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).

  • Patent number: 7606277
    Abstract: A photonic device incorporate 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: December 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Cristian B. Stagarescu, Alfred T. Schremer
  • Patent number: 7598527
    Abstract: A laser and detector integrated on corresponding epitaxial layers of a single chip cooperate with on-chip and/or external optics to couple light of a first wavelength emitted by the laser to a single external device such as an optical fiber 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. A monitoring photodetector is fabricated in the detector epitaxy adjacent one end of the laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Cristian B. Stagarescu, Malcolm R. Green, Alfred T. Schremer, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7569860
    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: January 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Malcolm Green, Alfred T. Schremer
  • Patent number: 7542497
    Abstract: A process for fabricating lasers capable of emitting blue light wherein a GaN wafer is etched to form laser waveguides and mirrors using a temperature of over 500° C. and an ion beam in excess of 500 V in CAIBE, and wherein said laser waveguide has inwardly angled sidewalls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventor: Alex A. Behfar
  • Publication number: 20090067465
    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: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Publication date: March 12, 2009
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Malcolm Green, Norman Kwong, Cristian Stagaresen
  • Publication number: 20080298413
    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: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2008
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Wilfried Lenth
  • Publication number: 20080219316
    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: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventors: Joseph J. Vandenberg, Norman S. Kwong, Alex A. Behfar
  • Patent number: 7408183
    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: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Binoptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Wilfried Lenth
  • Publication number: 20080151955
    Abstract: A photonic device incorporate 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: December 26, 2006
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Alfred T. Schremer, Cristian B. Stagarescu
  • Publication number: 20080019408
    Abstract: A process for fabricating lasers capable of emitting blue light wherein a GaN wafer is etched to form laser waveguides and mirrors using a temperature of over 500° C. and an ion beam in excess of 500 V in CAIBE, and wherein said laser waveguide has inwardly angled sidewalls.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Publication date: January 24, 2008
    Applicant: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventor: Alex A. Behfar
  • Patent number: 7245645
    Abstract: A surface-emitting laser, in which light is emitted vertically at one end from a near 45°-angled facet, includes a second end having a perpendicular facet from which light is emitted horizontally, for monitoring. The surface-emitting laser comprises a divergence-compensating lens on the surface above the near 45°-angled facet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex A. Behfar, Alfred T. Schremer, Cristian B. Stagarescu
  • Publication number: 20070045637
    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: August 24, 2006
    Publication date: March 1, 2007
    Applicant: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Behfar, Wilfried Lenth
  • Publication number: 20060291514
    Abstract: A process for fabricating lasers capable of emitting blue light wherein a GaN wafer is etched to form laser waveguides and mirrors using a temperature of over 500° C. and an ion beam in excess of 500 V in CAIBE.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2006
    Publication date: December 28, 2006
    Applicant: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Behfar, Alfred Schremer, Cristian Stagarescu, Vainateya
  • Publication number: 20060274804
    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 1, 2006
    Publication date: December 7, 2006
    Applicant: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Behfar, Alfred Schremer
  • Publication number: 20060270077
    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: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2006
    Publication date: November 30, 2006
    Applicant: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Behfar, Malcolm Green, Alfred Schremer
  • Publication number: 20060187985
    Abstract: Semiconductor photonic device surfaces are covered with a dielectric or a metal protective layer. The protective layer covers the entire device, including regions near facets at active regions, to prevent bare or unprotected semiconductor regions, thereby to form a very high reliability etched facet photonic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2006
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Inventor: Alex Behfar
  • Publication number: 20060118893
    Abstract: A laser and detector integrated on corresponding epitaxial layers of a single chip cooperate with on-chip and/or external optics to couple light of a first wavelength emitted by the laser to a single external device such as an optical fiber 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. A monitoring photodetector is fabricated in the detector epitaxy adjacent one end of the laser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Publication date: June 8, 2006
    Applicant: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Behfar, Cristian Stagarescu, Malcolm Green, Alfred Schremer
  • Patent number: 7042630
    Abstract: A ring cavity laser has at least two facets and a mechanism is provided to produce unidirectional propagation and light emission at a first wavelength. A source of laser light at a second wavelength is injected into the cavity to reverse the direction of propagation and to produce emission at the second wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Binoptics Corp.
    Inventor: Alex A. Behfar
  • Patent number: 7012291
    Abstract: Three-dimensional structures of arbitrary shape are fabricated on the surface of a substrate through a series of processing steps wherein a monolithic structure is fabricated in successive layers. A first layer of photoresist material is spun onto a substrate surface and is exposed in a desired pattern corresponding to the shape of a final structure, at a corresponding cross-sectional level in the structure. The layer is not developed after exposure; instead, a second layer of photoresist material is deposited and is also exposed in a desired pattern. Subsequent layers are spun onto the top surface of prior layers and exposed, and upon completion of the succession of layers each defining corresponding levels of the desired structure, the layers are all developed at the same time leaving the three-dimensional structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Behfar, Alfred T. Schremer, Cristian B. Stagarescu
  • Publication number: 20050232326
    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: April 14, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Applicant: BinOptics Corporation
    Inventors: Alex Behfar, Malcolm Green, Alfred Schremer