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).

  • Monolithic integration of dielectric waveguides and germanium-based devices
    Patent number: 9146349
    Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to an integrated optical device including: a semiconductor waveguide on a substrate; a dielectric waveguide on a substrate optically coupled to the semiconductor waveguide; and a germanium device on the semiconductor waveguide optically coupled to the semiconductor waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Long Chen, Christopher Doerr, Young-Kai Chen
  • Spatial division multiplexing optical mode converter
    Patent number: 9140854
    Abstract: Embodiments provide an optical device that includes a star coupler, a polarization bam splitter (PBS) and a polarization rotator. The star coupler includes a port at a first end face. The polarization beam splitter is optically coupled via a first side to the star coupler port, and is further optically coupled via a second side to a first port of an optical coupler. The polarization rotator is optically coupled between the polarization beam splitter and a second port of the optical coupler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventor: Christopher Doerr
  • Optical amplifier for multi-core optical fiber
    Patent number: 9103987
    Abstract: An optical device comprising a first optical coupler located over a surface of a substrate such that the optical coupler is able to end-couple to an optical core of a first optical fiber having an end facing and adjacent to the first optical coupler and the surface. The optical device further comprises a second optical coupler located over the surface such that the second optical coupler is able to end-couple to an optical core having an end facing and adjacent to the second optical coupler. The optical device also comprises a pump coupler being configured to couple pump light to an optical path that connects the first optical coupler and the second optical coupler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Christopher Doerr, Peter Winzer
  • SILICON DEPLETION MODULATORS WITH ENHANCED SLAB DOPING
    Publication number: 20150212345
    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: December 11, 2013
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: Long CHEN, Christopher DOERR
  • WAFER-SCALE TESTING OF PHOTONIC INTEGRATED CIRCUITS USING HORIZONTAL SPOT-SIZE CONVERTERS
    Publication number: 20150214122
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, structures, and devices for wafer scale testing of photonic integrated circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: Diedrik VERMEULEN, Long CHEN, Christopher DOERR
  • Tunable laser using III-V gain materials
    Patent number: 9020001
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques, methods, structures and apparatus that provide a laser monolithically integrated in a silicon photonic integrated circuit (PIC) that is suitable for high-performance coherent fiber-optic telecommunications and other applications. Among the features of a laser according to the present disclosure, and in particular a hybrid InGaAsP/Si laser, is an integrated Si isolator to protect the laser from back reflections; optical, rather than electrical pumping; and coupling the optical pump using an InGaAsP grating coupler that acts simultaneously as a WDM coupler and laser mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Acacia Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Doerr, Eric Swanson
  • FIBER ASSEMBLY FOR FACET OPTICAL COUPLING
    Publication number: 20150063747
    Abstract: Disclosed are structures and methods for facet optical coupling of optical fibers to photonic integrated circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Long CHEN, Christopher DOERR, Diedrik VERMEULEN
  • SLAB-MODE AND POLARIZATION CLEAN-UP IN SILICON PHOTONICS
    Publication number: 20150063769
    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 structure's performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Christopher DOERR, Long CHEN
  • DISTRIBUTED CMOS DRIVER WITH ENHANCED DRIVE VOLTAGE FOR SILICON OPTICAL PUSH-PULL MACH-ZEHNDER MODULATORS
    Publication number: 20150062689
    Abstract: Disclosed are structures and methods for CMOS drivers that drive silicon optical push-pull Mach-Zehnder modulators (MZMs) with twice the drive voltage per interferometer arm as with prior art designs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventor: Christopher DOERR
  • OPTICAL AMPLIFIER FOR MULTI-CORE OPTICAL FIBER
    Publication number: 20150049379
    Abstract: An optical device comprising a first optical coupler located over a surface of a substrate such that the optical coupler is able to end-couple to an optical core of a first optical fiber having an end facing and adjacent to the first optical coupler and the surface. The optical device further comprises a second optical coupler located over the surface such that the second optical coupler is able to end-couple to an optical core having an end facing and adjacent to the second optical coupler. The optical device also comprises a pump coupler being configured to couple pump light to an optical path that connects the first optical coupler and the second optical coupler.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2013
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Applicant: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Doerr, Peter Winzer
  • Optical filter or multiplexer/demultiplexer
    Patent number: 8938137
