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

Abstract

An optical amplifier (10), an optical component (30), an optical module, an optical communication network system (1) and a detection device, which relate to the technical field of semiconductors and aim to solve the problem of unidirectional light emission of the optical amplifier (10). The optical amplifier (10) comprises a waveguide (100) and photonic crystals (200). The waveguide (100) comprises a core region (110) and a surrounding region (120) which is arranged around the core region (110). The waveguide (100) further comprises a light incident side (101), a first light-emergent side (102) and a second light-emergent side (103). The photonic crystals (200) are arranged in the surrounding region (120) of the waveguide (100). The core region (110) is located between the light incident side (101) and the first light-emergent side (102), and the photonic crystals (200) are located between the second light-emergent side (103) and the core region (110), wherein the photonic crystals (200) are used for receiving incident light from the light incident side (101) and emitting first emergent light and second emergent light; and the first emergent light is emitted from the first light-emergent side, and the second emergent light is emitted from the second light-emergent side.

Description

Optical amplifiers, optical components, optical modules, optical communication network systems and detection devices

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on September 26, 2023, with application number 202311271536.2 and application name “Optical amplifier, optical component, optical module, optical communication network system and detection device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] 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

[0003] Optical amplifiers are widely used in optical communications and optical sensing. For example, they can be used for optical signal amplification, signal regeneration, wavelength conversion, and pulse reshaping. Optical amplifiers are easily integrated with lasers, modulators, and other devices, making them a key component in the optical chip field.

[0004] However, traditional optical amplifiers emit light in one direction and cannot be equipped with a detection end, which limits the application areas of optical amplifiers and makes it impossible to confirm the working status of the optical amplifiers.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] 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 from an optical amplifier.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] 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 an envelope region arranged on the periphery of the core region. The waveguide further comprises a light input side, a first light output side, and a second light output side. The photonic crystal is arranged in the envelope region of the waveguide. The core region is located between the light input 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 input 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.

[0009] In the optical amplifier provided by the embodiments of the present application, a photonic crystal is disposed within the envelope region of a waveguide. After incident light passes through the photonic crystal, it is transmitted through the photonic crystal as a first outgoing light and a second outgoing light. In other words, the optical amplifier provided by the embodiments of the present application can achieve bidirectional light output and can adjust the light output ratio of the first outgoing light and the second outgoing light. Furthermore, the optical amplifier provided by the embodiments of the present application can confirm the operating status of the optical amplifier by detecting the outgoing light on one of the light output sides.

[0010] In one 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.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the photonic crystal is located on the surface of the envelope region, thereby further reducing the divergence angle of the second emergent light.

[0012] In one 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 and second emitted lights are emitted perpendicularly, which can improve the degree of freedom of optical amplifier packaging.

[0013] In one possible implementation, along a first direction, the edge of the photonic crystal does not extend beyond 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. This can increase the intensity of the first and second emitted lights.

[0014] In one 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.

[0015] In a possible implementation, there is a distance between the photonic crystal and the core region, so as to prevent the photonic crystal material from diffusing into the core region.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the optical amplifier further includes a buffer layer, which is located between the core region and the cladding region, so as to prevent the photonic crystal material from diffusing into the core region.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the photonic crystal includes a third light-emitting side, through which the second emitted light is emitted; and the third light-emitting side includes a plurality of circular light-emitting holes, thereby reducing the divergence angle of the second emitted light.

[0018] In one 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 multiple ways.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the waveguide includes a ridge waveguide; the ridge waveguide includes a slab portion and a ridge portion disposed on the slab portion; the core region includes the portion of the slab portion covered by the ridge portion; the envelope region includes the ridge portion and the portion of the slab portion excluding the core region; and the photonic crystal is disposed within the ridge portion. In this way, the photonic crystal can be disposed within the ridge waveguide.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the photonic crystal includes a two-dimensional photonic crystal or a three-dimensional photonic crystal. Thus, there are multiple implementations of the photonic crystal.

[0021] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present application, an optical component is provided, comprising an optical amplifier as described in any one of the first aspects and a light source; the light source provides an optical signal to the optical amplifier.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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 according to the second aspect.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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 optical fibers; and the optical communication devices comprise an optical module as in the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0028] 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 those of the optical module, which will not be repeated here.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the optical communication network system includes a passive optical fiber network system; the 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.

[0030] 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 configured to receive an optical signal emitted by the optical amplifier.

