Optical amplifier, optical assembly, optical module, optical communication network system and detection device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an optical amplifier, an optical assembly, an optical module, an optical communication network system and a detection device, relates to the technical field of semiconductors, and is used for solving the problem of unidirectional light emission of the optical amplifier. The optical amplifier comprises a waveguide and a photonic crystal. The waveguide comprises a core area and a wrapping area arranged on the periphery of the core area. The waveguide further comprises a light inlet side, a first light outlet side and a second light outlet side. And the photonic crystal is arranged in a packet area of the waveguide. The core area is located between the light inlet side and the first light outlet side, and the photonic crystal is located between the second light outlet side and the core area. The photonic crystal is used for receiving incident light from the light incident side and emitting first emergent light and second emergent light. The first emergent light is emitted from the first light emitting side, and the second emergent light is emitted from the second light emitting side.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to an optical amplifier, an optical component, an optical module, an optical communication network system and a detection device. Background Art

[0002] Optical amplifiers are widely used in the fields of optical communications and optical sensing. For example, optical amplifiers can be used for optical signal amplification, signal regeneration, wavelength conversion, and pulse reshaping. Optical amplifiers have the advantage of being easy to integrate and can be integrated with lasers, modulators, etc. on a single chip, playing an important role in the field of optical chips.

[0003] However, the conventional optical amplifier has unidirectional light output and cannot be provided with a detection end side, which limits the application field of the optical amplifier and makes it impossible to confirm the working status of the optical amplifier. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide an optical amplifier, an optical component, an optical module, an optical communication network system and a detection device, which are used to alleviate and solve the problem of unidirectional light output of an optical amplifier.

[0005] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an optical amplifier is provided, comprising: a waveguide and a photonic crystal. The waveguide comprises a core region and a package region arranged at the periphery of the core region. The waveguide also comprises a light incident side, a first light output side and a second light output side. The photonic crystal is arranged in the package region of the waveguide. The core region is located between the light incident side and the first light output side, and the photonic crystal is located between the second light output side and the core region. The photonic crystal is used to receive incident light from the light incident side, and to emit a first output light and a second output light. The first output light is emitted from the first light output side, and the second output light is emitted from the second light output side.

[0007] In the optical amplifier provided by the embodiment of the present application, the photonic crystal is arranged in the packet area of ​​the waveguide, and after the incident light passes through the photonic crystal, the first outgoing light and the second outgoing light are transmitted through the photonic crystal, that is, the optical amplifier provided by the embodiment of the present application can realize bidirectional light emission, and the light emission ratio of the first outgoing light and the second outgoing light can be adjusted. In addition, the optical amplifier provided by the embodiment of the present application can confirm the working state of the optical amplifier by detecting the outgoing light of one of the light emission sides.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the first outgoing light is transmitted from the photonic crystal, and the second outgoing light is reflected from the photonic crystal. In this way, the first outgoing light and the second outgoing light that can be emitted after the incident light passes through the photonic crystal can be emitted from two directions respectively.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the photonic crystal is located on the surface of the package region, so that the divergence angle of the second emergent light can be further reduced.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the photonic crystal is located on one side of the core region along the thickness direction of the waveguide. In this way, the first emitted light and the second emitted light are emitted vertically, which can improve the degree of freedom of the optical amplifier packaging.

[0011] In a possible implementation, along the first direction, the edge of the photonic crystal does not exceed the edge of the core region; the first direction is perpendicular to the extension direction of the waveguide, and the first direction is also perpendicular to the thickness direction of the waveguide. In this way, the intensity of the first and second emitted lights can be increased.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the size of the photonic crystal along the first direction is the same as the size of the core region along the first direction; the first direction is perpendicular to the extension direction of the waveguide, and the first direction is also perpendicular to the thickness direction of the waveguide. In this way, the intensity of the first and second emitted lights can be further improved.

[0013] In a possible implementation, there is a distance between the photonic crystal and the core region, so as to prevent the material of the photonic crystal from diffusing into the core region.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the optical amplifier further includes a buffer layer, and the buffer layer is located between the core region and the cladding region, so as to prevent the material of the photonic crystal from diffusing into the core region.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the photonic crystal includes a third light-emitting side, and the second emitted light is emitted from the third light-emitting side; the third light-emitting side includes a plurality of circular light-emitting holes, so that the divergence angle of the second emitted light can be reduced.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the waveguide includes any one of a ridge waveguide, a rectangular waveguide or a buried waveguide. In this way, the waveguide can be implemented in a variety of ways.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the waveguide includes a ridge waveguide; the ridge waveguide includes a slab portion and a ridge-shaped portion disposed on the slab portion; the core region includes a portion of the slab portion covered by the ridge-shaped portion, and the envelope region includes the ridge-shaped portion and a portion of the slab portion other than the core region; and the photonic crystal is disposed in the ridge-shaped portion. In this way, the photonic crystal can be disposed in the ridge waveguide.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the photonic crystal includes a two-dimensional photonic crystal or a three-dimensional photonic crystal. Thus, the photonic crystal has multiple implementations.

