Optoelectronic multipliers, couplers and related modules

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides an optoelectronic multiplier, a coupler and related modules, the optoelectronic multiplier comprises a light emitter, a receiver and the coupler, each coupler in the coupler comprises a first transmission waveguide, a second transmission waveguide, a first metal electrode and a second metal electrode, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are located on one side of the first transmission waveguide, and the first metal electrode covers the second transmission waveguide. By adopting the embodiment of the present application, the optoelectronic multiplier can be more compact, and the operation speed can be improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor devices, and in particular to an optoelectronic multiplier, a coupler and related modules. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the high-speed development of the information age, the rapid development of various information technologies such as cloud computing, Internet of Things technology, and big data analysis has put forward higher requirements for high-performance computing hardware platforms. At present, the execution platforms of information processing technology mainly include three categories: graphical processing units (GPUs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), all of which are based on traditional electronic chip technology. With the slowing down of Moore's Law and the highlighting of Von Neumann architecture bottlenecks, traditional electronic chip technology is facing increasingly serious problems such as energy consumption. Compared with electronics, photons have the advantages of high speed, high bandwidth, and low power consumption, so processing various types of information through optical chips can effectively improve the computing speed and reduce the computing power consumption.

[0003] Among them, a series of algorithms that require a large number of multiplication operations may be encountered in the information processing process. At present, multiplication operations can be realized by micro-rings and Machenhauer modulators. As a multiplier, the micro-ring is a narrow-band device and is easily affected by external temperature. When the temperature changes by 1℃, the resonance peak drifts by 100GHz, resulting in low calculation accuracy; when the Machenhauer modulator is used as a multiplier, the device size is large, which may be limited when performing large-scale multiplication operations. SUMMARY

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide an optoelectronic multiplier, a coupler and related devices, which can make the optoelectronic multiplier more compact and improve the operation speed.

[0005] In a first aspect, an optoelectronic multiplier is disclosed. The optoelectronic multiplier comprises a light emitter, a receiver and a coupler. The coupler comprises a first transmission waveguide, a second transmission waveguide, a first metal electrode and a second metal electrode. The first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are located on one side of the first transmission waveguide. The first metal electrode covers the second transmission waveguide. The first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are configured to receive an electrical signal and determine a coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide according to the electrical signal. The first transmission waveguide is configured to receive an input light signal from the light emitter and obtain a first light signal by coupling the input light signal to the second transmission waveguide according to the coupling coefficient. The first transmission waveguide is further configured to transmit the first light signal to the receiver. The receiver is configured to output a multiplication result determined according to the first light signal.

[0006] It can be seen that the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are distributed on one side of the first transmission waveguide. Compared with a Ground-Signal-Ground (GSG) design, the coupler can be more compact by using the embodiment. The optoelectronic multiplier comprises the coupler, and therefore the integration of the optoelectronic multiplier can be improved. The coupling coefficient is determined by receiving the electrical signal by the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode. The input light signal is coupled to the second transmission waveguide according to the coupling coefficient, and the first light signal is obtained. Because part of the light signal is coupled to the first transmission waveguide, and the first metal electrode covers the second transmission waveguide, the first metal electrode has a certain absorption effect on the light signal. Therefore, the second transmission waveguide can have additional absorption loss. The light signal coupled to the second transmission waveguide can be prevented from being reflected or radiated into the air, and the performance of the optoelectronic multiplier can be improved. The multiplication speed can be improved.

[0007] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation, the multiplication result is determined according to superposition of N first light signals. Each of the N first light signals is determined by an electrical signal corresponding to each of the N first light signals. N is a positive integer greater than 2.

[0008] It can be seen that the multiplication result output by the receiver is obtained by superposition of N first light signals. The clock period required for multiplication by using light signals is short, and the speed is fast. Therefore, the operation speed of the optoelectronic multiplier can be improved.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the number of couplers in the optoelectronic multiplier is N, N is a positive integer greater than 2; the first transmission waveguide in the first coupler of the N couplers is specifically configured to transmit the obtained first optical signal as a first multiplier to the first transmission waveguide in the second coupler connected thereto; the first transmission waveguide in the second coupler of the N couplers is specifically configured to perform multiplication operation on the obtained first optical signal and the first multiplier to obtain a first multiplication result; the first transmission waveguide in the second coupler is further configured to transmit the first multiplication result as a second multiplier to the first transmission waveguide in the third coupler connected thereto; the first transmission waveguide in the third coupler of the N couplers is specifically configured to perform multiplication operation on the obtained first optical signal and the second multiplier to obtain a second multiplication result; and the first transmission waveguide in the N-1th coupler is configured to transmit the N-2th multiplication result as an N-1th multiplier to the first transmission waveguide in the Nth coupler connected thereto; the first transmission waveguide in the Nth coupler of the N couplers is specifically configured to perform multiplication operation on the obtained first optical signal and the N-1th multiplier to obtain an N-1th multiplication result, and transmit the N-1th multiplication result to the receiver.