[0031] 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

[0032] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical communication network system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG5 is a schematic structural diagram of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG7A is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG7B is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG7C is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG8A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a photonic crystal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG8B is a schematic diagram of the structure of another photonic crystal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG8C is a schematic diagram of the structure of another photonic crystal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG10A is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG10B is a schematic structural diagram of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG10C is a schematic diagram of the structure of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of another optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG12A is a schematic diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG12B is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG13A is a schematic structural diagram of an optical component provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG13B is a schematic structural diagram of another optical assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG13C is a schematic structural diagram of another optical assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG14A is a schematic structural diagram of another optical assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG14B is a schematic diagram of the structure of an on-chip optical frequency comb provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG15 is a gas detection principle diagram provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0057] Reference numerals

[0058] 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 region; 120-Bag region; 121-Lower bag region; 122-Upper bag region; 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

[0059] 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 the embodiments.

[0060] Hereinafter, the terms "second," "first," etc., are used for descriptive convenience only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature qualified as "second," "first," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0061] 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 descriptions and clarifications, and may change accordingly according to changes in the orientation of the components in the drawings.

[0062] In the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, the term "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can mean fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; it can mean direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium. In addition, the term "coupling" can mean direct electrical connection or indirect electrical connection through an intermediate medium. The term "contact" can mean direct contact or indirect contact through an intermediate medium.

[0063] In the embodiments of the present application, "and / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0064] An embodiment of the present application provides an optical communication network system. As shown in FIG1 , the optical communication network system 1 mainly includes at least two optical communication devices and optical fibers connecting the optical communication devices.

[0065] Optical communication network systems have become the current mainstream communication network systems. For example, in the optical communication network system 1, the access method of the access network (AN) is fiber access (FTTx), which is also called the 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).

[0066] 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, a fiber optic network card, and a fiber optic transceiver. The optical communication network system 1 may be integrated into the same electronic device or integrated into different electronic devices. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this, and may be configured appropriately based on actual circumstances.

[0067] 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).

[0068] 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.

[0069] As shown in FIG1 , 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 .

[0070] OLT2 is located in the central control station, and ODN3 is located on the user side. OND3 connects OLT2 and ONU4. The optical components in OLT2 and ONU4 convert and transmit network signals from optical to electrical sources.

[0071] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG1 , the ONT 5 and the ONU 4 are arranged at different positions on the user side and implement similar functions.

[0072] ODN3 consists of an optical splitter (SPL) and optical fibers. The function of the optical splitter is to split one light path into two paths based on a certain splitting ratio, and then transmit the two light paths to different ONUs 4 / ONTs 5. Generally, the more optical splitters cascaded in ODN3, the more light can be split, and the more light paths can be generated.

[0073] For example, OLT2 is located at the central control station, and ODN3 is located on the user side. ODN3 connects OLT2 and ONU4. The optical modules in OLT2 and ONU4 convert network signals into optical and electrical signals and transmit them. ONT5 and ONU4 are located at different locations on the user side and perform similar functions.

[0074] The optical module may be integrated into the above-mentioned ONU4 or ONT5, or may be integrated into the above-mentioned OLT2.

[0075] For example, 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.

[0076] 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 a printed circuit board.

[0077] For example, a bi-directional optical subassembly (BOSA) formed by integrating an optical transmitting assembly and an optical receiving assembly can be regarded as an optical assembly, or as the above-mentioned optical module.

[0078] Exemplarily, the optical emission assembly includes an electro-optical conversion chip and a photodiode (e.g., a monitoring photodiode) (MD). The electro-optical conversion chip and the monitoring photodiode are packaged together to form the optical emission assembly. The monitoring photodiode is used to monitor the optical power output by the laser.

[0079] 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 the optical device.

[0080] 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 (PD), a chip composed of a PIN diode (PIN diode), or a chip composed of an avalanche photon diode (APD). The photoelectric conversion chip converts the received optical signal into an electrical signal, and then transmits the electrical signal to the amplifier, which amplifies the electrical signal and transmits the amplified electrical signal to a printed circuit board.

[0081] 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.

[0082] For example, an optical amplifier is used in a light emitting component to amplify the optical signal transmitted by the light source and output the optical signal through an optical device.

[0083] Alternatively, for example, an optical amplifier is used in the optical receiving component to amplify the received optical signal and then convert the optical signal into an electrical signal for further processing.