[0019] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an optical component is provided, comprising an optical amplifier as in any one of the first aspects and a light source; the light source provides an optical signal for the optical amplifier.

[0020] The optical component provided in the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application includes the optical amplifier of any one of the first aspects, and its beneficial effects are the same as those of the optical amplifier, which will not be repeated here.

[0021] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an optical module is provided, comprising an optical receiving component and an optical transmitting component, wherein the optical receiving component receives an optical signal transmitted by the optical transmitting component; the optical receiving component comprises the optical component according to the second aspect.

[0022] The optical module provided in the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application includes the optical component of the second aspect, and its beneficial effects are the same as those of the optical component, which will not be repeated here.

[0023] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an optical module is provided, comprising an optical receiving component and an optical transmitting component, wherein the optical receiving component receives an optical signal transmitted by the optical transmitting component; the optical receiving component comprises the optical component as in the second aspect.

[0024] The optical module provided in the fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present application includes the optical component of the second aspect, and its beneficial effects are the same as those of the optical component, which will not be repeated here.

[0025] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an optical communication network system is provided, comprising at least two optical communication devices and an optical fiber; the optical communication devices are connected via the optical fiber; and the optical communication devices comprise an optical module as in the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0026] The optical communication network system provided in the fifth aspect of the embodiment of the present application includes the optical module of the third aspect or the fourth aspect, and its beneficial effects are the same as the beneficial effects of the optical module, which will not be repeated here.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the optical communication network system includes a passive optical fiber network system; at least two optical communication devices include an optical line terminal, an optical network unit and an optical network terminal, and the optical network unit connects the optical line terminal and the optical network terminal.

[0028] According to a sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a detection device is provided, comprising the optical amplifier according to the first aspect and a receiver; the receiver is used to receive an optical signal emitted by the optical amplifier.

[0029] The detection device provided in the sixth aspect of the embodiment of the present application includes the optical amplifier of any one of the first aspects, and its beneficial effects are the same as those of the optical amplifier, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1A schematic diagram of the structure of an optical communication network system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Fig. 7A A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 7B A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 7C A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Fig. 8A A schematic diagram of the structure of a photonic crystal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 8B A schematic diagram of the structure of another photonic crystal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 8C A schematic diagram of the structure of another photonic crystal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Fig. 10A A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Fig. 10B A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Fig. 10C A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Fig. 12A A schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Fig. 12B A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Fig.13A A schematic diagram of the structure of an optical component provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Fig. 13B A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical component provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Fig. 13C A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical component provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Fig.14A A schematic diagram of the structure of another optical component provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Fig. 14B A schematic diagram of the structure of an on-chip optical frequency comb provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Fig.15 A gas detection principle diagram provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0055] Reference numerals

[0056] 1-optical communication network system; 2-optical line terminal; 3-optical distribution network; 4-optical network unit; 5-optical network terminal; 10-optical amplifier; 11-first transmission optical fiber; 12-second transmission optical fiber; 21-first optical element; 22-second optical element; 100-waveguide; 200-photonic crystal; 110-core area; 120-package area; 121-lower package area; 122-upper package area; 101-light input side; 102-first light output side; 103-second light output side; 20-electronic device; 30-optical component; 310-substrate; 320-laser; 330-modulator; 340-microring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments.

[0058] In the following, the terms "second", "first", etc. are used only for convenience of description and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "second", "first", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0059] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, directional terms such as "up", "down", "left" and "right" may be defined including but not limited to the orientation relative to the schematic placement of the components in the drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms may be relative concepts, which are used for relative description and clarification, and may change accordingly according to changes in the orientation of the components in the drawings.

[0060] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium. In addition, the term "coupled" can be a direct electrical connection or an indirect electrical connection through an intermediate medium. The term "contact" can be a direct contact or an indirect contact through an intermediate medium.

[0061] In the embodiments of the present application, "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B may be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0062] The present application embodiment provides an optical communication network system. Figure 1 As shown, the optical communication network system 1 mainly includes at least two optical communication devices and optical fibers connecting the optical communication devices.

[0063] Optical communication network systems have become the current mainstream communication network systems. For example, in an optical communication network system 1, the access method of the access network (AN) is fiber access (FTTx), which is also called an optical access network (OAN). The fiber access methods of the optical access network include fiber to the cabinet (FTTCab), fiber to the curb (FTTC), fiber to the building (FTTB), and fiber to the home (FTTH).