[0010] It can be seen that the multiplication result output by the receiver is obtained by multiplying the first optical signal transmitted by the first transmission waveguide in the N couplers, and the clock period required for the multiplication by the optical signal is short and fast, so that the operation speed of the optoelectronic multiplier can be improved.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically configured to change the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide according to the electrical signal, so as to determine the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide.

[0012] Optionally, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically configured to change the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide according to the electrical signal, so as to change the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide.

[0013] It can be seen that the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide can be controlled more accurately by the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode, so that the second transmission waveguide can accurately output the first optical signal, and therefore the operation accuracy of the optoelectronic multiplier can be improved.

[0014] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the materials of the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide are doped silicon, and the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically configured to trigger the carrier dispersion effect of the second transmission waveguide according to the electrical signal, so as to change the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide.

[0015] Optionally, the material of the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide is thin-film lithium niobate, and the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically configured to trigger the electro-optic effect of the second transmission waveguide according to the electrical signal, so as to change the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide.

[0016] It can be seen that the material of the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide can be doped silicon and / or thin-film lithium niobate, and the transmission waveguide of the corresponding material can be selected according to actual needs, so that the application of the optical coupler is more extensive.

[0017] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the coupling coefficient ranges from 0 to 1.

[0018] Optionally, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically configured to adjust the coupling coefficient by the amplitude and / or frequency of the electrical signal.

[0019] It can be seen that the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide can be adjusted by the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode, so that the first transmission waveguide can output the first optical signal meeting the requirements, thereby the operation precision of the optical multiplier can be improved.

[0020] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the second transmission waveguide is a curved waveguide.

[0021] It can be seen that when the optical signal coupled to the second transmission waveguide is coupled out through the bend, the energy of the optical signal can be attenuated, so that the echo reflection energy at the waveguide and air interface can be reduced, and the disturbance of the reflected light to the performance of the optical multiplier can be avoided.

[0022] The second aspect of the embodiment of the present application discloses a coupler, which comprises a first transmission waveguide, a second transmission waveguide, a first metal electrode and a second metal electrode. The first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are located on one side of the first transmission waveguide, and the first metal electrode covers the second transmission waveguide. The first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are configured to receive an electrical signal and determine the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide according to the electrical signal. The first transmission waveguide is configured to receive an input optical signal of a light emitter, and after coupling the input optical signal to the second transmission waveguide according to the coupling coefficient, a first optical signal is obtained.

[0023] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically configured to change the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide according to the electrical signal, so as to determine the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide.

[0024] According to a second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically configured to change the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide according to the electrical signal, thereby changing the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide.

[0025] According to a second aspect, in a possible implementation, the material of the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide is doped silicon, and the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically configured to:

[0026] According to the electrical signal, trigger the carrier dispersion effect of the second transmission waveguide, thereby changing the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide.

[0027] According to a second aspect, in a possible implementation, the material of the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide is thin film lithium niobate, and the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically configured to: according to the electrical signal, trigger the electro-optic effect of the second transmission waveguide, thereby changing the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide.

[0028] According to a second aspect, in a possible implementation, the coupling coefficient ranges from 0 to 1.

[0029] According to a second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically configured to adjust the coupling coefficient through the amplitude and / or frequency of the electrical signal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] The following describes the drawings used by the embodiments of the present application.

[0031] Figure 1A is a structure diagram of a cascaded direct coupler provided by the prior art;

[0032] Figure 1B is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a power dynamically adjustable direct coupler provided by the prior art;

[0033] Figure 1C is a thermal simulation schematic diagram of an adjustable direct coupler provided by the prior art;

[0034] Figure 1D is a structure diagram of a power adjustable direct coupler provided by the prior art;

[0035] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a coupler provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0036] Figure 3A is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a coupler based on doped silicon provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0037] Figure 3Bis a cross-sectional view of another doped silicon-based coupler provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 3C is a cross-sectional view of another doped silicon-based coupler provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 4A is a longitudinal sectional view of a doped silicon-based coupler provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 4B is a longitudinal sectional view of a thin-film lithium niobate-based coupler provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 5 is a structural view of an optoelectronic multiplier provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 6 is a structural view of another optoelectronic multiplier provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0044] First, some key terms related to the embodiments of the present application are described.