[0084] In some embodiments, the optical component further comprises an optical amplifier, wherein the optical amplifier amplifies the optical signal.

[0085] Optical amplifiers, such as semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), are widely used in optical communications and optical sensing. For example, they can be used for optical signal amplification, optical signal regeneration, wavelength conversion, and pulse reshaping. For example, optical amplifiers can be used in the aforementioned electronic devices or wearable devices.

[0086] For example, as a semiconductor chip, a semiconductor optical amplifier has the advantage of being easy to integrate. It can be monolithically integrated with lasers, modulators, etc. to prepare more complex chips, and plays an important role in the field of optical chips.

[0087] The embodiment of the present application illustrates an optical amplifier, as shown in FIG2 , the optical amplifier 10 includes a core region 110 and a packet region 120 . The packet region 120 is located outside the core region 110 .

[0088] The envelope area 120 may wrap around the entire periphery of the core area 110. Alternatively, the envelope area 120 may wrap around a portion of the periphery of the core area 110. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0089] For example, as shown in FIG2 , the packet region 120 is located on opposite sides of the core region 110. A first optical signal S1 is input from one side of the core region 110 and propagates within the core region 110. Simultaneously, a current I is applied to the side of the packet region 120 away from the core region 110. At this point, the first optical signal S1 undergoes stimulated emission within the core region 110, resulting in optical signal amplification, and a second optical signal S2 is output from the other side of the core region 110. The second optical signal S2 is the first optical signal S1 after being amplified by the optical amplifier 10.

[0090] As shown in Figure 3, a first optical signal S1 is input to an optical amplifier 10 via a first transmission optical fiber 11, and after amplification, a second optical signal S2 is output from a second transmission optical fiber 12. The second optical signal S2 is the amplified first optical signal S1.

[0091] For example, as shown in Figure 4 , optical elements are further provided on both the light input and light output sides of the optical amplifier 10. As shown in Figure 4 , a first optical signal S1 is transmitted via the first transmission optical fiber 11 to the first optical element 21. The first optical element 21 converges the first optical signal S1 and transmits it to the optical amplifier 10. The optical amplifier 10 then amplifies the first optical signal S1 and outputs a second optical signal S2. The second optical signal S2 is then diverged by the second optical element 22 and transmitted to the second transmission optical fiber 12 for output.

[0092] As shown in FIG2 , 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. In other words, the optical amplifier is unidirectional.

[0093] The embodiment of the present application also illustrates an optical amplifier, as shown in FIG5 , in which a large number of air holes of the photonic crystal 200 are etched on both sides of the waveguide 100 , and an optical transmission channel is reserved in the middle of the waveguide 100 to form an optical transmission channel similar to a strip waveguide structure.

[0094] However, the structure of the optical amplifier 10 is relatively complex and the manufacturing cost is high.

[0095] Furthermore, since the optical amplifier 10 is unidirectional, a detection terminal cannot be installed, which limits its application and makes it impossible to verify the operating status of the optical amplifier 10. Furthermore, the optical amplifier 10 has a large light divergence angle (10° to 25°), requiring an additional beam shaping coupling element (the aforementioned second optical coupling element) on the light output side of the optical amplifier 10 to couple the amplified optical signal emitted by the optical amplifier into the optical fiber.

[0096] Based on this, in order to solve the problem of unidirectional light output from an optical amplifier, an embodiment of the present application provides an optical amplifier. As shown in Figure 6, the optical amplifier 10 includes a waveguide 100 and a photonic crystal 200. The waveguide 100 includes a core region 110 and an envelope region 120 disposed outside the core region 110. The waveguide 100 also includes a light input side 101, a first light output side 102, and a second light output side 103. The photonic crystal 200 is disposed within the envelope region 120 of the waveguide 100. The core region 110 is located between the light input side 101 and the first light output side 102, and the photonic crystal 200 is located between the second light output side 103 and the core region 110.

[0097] The photonic crystal 200 is configured to receive incident light from the light incident side 101 and emit a first outgoing light and a second outgoing light. The first outgoing light is emitted from the first light outgoing side 102 , and the second outgoing light is emitted from the second light outgoing side 103 .

[0098] That is, along the extending direction of the core region 110 , the light incident side 101 and the first light emitting side 102 are located on both sides of the core region 110 , respectively.