[0064] In some embodiments, the optical communication network system 1 is integrated into an electronic device. The electronic device may include, for example, a server, a switch, an optical network card, and an optical transceiver. The optical communication network system 1 may be integrated into the same electronic device or may be separately integrated into different electronic devices. This embodiment of the application does not limit this, and may be reasonably set according to actual conditions.

[0065] Exemplarily, when a passive optical network (PON) is used as an optical communication network system, the optical communication equipment may include, for example, any one of an optical line terminal (OLT), an optical network unit (ONU) or an optical network terminal (ONT).

[0066] The implementation of this application does not limit the specific types and structures of the optical communication network system 1 and the optical communication equipment, and they can be reasonably set according to actual conditions.

[0067] The optical communication network system is a passive optical fiber network as an example for schematic illustration. Figure 1 As shown, the PON includes an optical line terminal 2, an optical distribution network (ODN) 3, an optical network unit 4 and an optical network terminal 5.

[0068] Among them, OLT2 is set in the central control station, and ODN3 is set at the user side. OND3 is used to connect OLT2 and ONU4. The optical devices in OLT2 and ONU4 are used to perform photoelectric conversion and transmission of network signals.

[0069] In some embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, ONT5 and ONU4 are arranged at different positions on the user side and implement similar functions.

[0070] Among them, ODN3 is composed of an optical splitter (SPL) and optical fibers. The function of the optical splitter is to split one path of light into two paths according to a certain splitting ratio, so as to transmit the two paths of light to different ONU4 / ONT5 respectively. Generally, the more cascaded optical splitters in ODN3, the more times of splitting, and the more paths of light that can be split.

[0071] Exemplarily, OLT2 is set at the central control station, and ODN3 is set at the user side. ODN3 is used to connect OLT2 and ONU4. The optical modules in OLT2 and ONU4 are used to perform photoelectric conversion and transmission of network signals. ONT5 and ONU4 are set at different locations on the user side and implement similar functions.

[0072] The optical module may be integrated into the above-mentioned ONU4 or ONT5, and the optical module may also be integrated into the above-mentioned OLT2.

[0073] Exemplarily, the optical module may include a small form-factor pluggable optical transceiver (SFP) optical module, an SFP+ optical module, or an XFP optical module, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0074] In some embodiments, the optical module includes a transmitting optical subassembly (TOSA) and a receiving optical subassembly (ROSA), wherein both the transmitting optical subassembly and the receiving optical subassembly are electrically connected to the printed circuit board.

[0075] Exemplarily, a bi-directional optical subassembly (BOSA) formed by integrating an optical transmitting component and an optical receiving component can be regarded as an optical component, and can also be regarded as the above-mentioned optical module.

[0076] Exemplarily, the optical emission component includes an electro-optical conversion chip and a photodiode (eg, a monitoring photodiode) (MD). The electro-optical conversion chip and the monitoring photodiode are packaged together to form the optical emission component. The monitoring photodiode is used to monitor the optical power output by the laser.

[0077] The electro-optical conversion chip receives the electrical signal carrying the transmission information transmitted by the printed circuit board (PCB), converts the electrical signal into an optical signal, and then outputs the optical signal through an optical device.

[0078] Exemplarily, the light receiving component includes a photoelectric conversion chip and an amplifier. The photoelectric conversion chip and the amplifier are packaged together to form a light receiving component. The photoelectric conversion chip can be, for example, a chip composed of a photodiode (photo diode, PD), a chip composed of a PIN diode (pin diode), or a chip composed of an avalanche photon diode (avalanche photon diode, APD). Among them, the photoelectric conversion chip converts the received optical signal into an electrical signal, and then transmits the electrical signal to the amplifier, the amplifier amplifies the electrical signal, and transmits the amplified electrical signal to a printed circuit board.

[0079] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application also illustrates an optical amplifier, which can be applied to any of the above-mentioned optical communication network systems, optical modules or optical components.

[0080] Exemplarily, the optical amplifier is used in the optical transmission component. In this case, the optical amplifier is used to amplify the optical signal transmitted by the light source and output the optical signal through the optical device.

[0081] Alternatively, illustratively, an optical amplifier is used in the optical receiving component. In this case, the optical amplifier is used to amplify the received optical signal, and then convert the optical signal into an electrical signal for further processing.

[0082] In some embodiments, the optical component further comprises an optical amplifier, wherein the optical amplifier amplifies the optical signal.

[0083] The above optical amplifiers, such as semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA), are widely used in the fields of optical communications and optical sensing. For example, the optical amplifier can be used for applications such as optical signal amplification, optical signal regeneration, wavelength conversion, and pulse reshaping. For example, the optical amplifier can be used in the above electronic devices or wearable devices.

