Claims
- 1. A planar lightwave circuit comprising:
a first waveguide that is thermally-compensating, the first waveguide comprising
a cladding; and a core substantially confined by the cladding, the core comprising first and second regions running lengthwise through the core, the first region having a positive thermo-optic coefficient, the second region having a negative thermo-optic coefficient, and wherein the first region runs substantially lengthwise through a central portion of the second region.
- 2. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 1, wherein the first region comprises a polymer.
- 3. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 2, wherein the polymer comprises silicone, PMMA or BCB.
- 4. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 1, wherein the second region comprises doped silica.
- 5. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 1, wherein the first region forms an enclosed channel running through the central portion of the second region
- 6. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 1, wherein the planar lightwave circuit comprises an interferometer.
- 7. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 6, wherein the planar lightwave circuit is a Mach Zehnder interferometer.
- 8. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 1, wherein the planar lightwave circuit comprises a coupler.
- 9. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 1, wherein the planar lightwave circuit comprises an array waveguide grating.
- 10. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 1, further comprising:
a second waveguide that is not thermally-compensating, the second waveguide comprising
a core comprising a single material having a positive thermo-optic coefficient
- 11. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 1, wherein the first waveguide is thermally-compensating over a range of approximately 100° C.
- 12. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 11, wherein the first waveguide has a bend radius down to 10 mm.
- 13. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 1, wherein the first region extends into the second region by at least two-thirds.
- 14. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 1, wherein the second region comprises a polymer.
- 15. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 1, wherein the width of the inner core is approximately 1 micron or less.
- 16. A method of making a waveguide comprising:
forming a first core portion of a waveguide, the first core portion having a positive thermo-optic coefficient; forming a second core portion by substantially covering the first core portion with a material having a negative thermo-optic coefficient; and forming a cladding that substantially encloses the first core portion and the second core portion.
- 17. The method of claim 16, wherein forming a second core portion further comprises:
covering the first core portion with a first polymer.
- 18. The method of claim 17, wherein covering the first core portion with a first polymer further comprises:
covering the first core portion with a first polymer having a refractive index of approximately 1.45 to 1.6.
- 19. The method of claim 17, wherein covering the first core portion with a first polymer further comprises:
accumulating the first polymer around the first core portion via a spinning process.
- 20. The method of claim 17, wherein forming the cladding further comprises:
covering the first and second core portions with a second polymer.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein covering the first and second core portions with a second polymer further comprises:
covering the first and second core portions with the second polymer having a refractive index approximately 0.01 to 0.05 less than that of the first polymer.
- 22. A planar lightwave circuit comprising:
an electrical component; and a waveguide coupled to the electrical component, the waveguide having a core capable of propagating an optical signal, the core comprising a first material and a second material, wherein the first material runs substantially through a center portion of the second material, and wherein the first material has a positive thermo-optic coefficient and the second material has a negative thermo-optic coefficient.
- 23. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 22, wherein the first material splits the core into two portions along a length of the core.
- 24. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 23, wherein the first material lies substantially in a plane parallel to a primary plane of the planar lightwave circuit.
- 25. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 23, wherein the first material lies substantially in a plane perpendicular to a primary plane of the planar lightwave circuit.
- 26. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 22, wherein the first material comprises a polymer.
- 27. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 26, wherein the second material comprises doped silica.
- 28. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 26, wherein the second material comprises a polymer.
- 29. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 22, wherein the electrical component is an electrical-to-optical converter or an optical-to-electrical converter.
- 30. The planar lightwave circuit of claim 22, wherein the electrical component is a temperature regulator.
- 31. A method of guiding an optical signal through a planar waveguide, wherein the optical signal has an optical field, the method comprising:
guiding a first portion of the optical field in a first material; guiding a second portion of the optical field in a second material, wherein
the first material and the second material comprise a core of the planar waveguide, and wherein the first material has a negative thermo-optic coefficient and the second material has a positive thermo-optic coefficient, and wherein the second material is substantially surrounded by the first material.
- 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the first portion of the optical field and the second portion of the optical field are substantially concentric.
- 33. The method of claim 31, wherein the second portion of the optical field is guided within the first portion of the optical field.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to co-pending application, filed Jul. 2, 2002, entitled “THERMAL COMPENSATION OF WAVEGUIDES BY DUAL MATERIAL CORE HAVING NEGATIVE THERMO-OPTIC COEFFICIENT INNER CORE,” and assigned to the Assignee of the present application.