[0045] (1) N-type semiconductor, N (Negative) type, i.e. electron type, the semiconductor mainly conducting by electrons is called N-type semiconductor. The N-type semiconductor is obtained by doping the donor impurities in the intrinsic semiconductor, for example, doping a small amount of 5-valence elements (phosphorus or arsenic, etc.) in pure silicon, and the phosphorus and the surrounding 4-valence silicon atoms form a covalent bond with one free electron. Among them, the N-type can be divided into N+ type (more electron type), N++ type and N- type (less electron type), the doping concentration of N+ type semiconductor is greater than that of N- type semiconductor, and the doping concentration of N++ type semiconductor is greater than that of N+ type semiconductor. It should be understood that N+ type (more electron type) and N- type (less electron type) are relative; N++ type and N+ type are also relative.

[0046] (2) P-type semiconductor, P (Positive) type, namely hole type, the semiconductor mainly conducting with holes is called P-type semiconductor. The P-type semiconductor is obtained by doping acceptor impurities in intrinsic semiconductor. For example, a trace of trivalent element (boron or indium, etc.) is doped in pure silicon, and the boron forms a hole by lacking one electron in the covalent bond with the surrounding tetravalent silicon atoms. Among them, P-type can be divided into P+ type (more hole type), P++ type and P- type (less hole type), the doping concentration of P+ type semiconductor is greater than that of P- type semiconductor, and the doping concentration of P++ type semiconductor is greater than that of P+ type semiconductor. It should be understood that P+ type (more hole type) and N- type (less hole type) are relative; P++ type and P+ type are also relative.

[0047] (3) Thin film lithium niobate, which is an inorganic substance with a chemical formula of LiNbO3, is a negative crystal and a ferroelectric crystal. The thin film lithium niobate crystal after polarization treatment has multiple properties such as piezoelectricity, ferroelectricity, photoelectricity, nonlinear optics and thermoelectricity, and also has electro-optic effect.

[0048] (4) Electro-optic effect refers to the effect that the refractive index of a crystal changes when an electric field is applied to the crystal. Some crystals have inherent electric dipole moments due to spontaneous polarization. When an electric field is applied to such a crystal, the orientation of the inherent dipole moments in the crystal tends to be consistent or a certain dominant orientation, so the refractive index of the crystal must change, that is, the optical index of the crystal changes under the external electric field.

[0049] The dielectric constant of the medium is related to the charge distribution in the crystal. When an electric field is applied to the crystal, the redistribution of bound charges will occur, and the ion lattice will also change slightly, and the final result will change the dielectric constant, and the change is different with the size and direction of the external electric field.

[0050] Pockels effect, also known as linear electro-optic effect, the refractive index is linearly related to the external electric field; Kerr effect, also known as second-order electro-optic effect, the refractive index is proportional to the square of the external electric field.

[0051] (5) Carrier dispersion effect refers to the change of the refractive index caused by the change of free carriers in the semiconductor due to the injection or extraction of carriers. This effect has been widely used in III-V semiconductor photonic devices. Theoretical analysis and experiments show that the imaginary part of the dielectric constant and the carrier concentration are linearly related. Carrier dispersion effect has the advantages of high speed, polarization insensitivity and large refractive index change.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 1A , Figure 1A is a structure schematic diagram of a cascade direct coupler provided by the prior art, from Figure 1AIt can be seen that by changing the length of the first waveguide 1 in the coupling region 001, different coupling coefficients can be obtained at different positions of the transmission waveguide, and by changing the length of the second waveguide 2 in the coupling region 001, different coupling coefficients can be obtained at different positions of the transmission waveguide. Figure 1A The coupler shown in FIG. 1 can achieve 64-way uniform light splitting. However, Figure 1A The cascaded direct coupler shown in FIG. 2 cannot be dynamically adjusted, that is, the coupling coefficient cannot be adjusted according to actual needs, but can only be obtained according to the fixed length of the coupling region.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 1B , Figure 1B is a cross-sectional view of a power dynamically adjustable direct coupler provided by the prior art. As can be seen from Figure 1B , by placing a metal electrode 3 above the coupling region 002, the temperature of the metal electrode 3 can be changed by heating to cause a thermo-optic effect, thereby affecting the refractive index of the power dynamically adjustable direct coupler, and the refractive indices of the two arms of the coupling region 002 change to different degrees, so that the power split ratio of the power dynamically adjustable direct coupler can be adjusted.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 1C , Figure 1C is a thermal simulation schematic diagram of an adjustable direct coupler provided by the prior art, that is, Figure 1B the thermal simulation schematic diagram of the power dynamically adjustable direct coupler shown in FIG. 3. As can be seen from Figure 1C , when the metal electrode 2 is placed in a non-central symmetric manner, the temperatures of the two waveguide arms at the coupling region 002 are different, so the coupling coefficient between the two waveguide arms changes. However, since the temperature of the thermal modulation is generally in the order of kilohertz (KHz), the modulation speed of the direct coupler is difficult to break through the order of megahertz (MHz).