[0084] For example, as a semiconductor chip, the semiconductor optical amplifier has the advantage of being easy to integrate. It can be monolithically integrated with lasers, modulators, etc. to prepare relatively complex chips, and plays an important role in the field of optical chips.

[0085] The embodiment of the present application illustrates an optical amplifier, such as Figure 2 As shown, the optical amplifier 10 includes a core region 110 and a bag region 120. The bag region 120 is located at the periphery of the core region 110.

[0086] The package area 120 may wrap around the entire periphery of the core area 110. Alternatively, the package area 120 may also wrap around a portion of the periphery of the core area 110. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0087] For example, Figure 2 As shown, the packet area 120 is located on two opposite sides of the core area 110. A first optical signal S1 is input from one side of the core area 110, and the first optical signal S1 is transmitted in the core area 110, and a current I is applied to the side of the packet area 120 away from the core area 110. At this time, the first optical signal S1 undergoes stimulated radiation in the core area 110, forming an optical signal amplification, and a second optical signal S2 is output on the other side of the core area 110. The second optical signal S2 is the first optical signal S1 amplified by the optical amplifier 10.

[0088] like Figure 3 As shown, the first optical signal S1 is input to the optical amplifier 10 via the first transmission optical fiber 11, and after amplification, the second optical signal S2 is outputted by the second transmission optical fiber 12. The second optical signal S2 is the amplified first optical signal S1.

[0089] For example, Figure 4 As shown, optical elements are also provided on the light input side and the light output side of the optical amplifier 10. Figure 4 As shown, the first optical signal S1 is transmitted to the first optical element 21 through the first transmission optical fiber 11, and the first optical element 21 converges the first optical signal S1 and transmits it to the optical amplifier 10. Then, the optical amplifier 10 amplifies and outputs the second optical signal S2, and the second optical signal S2 is diverged by the second optical element 22 and transmitted to the second transmission optical fiber 12 for output.

[0090] like Figure 2 As shown, the optical amplifier 10 emits light along the extension direction of the core region 110. In other words, the optical amplifier 10 has only one light emitting direction. That is, the above optical amplifier emits light in one direction.

[0091] The present application also illustrates an optical amplifier, such as Figure 5 As shown, a large number of air holes of the photonic crystal 200 are etched on both sides of the waveguide 100, and a light transmission channel is reserved in the middle of the waveguide 100 to form a light transmission channel similar to a strip waveguide structure.

[0092] However, the structure of the optical amplifier 10 is relatively complex and the manufacturing cost is high.

[0093] In addition, since the above optical amplifiers 10 are all unidirectional light output, it is impossible to set a detection end, which limits the application field of the optical amplifier 10 and makes it impossible to confirm the working state of the optical amplifier 10. In addition, the light output divergence angle of the optical amplifier 10 is relatively large (10° to 25°), and an additional beam shaping coupling element (the above-mentioned second optical coupling element) needs to be set on the light output side of the optical amplifier 10 so that the optical signal output after amplification by the optical amplifier can be coupled into the optical fiber.

[0094] Based on this, in order to solve the problem of unidirectional light output of an optical amplifier, an embodiment of the present application provides an optical amplifier. Figure 6 As shown, the optical amplifier 10 includes a waveguide 100 and a photonic crystal 200. The waveguide 100 includes a core region 110 and a package region 120 disposed on the periphery of the core region 110. The waveguide 100 also includes a light incident side 101, a first light emitting side 102, and a second light emitting side 103. The photonic crystal 200 is disposed in the package region 120 of the waveguide 100. The core region 110 is located between the light incident side 101 and the first light emitting side 102, and the photonic crystal 200 is located between the second light emitting side 103 and the core region 110.

[0095] The photonic crystal 200 is used to receive incident light from the light incident side 101 and emit a first emitted light and a second emitted light. The first emitted light is emitted from the first light emitting side 102 , and the second emitted light is emitted from the second light emitting side 103 .

[0096] That is to say, along the extension direction of the core region 110 , the light incident side 101 and the first light emitting side 102 are respectively located on two sides of the core region 110 .

[0097] In some embodiments, the waveguide 100 may include any one of a ridge waveguide, a rectangular waveguide, or a buried waveguide.

[0098] For example, Fig. 7A As shown, the waveguide 100 is a ridge waveguide, wherein the ridge waveguide comprises a planar portion and a ridge-shaped portion, wherein the ridge-shaped portion is disposed on the planar portion.

[0099] That is, the protruding portion of the ridge waveguide is called a ridge portion, and the portion of the ridge waveguide other than the ridge portion is called a slab portion.

