiment of the present disclosure, the small amount of stray light can be exported from the third end face 1c and / or the fourth end face 1d of the wavelength division multiplexing device 100, thereby avoiding multiple reflections of the small amount of stray light in the interference area 20 and interfering with the normal interference travel of other parts of the light. Therefore, the design of this scheme can improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the wavelength division multiplexing device 100. Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, the shape design of the trapezoidal portion 2010 of the interference region 20 is more conducive to alleviating and fully extracting the small amount of stray light.

[0066] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the extension directions of the plurality of second transmission arm regions 22 may be parallel or the extension directions of at least two of the second transmission arm regions 22 may be non-parallel. In addition, the plurality of second transmission arm regions 22 may be arranged at equal intervals or at unequal intervals.

[0067] Based on the wavelengths of multiple optical signals transmitted by the wavelength division multiplexing system, the structure of the device can be designed accordingly with reference to the above-mentioned embodiment scheme, so that the interference effect of the interference zone 20 on different optical signals can be accurately matched with their wavelengths, and the multiple second transmission arm areas 22 can be well coupled with the corresponding optical modulators at the second end surface 1b, thereby reducing the transmission loss of the wavelength division multiplexing system.

[0068] refer to Figures 1 to 7 In any of the embodiments shown, the first transmission arm region 21 includes a first width reducing portion 212 and a first equal-width portion 211 which are sequentially arranged along a direction close to the first end face 1a, and the width of the first width reducing portion 212 gradually decreases along a direction close to the first end face 1a, while the width of the first equal-width portion 211 remains unchanged; each second transmission arm region 22 includes a second width reducing portion 222 and a second equal-width portion 221 which are sequentially arranged along a direction close to the second end face 1b, and the width of the second width reducing portion 222 gradually decreases along a direction close to the second end face 1b, while the width of the second equal-width portion 221 remains unchanged.

[0069] The first equal width portion 211 and the second equal width portion 221 are used to perform steady-state modulation of the light pattern, thereby improving the stability of light transmission. The design of the first reduced width portion 212 and the second reduced width portion 222 can perform a more moderate pattern modulation on the light transmitted in the waveguide layer, thereby further reducing transmission loss.

[0070] The embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a wavelength division multiplexing system, including a transmitting device, a receiving device, and an optical fiber connected between the transmitting device and the receiving device, wherein the transmitting device and the receiving device respectively include the wavelength division multiplexing device 100 in any of the above embodiments. The wavelength division multiplexing device 100 is used as a multiplexer in the transmitting device and as a demultiplexer in the receiving device, which can effectively reduce transmission loss.

[0071] It should be understood that in this specification, the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships or dimensions that are based on the orientations or positional relationships or dimensions shown in the accompanying drawings, and these terms are used only for the convenience of description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0072] In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first", "second", "third" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the feature. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0073] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0074] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, a first feature being “above” or “below” a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being “above”, “above”, and “above” a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being “below”, “below”, and “below” a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0075] This specification provides many different embodiments or examples that can be used to implement the present disclosure. It should be understood that these different embodiments or examples are purely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure in any way. Those skilled in the art can conceive of various changes or replacements based on the disclosure of the present specification, which should all be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be based on the scope of protection defined by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A wavelength division multiplexing device, comprising a substrate, an isolation layer and a waveguide layer arranged in sequence along a first direction, wherein: The wavelength division multiplexing device has a first end face and a second end face parallel to the first direction, one of the first end face and the second end face is an input end face of the wavelength division multiplexing device, and the other is an output end face; The waveguide layer includes a slab layer and a ridge convex layer located on a side of the slab layer away from the substrate, the ridge convex layer includes an interference region, a first transmission arm region connecting the interference region and extending to the first end surface, and a plurality of second transmission arm regions connecting the interference region and extending to the second end surface, and wherein, The wavelength division multiplexing device also has a third end face and a fourth end face parallel to the first direction; The interference area extends to the third end surface; The interference area includes a rectangular part and a trapezoidal part, the trapezoidal part extends to the third end face, and the length of the upper base of the trapezoidal part adjacent to the rectangular part is smaller than the length of the lower base of the trapezoidal part extending to the third end face; the third end face is orthogonal to the second end face.

2. The wavelength division multiplexing device according to claim 1, wherein: The first end face is orthogonal to the second end face, and the rectangular portion includes a first side and a second side parallel to the first end face, and a third side and a fourth side parallel to the second end face; The first transmission arm region is connected to a first side of the interference region, and the plurality of second transmission arm regions are connected to a third side of the interference region.

3. The wavelength division multiplexing device according to claim 2, wherein: The first transmission arm region extends to the first end surface along a direction parallel to the third side edge, or the first transmission arm region extends to the first end surface along a direction away from the third side edge; Each second transmission arm region extends to the second end surface along a direction away from the first side edge.

4. The wavelength division multiplexing device according to claim 2, wherein: One side edge of the first transmission arm region is flush with the fourth side edge of the interference region.

5. The wavelength division multiplexing device according to claim 1, wherein: The first end face is parallel to the second end face, and the rectangular portion includes a first side and a second side orthogonal to the first end face, and a third side and a fourth side parallel to the first end face; The first transmission arm region is connected to the fourth side of the interference region, and the plurality of second transmission arm regions are connected to the third side of the interference region.

6. The wavelength division multiplexing device according to claim 5, wherein: The first transmission arm region extends to the first end surface along a direction parallel to the first side edge, or the first transmission arm region extends to the first end surface along a direction away from the second side edge; Each second transmission arm region extends to the second end surface along a direction away from the first side edge.

7. The wavelength division multiplexing device according to claim 5, wherein: One side edge of the first transmission arm region is flush with the first side edge of the interference region.

8. The wavelength division multiplexing device according to claim 1, wherein: The extension directions of the plurality of second transmission arm regions are parallel.

9. The wavelength division multiplexing device according to claim 8, wherein: The plurality of second transmission arm regions are arranged at unequal intervals.

10. The wavelength division multiplexing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The first transmission arm region includes a first width reduction portion and a first equal width portion sequentially arranged in a direction close to the first end surface, wherein the width of the first width reduction portion gradually decreases in the direction close to the first end surface, and the width of the first equal width portion remains unchanged; Each second transmission arm region includes a second width reduction portion and a second equal width portion sequentially arranged along a direction close to the second end surface. Along the direction close to the second end surface, the width of the second width reduction portion gradually decreases, and the width of the second equal width portion remains unchanged.

11. A wavelength division multiplexing system, comprising a transmitting device, a receiving device, and an optical fiber connected between the transmitting device and the receiving device, wherein: The transmitting device and the receiving device respectively include the wavelength division multiplexing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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