Patents by Inventor Alex Behfar

Alex Behfar has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20110317734
    Abstract: An etched-facet single lateral mode semiconductor photonic device is fabricated by depositing an anti reflective coating on the etched facet, and depositing a reflectivity modifying coating in a spatially controlled manner to modify the spatial performance of the emitted beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2011
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Alfred T. Schremer
  • Patent number: 8064493
    Abstract: A surface emitting photonic device including a substrate; and a waveguide structure on the substrate. The waveguide structure includes an active region along its longitudinal axis and the active region is for generating light. The waveguide structure also has a trench formed therein transverse to the active region and defining a first wall forming an angled facet at one end of the active region, the first wall having a normal that is at a non-parallel angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the waveguide structure. The trench also defines a second wall located opposite the first wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Behfar, Cristian Stagarescu
  • Patent number: 8014434
    Abstract: A semiconductor chip has at least two DFB etched facet laser cavities with one set of facets with AR coatings and a second set of etched facets with HR coatings that have a different relative position with respect to the gratings. This creates a difference in the phase between each of the etched facets and the gratings which changes the operational characteristics of the two laser cavities such that at least one of the lasers provides acceptable performance. As a result, the two cavity arrangement greatly improves the yield of the fabricated chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Behfar, Malcolm Green, Norman Kwong, Cristian Stagaresen
  • Patent number: 8009711
    Abstract: A photonic device incorporates an epitaxial structure having an active region, and which includes a wet etch stop layer above, but close to, the active region. An etched-facet ridge laser is fabricated on the epitaxial structure by dry etching followed by wet etching. The dry etch is designed to stop before reading the depth needed to form the ridge. The wet etch completes the formation of the ridge and stops at the wet etch stop layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Alfred T. Schremer, Cristian B. Stagarescu
  • Patent number: 7972879
    Abstract: A laser and electroabsorption modulator (EAM) are monolithically integrated through an etched facet process. Epitaxial layers on a wafer include a first layer for a laser structure and a second layer for an EAM structure. Strong optical coupling between the laser and the EAM is realized by using two 45-degree turning mirrors to route light vertically from the laser waveguide to the EAM waveguide. A directional angled etch process is used to form the two angled facets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Malcolm R. Green, Alfred T. Schremer
  • Patent number: 7957445
    Abstract: An etched-facet single lateral mode semiconductor photonic device is fabricated by depositing an anti reflective coating on the etched facet, and depositing a reflectivity modifying coating in a spatially controlled manner to modify the spatial performance of the emitted beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Alfred T. Schremer
  • Publication number: 20110032967
    Abstract: A single-mode, etched facet distributed Bragg reflector laser includes an AlGaInAs/InP laser cavity, a front mirror stack with multiple Fabry-Perot elements, a rear DBR reflector, and a rear detector. The front mirror stack elements and the rear reflector elements include input and output etched facets, and the laser cavity is an etched ridge cavity, all formed from an epitaxial wafer by a two-step lithography and CAIBE process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Kiyofumi Muro, Christian B. Stagarescu, Alfred T. Schremer
  • Publication number: 20110019708
    Abstract: Unidirectionality of lasers is enhanced by forming one or more etched gaps (78, 80) in the laser cavity. The gaps may be provided in any segment of a laser, such as any leg of a ring laser, or in one leg (62) of a V-shaped laser (60). A Brewster angle facet at the distal end of a photonic device coupled to the laser reduces back-reflection into the laser cavity. A distributed Bragg reflector is used at the output of a laser to enhance the side-mode suppression ratio of the laser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Alfred T. Schremer, JR., Cristian B. Stagarescu
  • Publication number: 20100316076
    Abstract: A surface emitting photonic device including a substrate; and a waveguide structure on the substrate. The waveguide structure includes an active region along its longitudinal axis and the active region is for generating light. The waveguide structure also has a trench formed therein transverse to the active region and defining a first wall forming an angled facet at one end of the active region, the first wall having a normal that is at a non-parallel angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the waveguide structure. The trench also defines a second wall located opposite the first wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2010
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Behfar, Cristian Stagarescu
  • Patent number: 7835415
    Abstract: A single-mode, etched facet distributed Bragg reflector laser includes an AlGaInAs/InP laser cavity, a front mirror stack with multiple Fabry-Perot elements, a rear DBR reflector, and a rear detector. The front mirror stack elements and the rear reflector elements include input and output etched facets, and the laser cavity is an etched ridge cavity, all formed from an epitaxial wafer by a two-step lithography and CAIBE process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Kiyofumi Muro, Cristian B. Stagarescu, Alfred T. Schremer
  • Patent number: 7830939
    Abstract: A method and structure for producing lasers having good optical wavefront characteristics, such as are needed for optical storage includes providing a laser wherein an output beam emerging from the laser front facet is essentially unobstructed by the edges of the semiconductor chip in order to prevent detrimental beam distortions. The semiconductor laser structure is epitaxially grown on a substrate with at least a lower cladding layer, an active layer, an upper cladding layer, and a contact layer. Dry etching through a lithographically defined mask produces a laser mesa of length lc and width bm. Another sequence of lithography and etching is used to form a ridge structure with width won top of the mesa. The etching step also forming mirrors, or facets, on the ends of the laser waveguide structures. The length ls and width bs of the chip can be selected as convenient values equal to or longer than the waveguide length lc and mesa width bm, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Wilfried Lenth
