Patents by Inventor Christopher Doerr

Christopher Doerr 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).

  • Modulation-based integrated broadband optical isolator with improved isolation
    Patent number: 9823496
    Abstract: An optical isolator for suppressing back reflections from a downstream optical system is described. The optical isolator includes a plurality of optical paths between a splitter and a combiner. One or more of the optical paths include two phase modulators that are driven by oscillating signals having predefined phase relationships. At least one bypass optical path does not include two phase modulators driven by oscillating signals. Amplitude and phase of an optical signal traversing the bypass optical path may be tuned to further suppress residual reflections from a downstream optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Doerr
  • Alternating traveling-wave Mach-Zehnder modulator
    Patent number: 9817249
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a traveling-wave Mach-Zehnder modulator and method of operating same that advantageously exhibits a reduced optical insertion loss as compared with contemporary Mach-Zehnder structures. Such advantage comes at the modest expense of increased modulator length and increased RF loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Doerr
  • Optical compensation using a space division multiplexing electro-optic receiver
    Patent number: 9806839
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, structures, and devices for optical communications systems operating through turbulent media. More specifically, a spatial division multiplexing photonic integrated circuit is used in conjunction with digital signal processing systems to mitigate the effects of the turbulent media.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Swanson, Christopher Doerr, Graeme Pendock
  • FILLING A CAVITY THROUGH A RESERVOIR AND A FEED-CHANNEL AND RELATED APPARATUS AND METHODS
    Publication number: 20170293073
    Abstract: Aspects of the present application provide an optical device comprising a suspended optical component over a cavity, such as an undercut region in a substrate. The cavity is filled with a filler material. In some embodiments, the optical device and a method may be provided to fill the cavity with the filler material using a reservoir and a channel in the substrate connecting the reservoir to the cavity to be filled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Publication date: October 12, 2017
    Applicant: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Long Chen, Christopher Doerr
  • SILICON MODULATORS AND RELATED APPARATUS AND METHODS
    Publication number: 20170285437
    Abstract: An optical Mach Zehnder modulator is described. The optical Mach Zehnder modulator may comprise a plurality of segments separated by curved waveguides. For example, an optical Mach Zehnder modulator may comprise a first waveguide arm having a first pn-junction formed therein, a second waveguide arm having a second pn-junction formed therein, a third waveguide arm coupled to the first waveguide arm via a first curved waveguide and a fourth waveguide arm coupled to the second waveguide arm via a second curved waveguide. The segments may have the same polarities. Alternatively, the segments may have opposite polarities. The different segments may be driven using different RF signals. The RF signals may be delayed from one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Applicant: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Doerr, Long Chen, Ricardo Aroca
  • SILICON DEPLETION MODULATORS WITH ENHANCED SLAB DOPING
    Publication number: 20170248806
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, structures, and devices for a silicon carrier-depletion based modulator with enhanced doping in at least part of slab regions between waveguide core and contact areas. Compared to prior designs, this modulator exhibits lower optical absorption loss and better modulation bandwidth without sacrificing the modulation efficiency when operating at comparable bandwidth settings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Applicant: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Long Chen, Christopher Doerr
  • OTDM coherent transceiver
    Patent number: 9716552
    Abstract: An OTDM coherent transceiver and related methods and apparatus that employ a pulsed source which advantageously allows higher symbol rates without requiring higher speed electronics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Doerr
  • Integrated polarization filter and tap coupler
    Patent number: 9671559
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, structures, apparatus and devices to integrate polarization filters and power tap couplers on planar photonic circuits that advantageously provide a lower insertion loss to an optical signal and improved optical bandwidth as compared with contemporary designs wherein these two functions are implemented separately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Long Chen, Christopher Doerr
  • CLADDING DEFINED TRANSMISSION GRATING
    Publication number: 20170123154
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques, methods, structures and apparatus for providing photonic structures and integrated circuits with optical gratings disposed within cladding layer(s) of those structures and circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Applicant: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Doerr, Diedrik Vermeulen
  • Silicon depletion modulators with enhanced slab doping
    Patent number: 9625746
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, structures, and devices for a silicon carrier-depletion based modulator with enhanced doping in at least part of slab regions between waveguide core and contact areas. Compared to prior designs, this modulator exhibits lower optical absorption loss and better modulation bandwidth without sacrificing the modulation efficiency when operating at comparable bandwidth settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Long Chen, Christopher Doerr
  • INTEGRATED HIGH-POWER TUNABLE LASER WITH ADJUSTABLE OUTPUTS
    Publication number: 20170098920