[0099] In some embodiments, the waveguide 100 may include any one of a ridge waveguide, a rectangular waveguide, or a buried waveguide.

[0100] For example, as shown in FIG7A , the waveguide 100 is a ridge waveguide, wherein the ridge waveguide includes a slab portion and a ridge portion, wherein the ridge portion is disposed on the slab portion.

[0101] 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.

[0102] For the sake of convenience, 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.

[0103] For a ridge waveguide, as shown in FIG7A , the core region 110 includes a portion of the slab portion covered by the ridge portion, and the cladding region 120 includes the ridge portion and a portion of the slab portion excluding the core region 110 .

[0104] That is, the slab portion of the ridge waveguide covered by the ridge portion is the ridge waveguide core region 110. The slab portion of the ridge waveguide not covered by the ridge portion and the ridge portion of the ridge waveguide are the ridge waveguide envelope region 120.

[0105] The photonic crystal 200 is disposed within the envelope region 120 of the ridge waveguide. For example, the photonic crystal 200 can be disposed within the ridge portion of the ridge waveguide. Alternatively, for example, the photonic crystal 200 can be disposed within the slab portion of the ridge waveguide. It is noted that the photonic crystal 200 is disposed on both sides of the slab portion, i.e., within the envelope region 120 of the slab portion.

[0106] Alternatively, illustratively, as shown in FIG7B , the waveguide 100 is a rectangular waveguide.

[0107] As shown in FIG. 7B , the rectangular waveguide includes a core region 110 and a cladding region 120 surrounding the core region 110 .

[0108] 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 of the photonic crystal 200, and the location may be reasonably set according to actual conditions.

[0109] Alternatively, illustratively, as shown in FIG7C , the waveguide 100 is a buried waveguide.

[0110] As shown in FIG7C , the buried waveguide includes a lower cladding region 121 , a core region 110 , and an upper cladding region 122 , which are stacked in sequence.

[0111] The photonic crystal 200 can be disposed in the upper envelope region 122 of the buried waveguide. Alternatively, the photonic crystal 200 can also be disposed in the lower envelope region 121 of the buried waveguide. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this, and can be reasonably disposed according to actual conditions.

[0112] It is to be noted that the type of waveguide 100 included in the optical amplifier 10 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application and can be reasonably configured according to actual conditions. For the sake of convenience, the waveguide 100 is schematically described below as a ridge waveguide.

[0113] 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.

[0114] In the embodiment of the present application, the photonic crystal 200 is used to receive incident light and emit a first outgoing light and a second outgoing light.

[0115] The incident light enters 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 outgoing light side 102 of the waveguide 100, and the second outgoing light emitted from the photonic crystal 200 is emitted from the second outgoing light side 103 of the waveguide 100.

[0116] Exemplarily, the first emitted light is transmitted from the photonic crystal 200 , and the second emitted light is reflected from the photonic crystal 200 .

[0117] That is to say, the photonic crystal 200 is set in the waveguide 100, which can be regarded as a semi-transparent and semi-reflective mirror set in the waveguide 100. The photonic crystal 200 can transmit the incident light set on it.

[0118] To facilitate understanding, let's first briefly introduce photonic crystals. A photonic crystal is a periodic dielectric structure with a photonic band gap (PBG). This refers to a periodic structure where waves within a certain frequency range cannot propagate, meaning the structure itself has a "bandgap."

[0119] That is, in dielectric materials with periodic dielectric constants, after electromagnetic waves are scattered by the dielectric material, the intensity of certain wavelengths will exponentially decay due to destructive interference, and they will be unable to propagate within the dielectric material. This is equivalent to forming an energy gap in the spectrum, giving the dispersion relation a band structure (photonic band structures). Dielectric materials with this photonic band structure are called photonic crystals, also known as optical band gap systems or PBG photonic crystal structures.

[0120] For example, as shown in FIG8A to FIG8C , 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.

[0121] 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.

[0122] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9 , along the thickness direction z of the waveguide 100 , the photonic crystal 200 is located on one side of 110 .

[0123] That is, for a ridge waveguide, the photonic crystal 200 is disposed on the ridge portion of the ridge waveguide.

[0124] For ease of illustration, as shown in FIG9 , the thickness direction z of the waveguide 100 is referred to as the third direction z, and the extension direction of the waveguide 100 is referred to as the second direction y. A direction perpendicular to both the thickness direction z of the waveguide 100 and the extension direction y of the waveguide 100 is referred to as 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.