[0100] For the convenience of illustration, the direction from the ridge portion to the slab portion is referred to as the thickness direction z of the waveguide. In other words, the direction from the slab portion to the ridge portion is also referred to as the thickness direction z of the waveguide.

[0101] For ridge waveguide, Fig. 7A As shown, the core region 110 includes a portion of the planar portion covered by the ridge-shaped portion, and the envelope region 120 includes the ridge-shaped portion and a portion of the planar portion other than the core region 110 .

[0102] That is, the slab portion of the ridge waveguide covered by the ridge profile portion is the core region 110 of the ridge waveguide. The slab portion of the ridge waveguide not covered by the ridge profile portion and the ridge profile portion of the ridge waveguide are the cladding region 120 of the ridge waveguide.

[0103] The photonic crystal 200 is disposed in the envelope region 120 of the ridge waveguide. Exemplarily, the photonic crystal 200 can be disposed in the ridge portion of the ridge waveguide. Alternatively, exemplary, the photonic crystal 200 can also be disposed in the slab portion of the ridge waveguide. It is explained here that the photonic crystal 200 is disposed on both sides of the slab portion, i.e., in the envelope region 120 of the slab portion.

[0104] Or, for example, Figure 7B As shown, the waveguide 100 is a rectangular waveguide.

[0105] like Figure 7B As shown, the rectangular waveguide includes a core region 110 and a cladding region 120 surrounding the core region 110 .

[0106] For example, the photonic crystal 200 may be disposed in the envelope region 120 of the rectangular waveguide. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the location where the photonic crystal 200 is disposed, and the location may be reasonably disposed according to actual conditions.

[0107] Or, for example, Figure 7C As shown, the waveguide 100 is a buried waveguide.

[0108] like Figure 7C As shown, the buried waveguide includes a lower cladding region 121, a core region 110 and an upper cladding region 122 which are stacked in sequence.

[0109] The photonic crystal 200 may be disposed in the upper package region 122 of the buried waveguide. Alternatively, the photonic crystal 200 may also be disposed in the lower package region 121 of the buried waveguide. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this, and may be reasonably disposed according to actual conditions.

[0110] It is to be noted that the type of the waveguide 100 included in the optical amplifier 10 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application, and can be reasonably set according to the actual situation. For the convenience of illustration, the waveguide 100 is schematically described as a ridge waveguide.

[0111] Regarding photonic crystal 200, continue to refer to Figure 6 , the photonic crystal 200 is disposed in the envelope region 120 of the waveguide 100. That is, the photonic crystal 200 is disposed in the envelope region 120 of the waveguide 100 described above.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present application, the photonic crystal 200 is used to receive incident light and emit a first emitted light and a second emitted light.

[0113] The incident light is incident on the photonic crystal 200 from the light incident side 101 of the waveguide 100 , and then the first outgoing light emitted from the photonic crystal 200 is emitted from the first light outgoing side 102 of the waveguide 100 , and the second outgoing light emitted from the photonic crystal 200 is emitted from the second light outgoing side 103 of the waveguide 100 .

[0114] Exemplarily, the first emitted light is transmitted from the photonic crystal 200 , and the second emitted light is reflected from the photonic crystal 200 .

[0115] That is to say, the photonic crystal 200 is disposed in the waveguide 100, which can be regarded as a semi-transparent and semi-reflective mirror disposed in the waveguide 100. The photonic crystal 200 can transmit the incident light disposed thereon.

[0116] For ease of understanding, let's first briefly introduce photonic crystals. Photonic crystals refer to periodic dielectric structures with photonic band gap (PBG) characteristics. Photonic band gap means that waves within a certain frequency range cannot propagate in this periodic structure, that is, this structure itself has a "bandgap".

[0117] That is to say, in dielectric materials with periodic dielectric constants, after electromagnetic waves are scattered by dielectric materials, the intensity of electromagnetic waves in certain bands will decay exponentially due to destructive interference and cannot be transmitted in the dielectric materials. This is equivalent to forming an energy gap in the spectrum, making the dispersion relation also have a band structure (photonic band structures). This dielectric material with a photonic band structure is called a photonic crystal, which can also be called a photonic band gap system or a PBG photonic crystal structure.

[0118] For example, Figure 8A-8C As shown, the periodic structure of the photonic crystal may include a one-dimensional photonic crystal, a two-dimensional photonic crystal and a three-dimensional photonic crystal according to a spatial periodic arrangement.

[0119] It is explained here that the photonic crystal in the optical amplifier provided in the embodiment of the present application includes any one of a two-dimensional photonic crystal or a three-dimensional photonic crystal.

[0120] In some embodiments, Fig. 9 As shown, along the thickness direction z of the waveguide 100 , the photonic crystal 200 is located on one side 110 .