[0055] Please refer to Figure 1D , Figure 1D is a structural schematic diagram of a power adjustable direct coupler provided by the prior art. As can be seen from Figure 1D , the metal electrode 4 is arranged in a GSG manner and is distributed in the left, middle and right parts of the coupling waveguide. Heating can change the temperature of the metal electrode 4 and thus produce a thermo-optic effect, thereby affecting the refractive index of the power adjustable direct coupler as described above, and the refractive indices of the two transmission arms of the coupling region 003 change to different degrees, so that the power split ratio of the power adjustable direct coupler can be adjusted. A layer of single-layer graphene is covered above the silicon waveguide of the coupling region 003, which can increase the electron mobility and thus improve the modulation efficiency. However, since the yield of single-layer graphene is low and the performance of graphene itself is not stable, the coupler structure is difficult to realize large-scale application.

[0056] Next, the optoelectronic multiplier related to the embodiments of the present application will be introduced. Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2A cross-sectional view of a coupler is provided in the embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that Figure 2 The coupler 100 shown is any one of the couplers in the photomultiplier. From Figure 2 It can be seen that the structure of the coupler 100 includes a substrate 101, a buried layer 102 and a top layer 103. The buried layer 102 is made on the substrate 101, and the top layer 103 is made on the buried layer 102. The top layer 103 is etched with a first transmission waveguide 201 and a second transmission waveguide 202. Among them, the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 are located on one side of the first transmission waveguide 300, the first metal electrode 301 covers the second transmission waveguide 202, and the second metal electrode 302 covers the top layer 103 on one side of the second transmission waveguide 202. From Figure 2 It can be seen that the second metal electrode 302 is not located between the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202.

[0057] Among them, the first transmission waveguide 201 can receive the input optical signal generated by the light emitter. When the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 receive the electrical signal, the two metal electrodes can determine the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202 according to the electrical signal. When the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202 changes, the first transmission waveguide 201 can couple a part of the input optical signal to the second transmission waveguide 202 according to the coupling coefficient, so that the first transmission waveguide 300 can obtain the first optical signal.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 are specifically configured to change the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide 202 according to the electrical signal, so as to determine the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202.

[0059] Specifically, when the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 receive the electrical signal, the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 can change the concentration of the carrier of the second transmission waveguide 202 according to the electrical signal. When the carrier concentration of the second transmission waveguide 202 changes, the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide 202 will also change. Finally, the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide 202 can determine the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202.

[0060] It should be noted that the substrate 101 is a silicon substrate, the material of the buried layer 102 is silicon dioxide (SiO2), the material of the top layer 103 is doped silicon, thin film lithium niobate or indium phosphide, etc. The material of the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 is gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), etc.

[0061] When the material of the top layer 103 is doped silicon, please refer to Figure 3A , Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view of a coupler based on doped silicon provided by an embodiment of the present application. As can be seen from Figure 3A , the second transmission waveguide 202 can be N+ type doped silicon, and the material of the top layer 103 covering the second metal electrode 302 can be P+ type doped silicon. Please refer to Figure 3B , Figure 3B is another cross-sectional view of a coupler based on doped silicon provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3B Compared with Figure 3A , the first metal electrode 301 covering the second transmission waveguide 202 not only covers the top of the second transmission waveguide 202, but also covers the sidewall of the second transmission waveguide 202, that is, the first metal electrode 301 wraps the sidewall of the second transmission waveguide 202. Further, the first metal electrode 301 can wrap the sidewall of the second transmission waveguide 202 close to the second metal electrode 302 and / or the sidewall of the second transmission waveguide 202 close to the first transmission waveguide 200. It should be noted that Figure 3C indicates that the first metal electrode 301 wraps the sidewall of the second transmission waveguide 202 close to the second metal electrode 302. Please refer to Figure 3C , Figure 3C is still another cross-sectional view of a coupler based on doped silicon provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3C Compared with Figure 3A , the second transmission waveguide 202 is N++ type doped silicon, the material of the top layer 103 located directly below the second transmission waveguide 202 and similar in area to the second transmission waveguide 202 is N+ type doped silicon, and the material of the top layer 103 covering the second metal electrode 302 can be P++ type doped silicon. The N+ type doped silicon and the P++ type doped silicon are P+ type doped silicon. It should be noted that Figure 3C indicates that the placement mode of the first metal electrode 301 can be consistent with that shown in Figure 3B .

[0062] It should be noted that the coverage area of the P+ type doped silicon can be consistent with the coverage area of the second metal electrode 302, or larger than the coverage of the metal 402. Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C indicate that the coverage area of the P+ type doped silicon is larger than the coverage of the metal 402.

