Electro-optical devices and methods for constructing electro-optical devices such as a switch or phase shifter. An electrode layer is deposited on a substrate layer, a waveguide structure is deposited on the electrode layer, a first cladding layer is deposited on the waveguide structure, and the first cladding layer is planarized and bonded to a wafer. The substrate layer is removed and the electrode layer is etched to split the electrode layer into a first electrode separated from a second electrode. A second cladding layer is deposited on the etched electrode layer. The first and second electrodes may be composed of a material with a large dielectric constant, or they may be composed of a material with a large electron mobility. The device may exhibit a sandwich waveguide architecture where an electro-optic layer is disposed between two strip waveguides.

The present application provides an electrostatic discharge guard structure for photonic platform based photodiode systems. In particular this application provides a photodiode assembly comprising: a photodiode (such as a Si or SiGe photodiode); a waveguide (such as a silicon waveguide); and a guard structure, wherein the guard structure comprises a diode, extends about all or substantially all of the periphery of the Si or SiGe photodiode and allows propagation of light from the silicon waveguide into the Si or SiGe photodiode.

A mode converter provided in the present invention includes an input multimode waveguide, an output multimode waveguide, and a first conversion waveguide, where the input multimode waveguide is configured to receive a first signal which mode is a first mode; the first conversion waveguide has an input coupling waveguide with a first effective refractive index, and has an output coupling waveguide with a second effective refractive index: the first conversion waveguide is configured to perform, by using the input coupling waveguide, evanescent wave coupling on the first signal that is in the first mode and that is transmitted in the input multimode waveguide, and couple the first signal to the second mode of the output multimode waveguide by using the output coupling waveguide, so as to obtain the first signal in the second mode; and the output multimode waveguide is configured to output the first signal in the second mode.

An optical coupling may involve orienting a waveguide and a lens such that light rays are focused on a surface. The lens may involve the use of a material having a variable refractive index to focus rays of light along first axis and a curved surface to focus the rays of light along a second axis.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a trench in the substrate, the trench having an inclined sidewall, a reflective layer over the inclined sidewall, a grating structure over the substrate, and a waveguide in the trench. The waveguide is configured to guide optical signals between the grating structure and the reflective layer.

The present invention provides a waveguide structure for optical coupling. The waveguide structure includes a first waveguide embedded in a cladding of lower refractive index than the first waveguide, and a second waveguide of higher refractive index than the cladding and distanced from the first waveguide. The waveguide structure further includes an intermediate waveguide, of which at least a part is arranged between the first waveguide and the second waveguide. The first waveguide and the second waveguide each comprise a tapered end for coupling light into and/or out of the intermediate waveguide.

A rectangular optical waveguide, an optical phase shifter and an optical modulator each formed of a semiconductor layer are formed on an insulating film constituting an SOI wafer, and then a rear insulating film formed on a rear surface of the SOI wafer is removed. Moreover, a plurality of trenches each having a first depth from an upper surface of the insulating film are formed at a position not overlapping with the rectangular optical waveguide, the optical phase shifter and the optical modulator when seen in a plan view in the insulating film. As a result, since an electric charge can be easily released from the SOI wafer even when the SOI wafer is later mounted on the electrostatic chuck included in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the electric charge is less likely to be accumulated on the rear surface of the SOI wafer.

An optical waveguide includes a core, a first cladding, a second cladding, and a heater. The first cladding configured to cover the core. The second cladding disposed over the first cladding. The heater disposed over the second cladding to heat the core. The first cladding and the second cladding are silicon oxide films. A first fixed charge density of the first cladding is lower than a second fixed charge density of the second cladding.

A sequence of processing steps presented herein is used to embed an optical signal path within an array of nanowires, using only one lithography step. Using the techniques disclosed, it is not necessary to mask electrical features while forming optical features, and vice versa. Instead, optical and electrical signal paths can be created substantially simultaneously in the same masking cycle. This is made possible by a disparity in the widths of the respective features, the optical signal paths being significantly wider than the electrical ones. Using a damascene process, the structures of disparate widths are plated with metal that over-fills narrow trenches and under-fills a wide trench. An optical cladding material can then be deposited into the trench so as to surround an optical core for light transmission.

An optical radiation detection system (100) comprising: an optical medium (1) structured to define a region (5) suitable for transmitting an optical radiation and being associated to at least one electric parameter varying as a function of the optical radiation concerning said region; at least one electrode (2, 3) electrically coupled to the optical medium (1), and spaced from said region (5), an electric power generator (4) connected to said at least one electrode (2) and structured to provide an electric signal (Se) to be applied to the optical medium. Further, the system comprises an electric measuring circuit (50) connected to said at least one electrode (2) and structured to provide a measuring electric signal (SM) representing a variation of said at least one electric parameter.