    Abstract: An optical filter or multiplexer/demultiplexer, including a plurality of optical waveguides forming a planar structure. Each optical waveguide has a total length including one or more first segments with a first width and at least one or more second segments with a second width, the first width being larger than the second width. The sum of lengths of the one or more first segments in each optical waveguide is larger than half the total length of the waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventor: Christopher Doerr
  • INTEGRATED OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY SYSTEMS AND METHODS
    Publication number: 20140376000
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are optical integration technologies, designs, systems and methods directed toward Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and other interferometric optical sensor, ranging, and imaging systems wherein such systems, methods and structures employ tunable optical sources, coherent detection and other structures on a single or multichip monolithic integration. In contrast to contemporary, prior-art OCT systems and structures that employ simple, miniature optical bench technology using small optical components positioned on a substrate, systems and methods according to the present disclosure employ one or more photonic integrated circuits (PICs), use swept-source techniques, and employ a widely tunable optical source(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Eric SWANSON, Christopher DOERR
  • SPARSE FINITE-DIFFERENCE TIME DOMAIN SIMULATION
    Publication number: 20140365188
    Abstract: Disclosed are accurate and fast methods for simulating electromagnetic wave propagation which employ an omnidirectional vectorial simulation and which measure all frequencies at once.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventor: Christopher DOERR
  • Low-loss, wide-band grating coupler and method of making same
    Patent number: 8883018
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a grating coupler having a bottom mirror in a semiconductor wafer including etching a trench from a top surface of a wafer and around a grating coupler formed in the wafer; etching a void underneath the grating coupler; etching a via into the void from the backside of the wafer; and depositing a mirror on the bottom of the grating coupler. Alternatively, additional oxide may be deposited on the bottom of the grating coupler prior to the deposition of the mirror such that a desirable oxide thickness on the bottom is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Acacia Communications Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher Doerr
  • Endless phase shifting
    Patent number: 8787708
    Abstract: Endless phase shifting apparatus, structures, and methods useful—for example—in MIMO optical demultiplexing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventor: Christopher Doerr
  • SILICON PHOTONICS MULTICARRIER OPTICAL TRANSCEIVER
    Publication number: 20140153931
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques, methods, structures and apparatus that provide a silicon photonics multicarrier optical transceiver wherein both the transmitter and receiver are integrated on a single silicon chip and which generates a plurality of carriers through the effect of an on-chip modulator, amplifies the optical power of the carriers through the effect of an off-chip amplifier, and generates M orthogonal sets of carriers through the effect of an on-chip basis former.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Inventor: Christopher DOERR
  • OPTICAL COMPENSATION USING A SPACE DIVISION MULTIPLEXING ELECTRO-OPTIC RECEIVER
    Publication number: 20140126902
    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: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Inventors: Eric SWANSON, Christopher DOERR, Graeme PENDOCK
  • ROBUST MODULATOR CIRCUITS USING LATERAL DOPING JUNCTIONS
    Publication number: 20140112611
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, structures, and devices that compensates for modulator loss and modulation inefficiencies introduced by mask misalignments in opposite oriented pn type junction modulators. More specifically, Mach-Zehnder type optical modulators are disclosed wherein both arms in the MZI modulator are arranged in a push-pull configuration and configured to experience pn type junctions of two orientations wherein both arms further configured to experience the same length of waveguide with a pn type junction of each orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Inventors: Diedrik VERMEULEN, Long CHEN, Christopher DOERR
  • High performance optical polarization diversity circuit
    Patent number: 8682119
    Abstract: An optical device includes an input/output optical coupler, a waveguide and a waveguide fragment. The optical coupler is configured to separate a received optical signal into first and second signal components. The waveguide is connected to the optical coupler and configured to propagate the first signal component via a first propagation mode. The waveguide fragment is located adjacent to the first waveguide and is configured to couple light from the first waveguide that propagates therein by a different second propagation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Christopher Doerr, Long Chen
  • ELECTRONIC AND OPTICAL CO-PACKAGING OF COHERENT TRANSCEIVER
    Publication number: 20140064659
    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: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Inventors: Christopher DOERR, Eric SWANSON, Jon STAHL, Diedrik VERMEULEN