[0063] Please refer to Figure 4A and Figure 4B , Figure 4A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a coupler based on doped silicon provided by an embodiment of the present application, Figure 4BFig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a longitudinal section of a coupler based on thin film lithium niobate provided by an embodiment of the present application. The shape of the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202 projected on the top layer 103 can be rectangular or ridge-shaped, wherein the first transmission waveguide 201 is straight and the second transmission waveguide 202 is curved. Figure 4A and Figure 4B As can be seen from Fig. 1, the first transmission waveguide 201 can be a straight waveguide and the second transmission waveguide 202 can be a curved waveguide, and the curved part of the first transmission waveguide 300 is away from the first transmission waveguide 201.

[0064] As can be seen from Fig. 1, the first metal electrode 301 can be covered on the top of the second transmission waveguide 202. The coverage range of the first metal electrode 301 can be set according to actual needs, that is, the first metal electrode 301 can be completely covered on the top of the first transmission waveguide 300, or only a part of it can be covered. The second metal electrode 302 is located on the side of the second transmission waveguide 202 away from the first transmission waveguide 201. Figure 4A Figure 4B As can be seen from Fig. 1, the first metal electrode 301 can be covered on the top of the second transmission waveguide 202. The coverage range of the first metal electrode 301 can be set according to actual needs, that is, the first metal electrode 301 can be completely covered on the top of the first transmission waveguide 300, or only a part of it can be covered. The second metal electrode 302 is located on the side of the second transmission waveguide 202 away from the first transmission waveguide 201.

[0065] As can be seen from Fig. 1, the first metal electrode 301 can be covered on the top of the second transmission waveguide 202. The coverage range of the first metal electrode 301 can be set according to actual needs, that is, the first metal electrode 301 can be completely covered on the top of the first transmission waveguide 300, or only a part of it can be covered. The second metal electrode 302 is located on the side of the second transmission waveguide 202 away from the first transmission waveguide 201. Figure 4A As can be seen from Fig. 1, the material of the top layer 103 is (c-Si), and the first transmission waveguide 201 is a straight waveguide etched on single crystal silicon. A small amount of 5-valence element can be doped on the top layer 103 to form N+ type doped silicon, and the second transmission waveguide 202 is a curved waveguide etched on the N+ type doped silicon. A small amount of 3-valence element can be doped on the top layer 103 to form P+ type doped silicon, the second metal electrode 302 is covered on the top of the P+ type doped silicon, and the metal electrode 301 is covered on the top of the second transmission waveguide 202. When the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 receive an electrical signal, the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 can trigger the dispersion effect of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide 202 according to the electrical signal, thereby changing the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide 202. When the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide 202 changes, the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide 202 will also change. Therefore, by changing the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide 202, the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202 can be determined. Therefore, when the first transmission waveguide 201 transmits an input optical signal, the first transmission waveguide 201 can couple the input optical signal to the second transmission waveguide 202 according to the above coupling coefficient, and obtain the first optical signal.

[0066] As can be seen from Fig. 1, the first metal electrode 301 can be covered on the top of the second transmission waveguide 202. The coverage range of the first metal electrode 301 can be set according to actual needs, that is, the first metal electrode 301 can be completely covered on the top of the first transmission waveguide 300, or only a part of it can be covered. The second metal electrode 302 is located on the side of the second transmission waveguide 202 away from the first transmission waveguide 201. Figure 4B ​It can be seen that the material of the top layer 103 is thin film lithium niobate, the first transmission waveguide 201 is a straight waveguide etched on the thin film lithium niobate, and the second transmission waveguide 202 is a curved waveguide etched on the thin film lithium niobate. The second metal electrode 302 is located above the top layer 103 on one side of the second transmission waveguide 202, and the first metal electrode 301 is located above the second transmission waveguide 202. When the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 receive an electrical signal, the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 can trigger the electro-optic effect of the second transmission waveguide 202 according to the electrical signal, so as to change the concentration of carriers of the second transmission waveguide 202. When the concentration of carriers of the second transmission waveguide 202 changes, the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide 202 also changes. Therefore, by changing the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide 202, the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202 can be determined. Therefore, when the first transmission waveguide 201 transmits an input optical signal, the first transmission waveguide 201 can couple the optical signal to the second transmission waveguide 202 according to the above coupling coefficient, and obtain a first optical signal.

[0067] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of an optical-electric multiplier provided by the embodiment of the present application. From Figure 5 it can be seen that the optical-electric multiplier 400 comprises a light emitter 401, a receiver 402 and N couplers 100. The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the coupler 100 can be seen in any one of the embodiments of Figure 2 , Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C . The longitudinal sectional schematic diagram of the coupler 100 can be seen in any one of the embodiments of Figure 4A and Figure 4B .