[0125] Continuing to refer to FIG9 , 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 set in the middle position between the light incident side 101 and the first light output side 102. Alternatively, exemplary, the photonic crystal 200 can also be set in a position close to the light incident side 101. Alternatively, exemplary, the photonic crystal 200 can also be set in a position close to the first light output side 102.

[0126] As shown in FIG. 9 , along the first direction x, the edge of the photonic crystal 200 does not exceed the edge of the core region 110 .

[0127] That is, along the third direction z, the projection of the photonic crystal 200 is within the projection of the core region 110 .

[0128] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG10A , 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.

[0129] That is, along the first direction x, the edge of the photonic crystal 200 coincides with the edge of the core region 110 .

[0130] In other words, along the third direction z, the projection of the photonic crystal 200 coincides with the projection of the core region 110 .

[0131] In this way, the light extraction efficiency of the optical amplifier 10 can be improved.

[0132] Alternatively, illustratively, as shown in FIG10B , 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.

[0133] For example, as shown in FIG. 10B , the photonic crystal 200 may be located on the surface of the envelope region 120 .

[0134] That is, the surface of the cladding region 120 away from the core region 110 exposes the photonic crystal 200 .

[0135] It is explained here that the surface of the envelope region 120 exposed from the photonic crystal 200 is the surface of the second light-emitting side 103 of the waveguide 100 .

[0136] Alternatively, as illustratively shown in FIG. 10C , the photonic crystal 200 may be located within the envelope region 120 .

[0137] That is, the envelope region 120 surrounds the periphery of the photonic crystal 200 .

[0138] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10C , a distance is provided between the photonic crystal 200 and the core region 110 .

[0139] 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.

[0140] As shown in FIG11 , 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 .

[0141] Exemplarily, the buffer layer 300 may be a film layer of the material of the waveguide 100 .

[0142] 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 .

[0143] 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.

[0144] The third light-emitting side includes a plurality of circular light-emitting holes.

[0145] In this way, the circular light-emitting aperture can reduce the divergence angle of the emitted light, thereby achieving direct coupling of the emitted light with the light-receiving element, without the need for a separate optical coupling element. For example, the divergence angle of the emitted light is less than 1°. In other words, the divergence angle of the second emitted light from the optical amplifier 10 is less than 1°. At the same time, the corresponding photonic crystal 200 can be designed to filter out noise from the optical amplifier 10, such as amplifier spontaneous emission noise (ASE), to improve the quality of the emitted optical signal.

[0146] In some embodiments, the optical amplifier 10 further includes an anti-reflective (AR) film.

[0147] Exemplarily, the anti-reflection and high-transmittance film is disposed on the light incident side 101 of the waveguide 100 .

[0148] This can increase the light transmittance.

[0149] In the optical amplifier 10 provided in the present embodiment, incident light enters through the light-entry side 101, and current is injected into the optical amplifier 10. This inverts the population of the incident light, thereby amplifying the incident light. The amplified optical signal then passes through the photonic crystal 200, whereupon the photonic crystal 200 emits a first output light and a second output light.

[0150] In addition, the optical amplifier 10 of the embodiment of the present application can adjust the light output ratio of the first outgoing light and the second outgoing light by changing the photonic crystal 200, and can infer the optical parameters of either the first outgoing light or the second outgoing light by detecting the optical parameters of the other outgoing light. For example, the optical parameters of the outgoing light can include the light intensity of the outgoing light.

[0151] Illustratively, a detection device may be provided on the first light-exiting side 102 or the second light-exiting side 103 to detect optical parameters of the exiting light, thereby confirming the working state of the optical amplifier 10 .

[0152] In the optical amplifier 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application, the photonic crystal 200 is disposed within the envelope region 120 of the waveguide 100. After the incident light passes through the photonic crystal 200, it is transmitted through the photonic crystal 200 as a first outgoing light and a second outgoing light. In other words, the optical amplifier 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application can achieve bidirectional light output, and the light output ratio of the first outgoing light and the second outgoing light can be adjusted by designing the corresponding photonic crystal 200. Furthermore, the optical amplifier 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application can confirm the operating status of the optical amplifier 10 by detecting the outgoing light on one of the light output sides.

