U.S. patent application number 14/970771 was filed with the patent office on 2016-04-21 for optical device having a substrate and a laser unit that emits light into the substrate.
The applicant listed for this patent is Oclaro Japan, Inc.. Invention is credited to Koichiro ADACHI, Hideo ARIMOTO, Misuzu SAGAWA, Hiroyasu SASAKI, Takanori SUZUKI.
Application Number | 20160111852 14/970771 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50825423 |
Filed Date | 2016-04-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160111852 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ARIMOTO; Hideo ; et
al. |
April 21, 2016 |
OPTICAL DEVICE HAVING A SUBSTRATE AND A LASER UNIT THAT EMITS LIGHT
INTO THE SUBSTRATE
Abstract
An optical device includes a first substrate, having first and
second surfaces, and a second substrate having a third surface. The
first substrate includes: a laser unit, having an active layer and
emitting light into the first substrate from the active layer; a
reflecting mirror, having a plane obliquely intersecting an optical
axis of light emitted from the laser unit, and being formed on the
first surface so as to reflect the light toward the second surface;
and a convex lens, being formed in a region on the second surface,
the region including an optical axis of the light reflected by the
reflecting mirror. The second substrate is provided with a grating
coupler and an optical waveguide on the third surface, the optical
waveguide having light incident on the grating coupler propagating
therethrough.
Inventors: |
ARIMOTO; Hideo; (Tokyo,
JP) ; ADACHI; Koichiro; (Tokyo, JP) ; SAGAWA;
Misuzu; (Tokyo, JP) ; SUZUKI; Takanori;
(Tokyo, JP) ; SASAKI; Hiroyasu; (Yokohama,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Oclaro Japan, Inc. |
Kanagawa |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
50825423 |
Appl. No.: |
14/970771 |
Filed: |
December 16, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14091365 |
Nov 27, 2013 |
9244231 |
|
|
14970771 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
372/50.11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01S 5/0267 20130101;
H01S 5/12 20130101; G02B 6/4206 20130101; G02B 6/4214 20130101;
H01S 5/18 20130101; G02B 6/4249 20130101; G02B 6/124 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01S 5/026 20060101
H01S005/026; H01S 5/18 20060101 H01S005/18; H01S 5/12 20060101
H01S005/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 30, 2012 |
JP |
2012-262503 |
Claims
1. An optical device comprising: a first substrate, formed of a
semiconductor material and having a first surface and a second
surface which is a rear surface of the first surface, the first
substrate comprising: a laser unit, having an active layer
laminated between the first surface and the second surface and
emitting light into the first substrate from the active layer; a
reflecting mirror, having a plane obliquely intersecting an optical
axis of light emitted from the laser unit, provided on the first
surface reflecting the light emitted from the laser unit and
propagating toward the second surface; and a convex lens, provided
in a region on the second surface, the region including an optical
axis of the light reflected by the reflecting mirror; and a second
substrate, having a third surface facing the second surface, and
being provided with a grating coupler and an optical waveguide on
the third surface thereof, the optical waveguide having light
incident on the grating coupler propagating therethrough, wherein
the optical axis of the light reflected by the reflecting mirror
obliquely intersects an optical axis in a center of the convex
lens, and wherein an optical lens of light passing through the
convex lens and being incident on the grating coupler obliquely
intersects a normal direction of the grating coupler.
2. An optical device according to claim 1, wherein an angle between
the optical axis of the light and a normal line of the reflecting
mirror is different from 45 degrees, wherein the light is emitted
from the laser unit, propagates and reaches the reflecting
mirror.
3. An optical device according to claim 1, wherein the optical axis
of the light reflected by the reflecting mirror obliquely
intersects a normal line of second surface.
4. An optical device according to claim 1, wherein the optical axis
of the light reflected by the reflecting mirror is shifted from the
optical axis in the center of the convex lens, and the light
reflected by the reflecting mirror penetrates a surface of the
convex lens.
5. An optical device according to claim 4, wherein the optical axis
of the light reflected by the reflecting mirror is offset by 18
.mu.m or less with respect to the optical axis in the center of the
convex lens.
6. An optical device according to claim 1, further comprising an
isolator which is disposed between the first substrate and the
second substrate and on a light path of light which reaches the
grating coupler after having passed through the convex lens.