[0068] The light emitter 401 generates an input light signal and emits the input light signal onto the first transmission waveguide 201. Since the first transmission waveguides 201 of each of the N couplers are connected to each other, the input light signal can be transmitted on the first transmission waveguide 201 of each coupler. When the two metal electrodes in any one of the N couplers 100 receive an electrical signal, the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202 in the coupler can be determined according to the electrical signal. When the coupling coefficient is determined, the first transmission waveguide 201 can couple the input light signal onto the second transmission waveguide 202 according to the coupling coefficient, so that the first transmission waveguide 201 can obtain a first light signal. It can be understood that when the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202 changes, a part of the input light signal transmitted on the first transmission waveguide 201 can be coupled from the first transmission waveguide 201 into the second transmission waveguide 202, so that the first transmission waveguide transmits the first light signal. The first light signal is part of the input light signal determined according to the coupling coefficient. By changing the amplitude and / or frequency of the electrical signal, the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide can be changed. It can be understood that when the amplitude and / or frequency of the electrical signal received by the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 changes, the refractive index of the first transmission waveguide can also change accordingly according to the change of the amplitude and / or frequency of the electrical signal, so that the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide also changes accordingly.

[0069] From Figure 5As can be seen, the first transmission waveguide between the couplers is connected together. When the first transmission waveguide in the first coupler of the N couplers transmits the resultant first optical signal as a first multiplier to the first transmission waveguide in the second coupler connected thereto, the first transmission waveguide in the second coupler multiplies the resultant first optical signal with the first multiplier to obtain a first multiplication result. It can be understood that the first multiplication result is the multiplication result of the first optical signal obtained by the first coupler and the first optical signal obtained by the second coupler. Then, the first transmission waveguide in the second coupler transmits the first multiplication result as a second multiplier to the first transmission waveguide of the third coupler connected thereto, and the first transmission waveguide in the third coupler multiplies the resultant first optical signal with the second multiplier to obtain a second multiplication result. It can be understood that the second multiplication result is the multiplication result of the first optical signal obtained by the first coupler, the first optical signal obtained by the second coupler and the first optical signal obtained by the third coupler. The first transmission waveguide of each coupler transmits the resultant multiplication result to the first transmission waveguide of the next coupler, until the first transmission waveguide in the (N-1)th coupler transmits the (N-2)th multiplication result as an (N-1)th multiplier to the first transmission waveguide of the Nth coupler connected thereto. Finally, the first transmission waveguide in the Nth coupler multiplies the resultant first optical signal with the (N-1)th multiplier to obtain an (N-1)th multiplication result, and transmits the (N-1)th multiplication result to the receiver. It can be understood that the (N-1)th multiplication result is the multiplication result of the first optical signal obtained by the first coupler, the first optical signal obtained by the second coupler, the first optical signal obtained by the third coupler, and so on, until the first optical signal obtained by the Nth coupler.

[0070] The receiver 402 receives the multiplication result of the first optical signal transmitted by the first transmission waveguide in the Nth coupler, and the receiver 402 can be a photodetector, such as a photodiode. It can be understood that the first optical signal is obtained by the first transmission waveguide after the input optical signal is coupled to the second transmission waveguide according to the coupling coefficient, and the coupling coefficient is related to the electrical signal received by the two metal electrodes, so when the electrical signal received by the two metal electrodes of each coupler is different, the first optical signal obtained by the first transmission waveguide of each coupler is also different.

[0071] It should be noted that the coupling coefficient ranges from 0 to 1. Among them, the coupling coefficient can be 0. Because of the loss of the waveguide itself, the coupling coefficient is difficult to be 1. But with the discovery of new materials, the coupling coefficient can be 1. For example, to get the multiplication result of (0.5*0.9*0.89), assuming that the light-emitting device 401 emits a first transmission waveguide 201 input light signal value of 1, the first transmission waveguide in the first coupler needs to couple the input light signal value of 1 to the first light signal value of 0.5 obtained after coupling to the second transmission waveguide according to the coupling coefficient, so the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode in the first coupler need to receive the electrical signal to meet the determined coupling coefficient so that the value of the first light signal is 0.5; the first transmission waveguide in the second coupler needs to couple the input light signal value of 1 to the first light signal value of 0.9 obtained after coupling to the second transmission waveguide according to the coupling coefficient, so the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode in the second coupler need to receive the electrical signal to meet the determined coupling coefficient so that the value of the first light signal is 0.9; the first transmission waveguide in the third coupler needs to couple the input light signal value of 1 to the first light signal value of 0.89 obtained after coupling to the second transmission waveguide according to the coupling coefficient, so the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode in the third coupler need to receive the electrical signal to meet the determined coupling coefficient so that the value of the first light signal is 0.89. When the above three coupling coefficients determine the respective first light signals, the first light signals are transmitted to the receiver. Because the first transmission waveguides of each coupler are connected to each other, the first transmission waveguide of the first coupler transmits the first light signal with a value of 0.5 to the first transmission waveguide of the second coupler connected thereto. Because the first transmission waveguide of the second coupler obtains the first light signal with a value of 0.9, when receiving the first light signal with a value of 0.5, a light signal with a value of 0.5*0.9 can be obtained. Then the first transmission waveguide of the second coupler transmits the multiplication result of 0.5*0.9 to the first transmission waveguide of the third coupler connected thereto. Because the first transmission waveguide of the third coupler obtains the first light signal with a value of 0.89, when receiving the first multiplication of 0.5*0.9, a multiplication result of 0.5*0.9*0.89 can be obtained. Because the first transmission waveguides of other couplers connected to the first transmission waveguide of the third coupler do not obtain the first light signal, the input light signal with a value of 1 is transmitted on the first transmission waveguides of other couplers, so the multiplication result of 0.5*0.9*0.89 is transmitted to the receiver.