    Abstract: A tunable laser that includes an array of parallel optical amplifiers is described. The laser may also include an intracavity N×M coupler that couples power between a cavity mirror and the array of parallel optical amplifiers. Phase adjusters in optical paths between the N×M coupler and the optical amplifiers can be used to adjust an amount of power output from M-1 ports of the N×M coupler. A tunable wavelength filter is incorporated in the laser cavity to select a lasing wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Applicant: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Doerr
  • Integrated broadband optical isolator
    Patent number: 9606377
    Abstract: An integrated broadband optical isolator that operates over a wide bandwidth, wherein the optical isolator comprises sinusoidally driven phase modulators inside an interferometer. In one exemplary embodiment the optical isolator comprises: a 1×N input optical coupler, where N>2; a N×1 output optical coupler; N optical waveguides optically connecting the 1×N input optical coupler to the N×1 output optical coupler, each one of the N optical waveguides including two phase modulators, wherein each of the phase modulators are driven at a frequency f and wherein the time it takes an optical signal to travel from the center of one phase modulator in a particular waveguide to the center of the other phase modulator in that particular waveguide is substantially equal to 1/4f.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Doerr
  • TANDEM-PHASE-MODULATOR-BASED OPTICAL ISOLATOR IN SILICON
    Publication number: 20170059958
    Abstract: Disclosed are structures and methods for optical isolation based on tandem phase modulators in a long interferometer that advantageously provides low-loss, broadband isolation in a photonic integrated circuit without requiring special materials or fabrication steps.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Christopher DOERR, Long CHEN, Diedrik VERMEULEN
  • THROUGH TRANSMISSION PATH ON PHOTONIC CIRCUITS FOR OPTICAL ALIGNMENT
    Publication number: 20170031113
    Abstract: A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) may be optically aligned to a plurality of optical components (e.g., an optical fiber array). Optical alignment may be facilitated by the use of an optical impedance element coupled between a first input/output (I/O) optical waveguide and a second I/O optical waveguide of the PIC. The optical impedance element me be configured to be transmissive during optical alignment and to be non-transmissive during the regular operation of the PIC.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2016
    Publication date: February 2, 2017
    Applicant: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Long Chen, Christopher Doerr, Diedrik Vermeulen
  • Integrated high-power tunable laser with adjustable outputs
    Patent number: 9559487
    Abstract: A tunable laser that includes an array of parallel optical amplifiers is described. The laser may also include an intracavity N×M coupler that couples power between a cavity mirror and the array of parallel optical amplifiers. Phase adjusters in optical paths between the N×M coupler and the optical amplifiers can be used to adjust an amount of power output from M?1 ports of the N×M coupler. A tunable wavelength filter is incorporated in the laser cavity to select a lasing wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Doerr
  • Electronic and optical co-packaging of coherent transceiver
    Patent number: 9557478
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are co-packaging structures, devices, and methods for integrating a photonic integrated circuit (PIC), an electronic integrated circuit including drivers and transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) and an ASIC having analog-to-digital converters and a digital signal processor positioned on a common (the same) carrier thereby resulting in a compact coherent transceiver while lowering its cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Doerr, Eric Swanson, Jon Stahl, Diedrik Vermeulen
  • Cladding defined transmission grating
    Patent number: 9529156
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques, methods, structures and apparatus for providing photonic structures and integrated circuits with optical gratings disposed within cladding layer(s) of those structures and circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Diedrik Vermeulen, Christopher Doerr
  • Through transmission path on photonic circuits for optical alignment
    Patent number: 9494748
    Abstract: A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) may be optically aligned to a plurality of optical components (e.g., an optical fiber array). Optical alignment may be facilitated by the use of an optical impedance element coupled between a first input/output (I/O) optical waveguide and a second I/O optical waveguide of the PIC. The optical impedance element me be configured to be transmissive during optical alignment and to be non-transmissive during the regular operation of the PIC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Long Chen, Christopher Doerr, Diedrik Vermeulen
  • THREE PORT TRANSCEIVER
    Publication number: 20160327738
    Abstract: An optical coherent transceiver comprising a polarization and phase-diversity coherent receiver and a polarization and phase-diversity modulator on the same substrate interfaced by three grating couplers, on grating coupler coupling in a signal, one grating coupler coupling in a laser signal, and a third grating coupler coupling out a modulated signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2016
    Publication date: November 10, 2016
    Applicant: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Doerr, Benny Mikkelsen, Eric Swanson
  • Slab-mode and polarization clean-up in silicon photonics
    Patent number: 9477039
    Abstract: Disclosed are structures and methods directed to waveguide structures exhibiting improved device performance including improved attenuation of scattered light and/or transverse magnetic modes. In an illustrative embodiment according to the present disclosure, a rib waveguide structure including a rib overlying a slab waveguide (or superimposed thereon) is constructed wherein the slab waveguide is heavily doped at a distance from the rib which has a very low overlap with rib guided modes. Advantageously, such doping may be of the P-type or of the N-type, and dopants could be any of a number of known ones including—but not limited to—boron, phosphorous, etc.—or others that increase optical propagation loss. As may be appreciated, the doped regions advantageously absorb scattered light which substantially improves the structures' performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Doerr, Long Chen