7. An optical device according to claim 1, wherein the first
substrate comprises a plurality of integrated laser element units
each having the laser unit, the reflecting mirror, and the convex
lens, wherein a plurality of integrated waveguide circuit units
each including the grating coupler and the optical waveguide are
formed on the second substrate, and wherein light having passed
through the convex lens of each of the integrated laser element
units is incident on the grating coupler of the corresponding
integrated waveguide circuit unit.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims priority from Japanese
application JP 2012-262503 filed on Nov. 30, 2012, the content of
which is hereby incorporated by reference into this
application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to an optical device.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Interconnection capacity within an information device such
as a router or a server is increasing yearly. In the related art,
although electrical interconnection has been used, it is preferable
to use optical interconnection in order to realize further capacity
enlargement. As one of techniques for realizing optical
interconnection, silicon photonics is being developed. In order to
realize the silicon photonics, a material which is capable of
crystal growth on a silicon substrate and capable of laser
oscillation is desired, but such a material is not known on a
practical level.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In silicon photonics, the integration of a light source is a
major problem. In the related art, a light source for silicon
photonics is disclosed in US 2006/0239612 A1. The light source is
an optical device in which a Group III-V semiconductor laser having
a reflecting mirror on a surface thereof is flip-chip mounted on a
silicon substrate to be coupled to a grating coupler on the silicon
substrate. However, in this structure, since emission light from a
laser spreads out, it is not possible to couple the emission light
from the laser to the grating coupler with high efficiency. It is
possible to parallelize emission light from a laser by interposing
a lens between a surface emission type laser and a grating coupler.
However, it is difficult to form the lens on the same surface side
of a substrate. This is because an ordinary laser is formed to have
a depth of approximately 2 .mu.m from a surface, whereas the depth
of the lens reaches 15 .mu.m. For this reason, the lens is formed
separately from the laser, which leads to a difficulty in
performing mounting position adjustment between a laser unit and
the lens with a high level of accuracy, to an increase in
manufacturing costs, and to inhibition of miniaturization in an
optical device including the surface emission type laser and the
lens.
[0007] The present invention is contrived in view of such
situations, and an object thereof is to provide an optical device
which includes a semiconductor laser, a lens, and a grating coupler
and is easily manufactured with a small number of components.
[0008] (1) In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an
optical device according to the present invention includes a first
substrate and a second substrate. The first substrate is formed of
a semiconductor material, has a first surface and a second surface
which is a rear surface of the first surface. The first substrate
includes a laser unit which has an active layer laminated between
the first surface and the second surface and emits light into the
first substrate from the active layer; a reflecting mirror which
has a plane obliquely intersecting an optical axis of light emitted
from the laser unit and propagating, and is formed on the first
surface so as to reflect the light emitted from the laser unit and
propagating, toward the second surface; and a convex lens which is
formed in a region on the second surface, the region including an
optical axis of the light reflected by the reflecting mirror. The
second substrate has a third surface facing the second surface, and
is provided with a grating coupler and an optical waveguide on the
third surface thereof, the optical waveguide having light incident
on the grating coupler propagating therethrough.
[0009] (2) In the optical device according to (1) mentioned above,
the convex lens may converge or parallelize the light reflected by
the reflecting mirror so as to cause the light to reach the grating
coupler.
[0010] (3) In the optical device according to (2) mentioned above,
the optical axis of the light reflected by the reflecting mirror
may be shifted to an opposite side to the optical waveguide side of
the second substrate from an axis penetrating a center of the
convex lens, and may penetrate a surface of the convex lens.
[0011] (4) In the optical device according to (2) or (3) mentioned
above, an angle between the optical axis of the light and a normal
line of the reflecting mirror may be greater than 45 degrees,
wherein the light is emitted from the laser unit, propagates, and
reaches the reflecting mirror.
[0012] (5) The optical device according to any one of (1) to (4)
mentioned above may further include an isolator which is disposed
between the first substrate and the second substrate and on a light
path of light, to reach the grating coupler after having passed
through the convex lens.
[0013] (6) The optical device according to (1) mentioned above may
further include a first angle variable reflecting mirror, located
between the first substrate and the second substrate, which
reflects light having passed through the convex lens; and a second
angle variable reflecting mirror which reflects the light reflected
by the first angle variable reflecting mirror so as to cause the
light to reach the grating coupler.
[0014] (7) The optical device according to (6) mentioned above may
further include an isolator which is disposed on a light path of
the light, to reach the second angle variable reflecting mirror
after being reflected by the first angle variable reflecting
mirror.
[0015] (8) In the optical device according to (3) mentioned above,
a shift of the optical axis of the light reflected by the
reflecting mirror with respect to the axis penetrating the center
of the convex lens may be equal to or less than 18 .mu.m.
[0016] (9) In the optical device according to (4) mentioned above,
the formed angle may be equal to or less than 48 degrees.
[0017] (10) In the optical device according to (1) mentioned above,
the first substrate may include a plurality of integrated laser
element units having the laser unit, the reflecting mirror, and the
convex lens. A plurality of integrated waveguide circuit units
including the grating coupler and the optical waveguide may be
formed in the second substrate. Light having passed through the
convex lens of each of the integrated laser element units may be
incident on the grating coupler of the corresponding integrated
waveguide circuit unit.