[0121] That is to say, for the ridge waveguide, the photonic crystal 200 is disposed on the ridge portion of the ridge waveguide.

[0122] For convenience, Fig. 9 As shown, the thickness direction z of the waveguide 100 is called the third direction z, and the extension direction of the waveguide 100 is called the second direction y. The direction perpendicular to both the thickness direction z of the waveguide 100 and the extension direction y of the waveguide 100 is called the first direction x. In other words, any two of the first direction x, the second direction y and the third direction z are perpendicular.

[0123] Continue to refer Fig. 9, along the extension direction y of the waveguide 100, that is, along the second direction y, the position of the photonic crystal 200 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. Exemplarily, the photonic crystal 200 can be arranged in the middle of the light incident side 101 and the first light emitting side 102. Alternatively, exemplarily, the photonic crystal 200 can also be arranged at a position close to the light incident side 101. Alternatively, exemplarily, the photonic crystal 200 can also be arranged at a position close to the first light emitting side 102.

[0124] like Fig. 9 As shown, along the first direction x, the edge of the photonic crystal 200 does not exceed the edge of the core region 110 .

[0125] That is, along the third direction z, the projection of the photonic crystal 200 is within the projection of the core region 110 .

[0126] For example, Fig. 10A As shown, a dimension d1 of the photonic crystal 200 along the first direction x is the same as a dimension d2 of the core region 110 along the first direction x.

[0127] That is, along the first direction x, the edge of the photonic crystal 200 coincides with the edge of the core region 110 .

[0128] In other words, along the third direction z, the projection of the photonic crystal 200 coincides with the projection of the core region 110 .

[0129] In this way, the light extraction efficiency of the optical amplifier 10 can be improved.

[0130] Or, for example, Fig. 10B As shown, a dimension d1 of the photonic crystal 200 along the first direction x is smaller than a dimension d2 of the core region 110 along the first direction x.

[0131] For example, Fig. 10B As shown, the photonic crystal 200 may be located on the surface of the envelope region 120 .

[0132] That is, the surface of the cladding region 120 away from the core region 110 exposes the photonic crystal 200 .

[0133] It is explained here that the surface of the packet region 120 that is exposed from the photonic crystal 200 is the surface of the second light output side 103 of the waveguide 100 .

[0134] Or, for example, Fig. 10C As shown, the photonic crystal 200 may be located within the envelope region 120 .

[0135] That is to say, the envelope region 120 wraps around the periphery of the photonic crystal 200 .

[0136] In some embodiments, Fig. 10CAs shown, there is a distance between the photonic crystal 200 and the core region 110 .

[0137] In this way, the distance between the photonic crystal 200 and the core region 110 can prevent the material of the photonic crystal 200 from diffusing into the core region 110 , thereby preventing the light output of the optical amplifier 10 from being affected.

[0138] like Fig.11 As shown, the optical amplifier 10 further includes a buffer layer 300. The buffer layer 300 is located between the core region 110 and the cladding region 120.

[0139] Exemplarily, the buffer layer 300 may be a film layer of the material of the waveguide 100 .

[0140] In this way, the buffer layer 300 is disposed between the core region 110 and the cladding region 120 , which can prevent the material of the photonic crystal 200 from diffusing into the core region 110 and affecting the light output of the optical amplifier 10 .

[0141] In some embodiments, the photonic crystal 200 further includes a third light-emitting side, and the second emitted light is emitted from the third light-emitting side.

[0142] The third light-emitting side includes a plurality of circular light-emitting holes.

[0143] In this way, the circular light-emitting hole can reduce the divergence angle of the light to achieve direct coupling of the emitted light with the light receiving element without separately setting up a corresponding optical coupling element. For example, the divergence angle of the light is less than 1°. In other words, the divergence angle of the second emitted light of the optical amplifier 10 is less than 1°. At the same time, the noise of the optical amplifier 10, such as the amplifier spontaneous emission noise (ASE), can be filtered out by designing a corresponding photonic crystal 200 to improve the quality of the optical signal of the emitted light.

[0144] In some embodiments, the optical amplifier 10 further includes an anti-reflective (AR) film.

[0145] Exemplarily, the anti-reflection and high-transmittance film is disposed on the light incident side 101 of the waveguide 100 .

[0146] This can increase the light transmittance.

[0147] In the optical amplifier 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application, after the incident light enters from the light incident side 101, a current is injected into the optical amplifier 10, which can reverse the number of particles of the incident light and achieve optical amplification of the incident light. Then, the amplified optical signal passes through the photonic crystal 200, and the photonic crystal 200 emits a first output light and a second output light.

