Inventors:
Ping King Tien - Chatham Township NJ
Assignee:
Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated - Murray Hill NJ
International Classification:
G02B 514
Abstract:
The comprehensive large scale integration of thin-film optical circuits is made possible by a series of related developments. The key concept is the isolation of the high index substrate, necessary to active devices, wherever it is desired to have a passive device, by the interposition of an oxide layer such as SiO. sub. 2. It is preferred that the passive devices and the SiO. sub. 2 by amorphous. This new arrangement allows the use of discrete thin-film corner reflectors, instead of distributed feedback, in resonant active devices and wherever a reflector or beam-splitter is needed. Further, the active devices may be located photolithographically by etching windows in the SiO. sub. 2 layer. All of the active devices share a common active layer, which forms the passive devices wherever it extends between windows and simultaneously is the light guiding layer throughout.