  • Patent number: 7817702
    Abstract: Unidirectionality of lasers is enhanced by forming one or more etched gaps (78, 80) in the laser cavity. The gaps may be provided in any segment of a laser, such as any leg of a ring laser, or in one leg (62) of a V-shaped laser (60). A Brewster angle facet at the distal end of a photonic device coupled to the laser reduces back-reflection into the laser cavity. A distributed Bragg reflector is used at the output of a laser to enhance the side-mode suppression ratio of the laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Alfred T. Schremer, Jr., Cristian B. Stagarescu
  • Patent number: 7799587
    Abstract: A laser (22) and detector (24) integrated on corresponding epitaxial layers of a single chip (20) cooperate with on-chip and/or external optics (62) to couple light of a first wavelength emitted by the laser to a single external device such as an optical fiber (60) and to simultaneously couple light of a different wavelength received from the external device to the detector to provide bidirectional photonic operation. Multiple lasers and detectors may be integrated on the chip to provide multiple bidirectional channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Malcolm Green, Alfred T. Schremer
  • Publication number: 20100099209
    Abstract: A laser and electroabsorption modulator (EAM) are monolithically integrated through an etched facet process. Epitaxial layers on a wafer include a first layer for a laser structure and a second layer for an EAM structure. Strong optical coupling between the laser and the EAM is realized by using two 45-degree turning mirrors to route light vertically from the laser waveguide to the EAM waveguide. A directional angled etch process is used to form the two angled facets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, MaIcolm R. Green, Alfred T. Schremer
  • Publication number: 20100091811
    Abstract: A method and structure for producing lasers having good optical wavefront characteristics, such as are needed for optical storage includes providing a laser wherein an output beam emerging from the laser front facet is essentially unobstructed by the edges of the semiconductor chip in order to prevent detrimental beam distortions. The semiconductor laser structure is epitaxially grown on a substrate with at least a lower cladding layer, an active layer, an upper cladding layer, and a contact layer. Dry etching through a lithographically defined mask produces a laser mesa of length lc and width bm. Another sequence of lithography and etching is used to form a ridge structure with width w on top of the mesa. The etching step also forming mirrors, or facets, on the ends of the laser waveguide structures. The length ls and width bs of the chip can be selected as convenient values equal to or longer than the waveguide length lc and mesa width bm, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Wilfried Lenth
  • Publication number: 20100091809
    Abstract: A method and structure for producing lasers having good optical wavefront characteristics, such as are needed for optical storage includes providing a laser wherein an output beam emerging from the laser front facet is essentially unobstructed by the edges of the semiconductor chip in order to prevent detrimental beam distortions. The semiconductor laser structure is epitaxially grown on a substrate with at least a lower cladding layer, an active layer, an upper cladding layer, and a contact layer. Dry etching through a lithographically defined mask produces a laser mesa of length lc and width bm. Another sequence of lithography and etching is used to form a ridge structure with width w on top of the mesa. The etching step also forming mirrors, or facets, on the ends of the laser waveguide structures. The length ls and width bs of the chip can be selected as convenient values equal to or longer than the waveguide length lc and mesa width bm, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Wilfried Lenth
  • Publication number: 20100091810
    Abstract: A laser and electroabsorption modulator (EAM) are monolithically integrated through an etched facet process. Epitaxial layers on a wafer include a first layer for a laser structure and a second layer for an EAM structure. Strong optical coupling between the laser and the EAM is realized by using two 45-degree turning mirrors to route light vertically from the laser waveguide to the EAM waveguide. A directional angled etch process is used to form the two angled facets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Malcolm R. Green, Alfred T. Schremer
  • Patent number: 7675957
    Abstract: A surface emitting laser (100) and a monitoring photodetector (MPD) 158 are mounted in a TO (transistor outline package) can (150) on the same plane as one another. Light from a rear facet (108) of the laser is directed to the MPD through a polymer light guide (164).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph J. Vandenberg, Norman S. Kwong, Alex A. Behfar
  • Patent number: 7656922
    Abstract: A laser and electroabsorption modulator (EAM) are monolithically integrated through an etched facet process. Epitaxial layers on a wafer include a first layer for a laser structure and a second layer for an EAM structure. Strong optical coupling between the laser and the EAM is realized by using two 45-degree turning mirrors to route light vertically from the laser waveguide to the EAM waveguide. A directional angled etch process is used to form the two angled facets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Malcolm R. Green, Alfred T. Schremer
  • Publication number: 20100015743
    Abstract: A photonic device incorporates an epitaxial structure having an active region, and which includes a wet etch stop layer above, but close to, the active region. An etched-facet ridge laser is fabricated on the epitaxial structure by dry etching followed by wet etching. The dry etch is designed to stop before reading the depth needed to form the ridge. The wet etch completes the formation of the ridge and stops at the wet etch stop layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Alfred T. Schremer, Cristian B. Stagarescu