[0148] In addition, the optical amplifier 10 of the embodiment of the present application can adjust the light emission ratio of the first outgoing light and the second outgoing light by changing the photonic crystal 200, and detect the optical parameters of either the first outgoing light or the second outgoing light to infer the optical parameters of the other outgoing light. For example, the optical parameters of the outgoing light may include the light intensity of the outgoing light.

[0149] Exemplarily, a detection device may be provided on the first light-emitting side 102 or the second light-emitting side 103 to detect optical parameters of the emitted light, thereby confirming the working state of the optical amplifier 10 .

[0150] In the optical amplifier 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application, the photonic crystal 200 is arranged in the packet area 120 of the waveguide 100. After the incident light passes through the photonic crystal 200, the first outgoing light and the second outgoing light are transmitted through the photonic crystal 200. That is to say, the optical amplifier 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application can realize bidirectional light emission, and the light emission ratio of the first outgoing light and the second outgoing light can be adjusted by designing the corresponding photonic crystal 200. In addition, the optical amplifier 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application can confirm the working state of the optical amplifier 10 by detecting the outgoing light of one of the light emission sides.

[0151] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device. The electronic device may be, for example, a smart wearable product (eg, a smart watch, a smart bracelet). Fig. 12A As shown, the electronic device 20 includes a light source and the optical amplifier 10. That is, the optical amplifier 10 is integrated into the electronic device 20.

[0152] For example, Fig. 12B As shown, the incident light of the optical amplifier 10 is incident from one side of the electronic device 20, and the light emitted from the second light-emitting side 103 of the optical amplifier 10 can perform optical sensing on an obstruction (e.g., human skin) to achieve a detection function. Among them, the optical amplifier 10 can amplify the optical signal to improve the penetration of the outgoing light. At the same time, the photonic crystal 200 in the optical amplifier 10 can be used to change the emission direction of the outgoing light, and the ASE noise of the outgoing light can be filtered out to improve the fidelity of the outgoing light signal.

[0153] In some other embodiments, the present application also provides a light emitting chip system. The light emitting chip system can be regarded as a light emitting component. Fig.13A As shown, the optical component 30 includes a substrate 310, a laser 320 disposed on the substrate 310, and an optical amplifier 10 disposed on the substrate 310. The laser 320 and the optical amplifier 10 are disposed on the same side of the substrate 310.

[0154] The present embodiment does not limit the material of the substrate 310. The material of the substrate 310 may include, for example, any one or more combinations of gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP), or silicon on insulator (SOI).

[0155] Exemplarily, the laser 320 may include any one of a distributed feedback Bragg laser diode (DFB) or a distributed Bragg reflector laser diode (DBR), which is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0156] like Fig.13A As shown, the laser 320 is disposed on the light input side of the optical amplifier 10. That is, the optical amplifier 10 is disposed on the light output side of the laser 320. The laser 320 can be used as a light source to provide an optical signal for the optical amplifier 10.

[0157] For example, Fig.13A As shown, the optical assembly 30 includes an optical amplifier 10 .

[0158] Or, for example, Fig. 13B As shown, the optical component 30 includes a plurality of optical amplifiers 10. The plurality of optical amplifiers 10 may be sequentially arranged on the substrate 310. Alternatively, the optical amplifiers 10 may be stacked on the substrate 310. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number and stacking method of the optical components 30, and may be reasonably arranged according to actual conditions.

[0159] In some embodiments, Fig. 13C As shown, the optical component 30 further includes a modulator 330 . The modulator 330 is disposed on the substrate 310 and is located between the laser 320 and the optical amplifier 10 .

[0160] For example, the modulator 330 may include an electro absorption modulator (EAM).

[0161] like Fig. 13C As shown, the laser 320 is used as a light source to provide an optical signal. The modulator 330 is used as a signal modulator to modulate the optical signal emitted by the laser 320 and transmit the modulated optical signal to the optical amplifier 10. The optical amplifier 10 amplifies the received optical signal and outputs two directions of emitted light, namely, a first emitted light along the extension direction of the substrate 310 and a second emitted light perpendicular to the substrate 310. Among them, one emitted light can be used as a monitoring window to detect the working state of the optical component 30.

[0162] Exemplarily, the optical component 30 may be integrated into the electronic device 20 (eg, a smart wearable device), the first emitted light is used as a monitoring window, and the second emitted light is used to detect signals.

[0163] The optical component 30 provided in the embodiment of the present application includes an optical amplifier 10, which can amplify the optical signal and improve the fidelity of the optical signal. The divergence angle of the output light is small, which can increase the optical power density of the output light, and is beneficial to the detection of the signal-to-noise ratio of the optical signal.

[0164] In other embodiments, Fig.14A As shown, the optical component 30 may further include a micro-ring 340 . The micro-ring 340 is disposed on the substrate 310 and is located between the laser 320 and the optical amplifier 10 .