[0072] It should be noted that the metal electrodes of each coupler in the N couplers can receive electrical signals at the same time, so the first transmission waveguides of each coupler can also obtain the first light signal at the same time.

[0073] Please refer toFigure 6 , Figure 6 is another structure diagram of the photoelectric multiplier provided by the embodiment of the present application. From Figure 6 it can be seen that the photoelectric multiplier 500 comprises the light emitter 401, the receiver 402 and the coupler 100. The cross-sectional structure diagram of the coupler 100 can refer to any one of the embodiments in Figure 2 , Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C . The longitudinal section structure diagram of the coupler 100 can refer to any one of the embodiments in Figure 4A and Figure 4B .

[0074] The light emitter 401 generates the input light and emits the input light signal to the first transmission waveguide 201. When the two metal electrodes in the coupler 100 receive the electric signal, the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202 in the coupler 100 can be determined according to the electric signal. When the coupling coefficient is determined, the first transmission waveguide 201 can couple the input light signal to the second transmission waveguide 202 according to the coupling coefficient, so that the first transmission waveguide 201 can obtain the first light signal. It can be understood that when the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide 201 and the second transmission waveguide 202 changes, the input light signal transmitted on the first transmission waveguide 201 can be coupled from the first transmission waveguide 201 to the second transmission waveguide 202, so that the first transmission waveguide 201 transmits the first light signal. The first light signal is part of the input light signal determined according to the coupling coefficient. By changing the amplitude and / or frequency of the electric signal, the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide can be changed. It can be understood that when the amplitude and / or frequency of the electric signal received by the first metal electrode 301 and the second metal electrode 302 changes, the refractive index of the first transmission waveguide can also change according to the change of the amplitude and / or frequency of the electric signal, so that the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide also changes accordingly.

[0075] The first transmission waveguide 201 in the coupler 100 transmits the first optical signal to the receiver 402, and the receiver 402 determines and outputs the multiplication result according to the first optical signal. It can be understood that the multiplication result can be determined by the receiver 402 according to the superposition of N first optical signals, and each of the N first optical signals is determined by the electrical signal corresponding to each first optical signal. The coupling coefficient ranges from 0 to 1. Among them, the coupling coefficient can be 0. Due to the loss of the waveguide itself, it is difficult for the coupling coefficient to be 1. However, with the discovery of new materials, the coupling coefficient can be 1. It can be understood that in order to obtain the multiplication result of (0.5*0.9*0.89), assuming that the light-emitting device 401 emits an input optical signal with a value of 1 on the first transmission waveguide 201. The first metal electrode and the second metal electrode of the coupler 100 first receive the electrical signal, and the determined coupling coefficient can make the value of the first optical signal be 0.5. Then the first transmission waveguide of the coupler 100 transmits the first optical signal with a value of 0.5 to the receiver. Then, the control circuit changes the electrical signal, so that the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode of the coupler 100 receive the electrical signal, and the determined coupling coefficient can make the value of the first optical signal be 0.9. Then the first transmission waveguide of the coupler 100 transmits the first optical signal with a value of 0.9 to the receiver. Next, the control circuit changes the electrical signal again, so that the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode of the coupler 100 receive the electrical signal, and the determined coupling coefficient can make the value of the first optical signal be 0.89. Then the first transmission waveguide of the coupler 100 transmits the first optical signal with a value of 0.89 to the receiver. Finally, the first optical signal with a value of 0.5, the first optical signal with a value of 0.8 and the first optical signal with a value of 0.89 are converged at the receiver, and the receiver can determine the multiplication result according to the superposition of the above three optical signals. The multiplication result is 0.5*0.9*0.89.

[0076] The technical terms used in the embodiments of the present application are only used to illustrate the specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present application. In this document, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are used to include both the plural forms, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Further, the use of "include" and / or "contain" in the specification means that the features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components exist, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components.