[0153] 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 (e.g., a smart watch, a smart bracelet). As shown in FIG12A , the electronic device 20 includes a light source and the optical amplifier 10. In other words, the optical amplifier 10 is integrated into the electronic device 20.

[0154] For example, as shown in FIG12B , the incident light of the optical amplifier 10 is incident from one side of the electronic device 20. The light emitted from the second light-emitting side of the optical amplifier 10 can be used to optically sense obstructions (e.g., human skin) to achieve a detection function. The optical amplifier 10 can amplify the optical signal to increase the penetration of the outgoing light. At the same time, the photonic crystal 200 within the optical amplifier 10 can be used to change the outgoing light's direction and filter out ASE noise in the outgoing light, thereby improving the fidelity of the outgoing light signal.

[0155] In other embodiments, the present application also provides a light-emitting system-on-chip. This light-emitting system-on-chip can be considered a light-emitting assembly. As shown in FIG13A , the optical assembly 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.

[0156] The present embodiment does not limit the material of the substrate 310. The material of the substrate 310 may include, for example, gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP), or silicon on insulator (SOI) or any one or more combinations thereof.

[0157] For example, 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.

[0158] As shown in FIG13A , the laser 320 is disposed on the light input side of the optical amplifier 10. In other words, the optical amplifier 10 is disposed on the light output side of the laser 320. The laser 320 can serve as a light source to provide an optical signal to the optical amplifier 10.

[0159] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 13A , the optical component 30 includes an optical amplifier 10 .

[0160] Alternatively, as shown in FIG13B , the optical assembly 30 includes multiple optical amplifiers 10. The multiple optical amplifiers 10 can be sequentially disposed on a substrate 310. Alternatively, they can be stacked on the substrate 310. This embodiment of the application does not limit the number and stacking arrangement of the optical assemblies 30; these can be appropriately configured based on actual circumstances.

[0161] 13C , the optical component 30 further includes a modulator 330 . The modulator 330 is disposed on the substrate 310 and located between the laser 320 and the optical amplifier 10 .

[0162] For example, the modulator 330 may include an electro absorption modulator (EAM).

[0163] As shown in Figure 13C , laser 320 serves as a light source, providing an optical signal. Modulator 330, acting as a signal modulator, modulates the optical signal emitted by laser 320 and transmits the modulated optical signal to optical amplifier 10. Optical amplifier 10 amplifies the received optical signal and outputs two outgoing beams: a first outgoing beam along the direction of substrate 310 and a second outgoing beam perpendicular to substrate 310. One of the outgoing beams can serve as a monitoring window to detect the operating status of optical assembly 30.

[0164] Exemplarily, the optical component 30 may be integrated into the electronic device 20 (eg, a smart wearable device), with the first emitted light serving as a monitoring window and the second emitted light being used to detect signals.

[0165] 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, which is beneficial to the detection of the signal-to-noise ratio of the optical signal.

[0166] In some other embodiments, as shown in FIG14A , the optical component 30 may further include a microring 340 . The microring 340 is disposed on the substrate 310 and located between the laser 320 and the optical amplifier 10 .

[0167] In this way, the optical component 30 can be used to amplify signals from an on-chip optical frequency comb. As shown in Figure 14B, a laser 320 serves as a light source, providing an optical signal. The optical signal is transmitted to a microring 340, where it generates some optical solitons, exhibiting a comb-like spectral distribution. The outgoing optical signal is then amplified by an optical amplifier 10. Furthermore, the optical component can extract specific wavelengths of the optical frequency comb and amplify them through the optical amplifier 10.

[0168] For example, as shown in Figure 15, an optical component 30 integrated with an on-chip optical frequency comb can also be used for gas detection. The transmitting end uses an optical frequency comb as the light source, selecting a light source in a specific wavelength band as the transmitting light source. After the light source passes through the gas to be detected, the gas and the light source interact, causing the transmitted spectrum to show missing teeth in the frequency comb. This indicates the presence of a gas or substance in the gas to be detected that strongly interacts with the wavelength band of the transmitting light source, thereby enabling gas detection.

[0169] In yet other embodiments, the present application also provides a detection device comprising the optical amplifier 10 and a receiver. The receiver is configured to receive the optical signal emitted by the optical amplifier 10. This detection device can be applied to fields such as optical communications, scanning imaging, and laser radar. The present application does not impose any particular limitations on the specific form of the detection device.

[0170] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited to this. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection 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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