[0165] In this way, the optical component 30 can be used for signal amplification of an on-chip optical frequency comb. Fig. 14B As shown, the laser 320 is used as a light source to provide an optical signal. The optical signal is transmitted to the microring 340, and the optical signal generates some optical solitons through the microring 340, presenting a comb-shaped spectral distribution. Then, the emitted optical signal is amplified by the optical amplifier 10. At the same time, the above optical component can also extract certain specific wavelengths of the optical frequency comb and amplify them through the optical amplifier 10.

[0166] For example, Fig.15 As shown, the optical component 30 integrated with the on-chip optical frequency comb can also be used for gas detection. Among them, the transmitting end uses an optical frequency comb as a light source, and selects a light source of a specific wavelength band as an emitting light source. After the light source passes through the gas to be detected, the gas to be detected interacts with the light source, so that the teeth of the frequency comb are missing in the transmitted spectrum, which means that there are gases or substances in the gas to be detected that interact strongly with the wavelength band of the emitting light source, thereby achieving gas detection.

[0167] In some other embodiments, the present application also provides a detection device, including the above optical amplifier 10 and a receiver. The receiver is used to receive the optical signal emitted by the optical amplifier 10. The detection device can be applied to the fields of optical communication, scanning imaging, and laser radar. The present application does not impose any special restrictions on the specific form of the above detection device.

[0168] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An optical amplifier, characterized in that: include: A waveguide, comprising a core region and a cladding region, wherein the cladding region is arranged at the periphery of the core region; A photonic crystal is disposed in the package area; The waveguide further includes a light-entering side, a first light-exiting side, and a second light-exiting side; the core region is located between the light-entering side and the first light-exiting side, and the photonic crystal is located between the second light-exiting side and the core region; The photonic crystal is used to receive incident light from the light incident side and emit a first emitted light and a second emitted light; the first emitted light is emitted from the first light emitting side, and the second emitted light is emitted from the second light emitting side.

2. The optical amplifier according to claim 1, characterized in that The first output light is transmitted from the photonic crystal, and the second output light is reflected from the photonic crystal.

3. The optical amplifier according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The photonic crystal is located on the surface of the package region.

4. The optical amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Along the thickness direction of the waveguide, the photonic crystal is located on one side of the core region.

5. The optical amplifier according to claim 4, characterized in that Along a first direction, the edge of the photonic crystal does not exceed the edge of the core region; the first direction is perpendicular to the extension direction of the waveguide, and the first direction is also perpendicular to the thickness direction of the waveguide.

6. The optical amplifier according to claim 5, characterized in that The size of the photonic crystal along the first direction is the same as the size of the core region along the first direction; the first direction is perpendicular to the extension direction of the waveguide, and the first direction is also perpendicular to the thickness direction of the waveguide.

7. The optical amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: There is a distance between the photonic crystal and the core region.

8. The optical amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The optical amplifier further includes a buffer layer located between the core region and the cladding region.

9. The optical amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The photonic crystal includes a third light-emitting side, and the second emitted light is emitted from the third light-emitting side; the third light-emitting side includes a plurality of circular light-emitting holes.

10. The optical amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The waveguide includes any one of a ridge waveguide, a rectangular waveguide or a buried waveguide.

11. The optical amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The waveguide includes the ridge waveguide; the ridge waveguide includes a flat portion and a ridge-shaped portion arranged on the flat portion; the core area includes a portion of the flat portion covered by the ridge-shaped portion, and the envelope area includes the ridge-shaped portion and a portion of the flat portion excluding the core area; the photonic crystal is arranged in the ridge-shaped portion.

12. The optical amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The photonic crystal includes a two-dimensional photonic crystal or a three-dimensional photonic crystal.

13. An optical component, characterized in that: It comprises an optical amplifier as described in any one of claims 1 to 12 and a light source; the light source provides an optical signal for the optical amplifier.

14. An optical module, characterized in that: It includes a light receiving component and a light transmitting component, wherein the light receiving component receives the light signal transmitted by the light transmitting component; The light receiving assembly includes the light assembly as claimed in claim 13; and / or, The optical transmission component includes the optical component as claimed in claim 13.

15. An optical communication network system, characterized in that: It comprises at least two optical communication devices and an optical fiber; the optical communication devices are connected via the optical fiber; and the optical communication device comprises the optical module as claimed in claim 14.

16. The optical communication network system according to claim 15, characterized in that: The optical communication network system comprises a passive optical fiber network system; the at least two optical communication devices comprise an optical line terminal, an optical network unit and an optical network terminal, and the optical network unit connects the optical line terminal and the optical network terminal.

17. A detection device, characterized in that: It comprises the optical amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and a receiver; the receiver is used to receive the optical signal emitted by the optical amplifier.

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