[0077] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all elements throughout the claims, if any, and the of the application, are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function of the equivalent element. The description of the present application has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the application in the form disclosed.

Claims

1. An optoelectronic multiplier, characterized by The optoelectronic multiplier comprises a light emitter, a receiver and a coupler, the coupler comprises a first transmission waveguide, a second transmission waveguide, a first metal electrode and a second metal electrode, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are located on one side of the first transmission waveguide, and the first metal electrode covers the second transmission waveguide; wherein, The first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are used for receiving an electrical signal and changing the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide according to the electrical signal, so as to determine the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide. The first transmission waveguide is used for receiving an input optical signal of the light emitter, and after the input optical signal is coupled to the second transmission waveguide according to the coupling coefficient, a first optical signal is obtained. The first transmission waveguide is also used for transmitting the first optical signal to the receiver. The receiver is used for outputting a multiplication result, the multiplication result is determined according to superposition of N first optical signals, each of the N first optical signals is determined by an electrical signal corresponding to each of the first optical signals, and N is a positive integer greater than 2.

2. The photomultiplier according to claim 1, characterized in that The number of couplers in the optoelectronic multiplier is N, and N is a positive integer greater than 2; The first transmission waveguide in the first coupler of the N couplers is specifically used for transmitting the obtained first optical signal as a first multiplier to the first transmission waveguide in the second coupler connected thereto. The first transmission waveguide in the second coupler of the N couplers is specifically used for multiplying the obtained first optical signal with the first multiplier to obtain a first multiplication result. The first transmission waveguide in the second coupler is also used for transmitting the first multiplication result as a second multiplier to the first transmission waveguide in the third coupler connected thereto. The first transmission waveguide in the third coupler of the N couplers is specifically used for multiplying the obtained first optical signal with the second multiplier to obtain a second multiplication result; and the first transmission waveguide in the N-1th coupler is used for transmitting an N-2th multiplication result as an N-1th multiplier to the first transmission waveguide in the Nth coupler connected thereto. The first transmission waveguide in the Nth coupler of the N couplers is specifically used for multiplying the obtained first optical signal with the N-1th multiplier to obtain an N-1th multiplication result, and transmitting the N-1th multiplication result to the receiver.

3. The photomultiplier according to claim 1, characterized in that The first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically used for: According to the electrical signal, changing the concentration of carriers of the second transmission waveguide, so as to change the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide.

4. The photomultiplier according to claim 3, characterized in that The materials of the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide are doped silicon, and the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are specifically used for: According to the electrical signal, triggering the carrier dispersion effect of the second transmission waveguide, so as to change the concentration of carriers of the second transmission waveguide.

5. The photomultiplier according to claim 3, characterized in that The material of the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide is thin film lithium niobate, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode, in particular for: According to the electrical signal, the electro-optic effect of the second transmission waveguide is triggered, so as to change the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide.

6. The photomultiplier according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The coupling coefficient ranges between 0 and 1.

7. The photomultiplier according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first metal electrode and the second metal electrode, in particular for: The coupling coefficient is adjusted by the amplitude and / or frequency of the electrical signal.

8. A coupler, characterized by The coupler comprises a first transmission waveguide, a second transmission waveguide, a first metal electrode and a second metal electrode, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are located on one side of the first transmission waveguide, and the first metal electrode covers the second transmission waveguide, wherein, The first metal electrode and the second metal electrode are used to receive an electrical signal and change the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide according to the electrical signal, so as to determine the coupling coefficient between the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide; The first transmission waveguide is used to receive an input optical signal of a light emitting device, and after coupling the input optical signal to the second transmission waveguide according to the coupling coefficient, a first optical signal is obtained.

9. The coupler of claim 8, wherein, The first metal electrode and the second metal electrode, in particular for: According to the electrical signal, the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide is changed, so as to change the refractive index of the second transmission waveguide.

10. The coupler of claim 9, wherein, The material of the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide is doped silicon, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode, in particular for: According to the electrical signal, the carrier dispersion effect of the second transmission waveguide is triggered, so as to change the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide.

11. The coupler of claim 9, wherein, The material of the first transmission waveguide and the second transmission waveguide is thin film lithium niobate, the first metal electrode and the second metal electrode, in particular for: According to the electrical signal, the electro-optic effect of the second transmission waveguide is triggered, so as to change the concentration of the carriers of the second transmission waveguide.

12. The coupler of any of claims 8-11, wherein, The coupling coefficient ranges between 0 and 1.

13. The coupler of any of claims 8-11, wherein, The first metal electrode and the second metal electrode, in particular for: The coupling coefficient is adjusted by the amplitude and / or frequency of the electrical signal.

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