[0018] (11) The optical device according to (10) mentioned above
may further include an isolator which is disposed between the first
substrate and the second substrate and over light paths of light
beams, to reach the grating couplers of the corresponding
integrated waveguide circuit units after having passed through the
convex lenses of the plurality of integrated laser element
units.
[0019] (12) In the optical device according to (1) mentioned above,
the first substrate may include a plurality of integrated laser
element units having the laser unit and a laser optical waveguide
for propagating the light emitted from the laser unit to the
reflecting mirror. Wavelengths of the light beams emitted from the
laser units of the plurality of integrated laser element units may
be different from each other. Optical axes of light beams,
propagating through the laser optical waveguides of the plurality
of integrated laser element units and reflected by the reflecting
mirror, may be shifted to an opposite side to the optical waveguide
side of the second substrate from an axis penetrating a center of
the convex lens, and may penetrate a surface of the convex
lens.
[0020] (13) In the optical device according to anyone of (1) to
(12) mentioned above, the second substrate may be formed of any one
material of Si, GaAs, InP, and glass.
[0021] According to the present invention, provided is an optical
device which includes a semiconductor laser, a lens, and a grating
coupler and is easily manufactured with a small number of
components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1A is a top view of an optical device according to a
first embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the optical device
according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 1C is a top view of a silicon substrate of the optical
device according to the first embodiment of the present
invention.
[0025] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an optical device
according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a
shift d of incident light on a convex lens and an incidence angle
.THETA..sub.in of light on a grating coupler.
[0027] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an optical device
according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between an
incidence angle .THETA..sub.in of light on a reflecting mirror and
an incidence angle .THETA..sub.in of light on a grating
coupler.
[0029] FIG. 6A is a top view of an optical device according to a
fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the optical device
according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an optical device
according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
[0032] FIG. 8A is a top view of an optical device according to a
sixth embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 8B is a top view of a silicon substrate of the optical
device according to the sixth embodiment of the present
invention.
[0034] FIG. 9A is a top view of an optical device according to a
seventh embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of the optical device
according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.
[0036] FIG. 9C is a cross-sectional view of the optical device
according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.
[0037] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between an
incidence angle .THETA..sub.in of light on a grating coupler and a
wavelength .lamda..
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0038] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be
described specifically and in detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings. Meanwhile, in all diagrams for illustrating
the embodiments, members having the same function are denoted by
the same reference numeral, and a description thereof will not be
repeated. In addition, the following diagrams are merely for
illustrating examples of the embodiments, and the size of the
diagram and a reduced size described in this example are not
necessarily consistent with each other.
First Embodiment
[0039] FIG. 1A is a top view of an optical device according to a
first embodiment of the present invention. The optical device
according to this embodiment includes a first semiconductor
substrate (first substrate) and a second semiconductor substrate
(second substrate). The first semiconductor substrate
(semiconductor laser element 1) includes a DFB laser unit 2, a
reflecting mirror 3, and a convex lens 4. That is, the
semiconductor laser element 1 is a semiconductor optical device in
which the DFB laser unit 2, the reflecting mirror 3, and the convex
lens 4 are integrated on the first semiconductor substrate.
Meanwhile, the DFB laser, which is a distributed-feedback laser, is
formed on an InP substrate. That is, here, a semiconductor material
of the first substrate is InP, but the present invention is not
limited thereto. The first substrate may be a substrate formed of
another semiconductor material. In addition, the second
semiconductor substrate is a silicon substrate 21, and a grating
coupler 22 and an optical waveguide are formed on a surface of the
silicon substrate 21 as described later.
[0040] FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the optical device
according to this embodiment, and shows a cross-section along line
IB-IB illustrated in FIG. 1A. The first semiconductor substrate has
a first surface which is an upper surface illustrated in FIG. 1B,
and a second surface which is a lower surface illustrated in FIG.
1B, and the second surface is a rear surface with respect to the
first surface. The DFB laser unit 2 includes an active layer 11
that generates a gain, and a diffraction grating 12. The active
layer 11 is laminated between the first surface and the second
surface, and emits light into the first semiconductor substrate
from an end of the active layer 11. In the first semiconductor
substrate (semiconductor laser element 1), an upper electrode 13
(surface electrode) is formed on the first surface of the DFB laser
unit 2, and a lower electrode 14 (rear electrode) is formed on the
second surface thereof, and thus it is possible to inject a current
into the active layer 11 by the upper electrode 13 and the lower
electrode 14.
[0041] The light emitted into the first semiconductor substrate
from the end by the DFB laser unit 2 propagates through the first
semiconductor substrate in a right direction of FIG. 1B and reaches
the reflecting mirror 3. The reflecting mirror 3 is configured such
that a semiconductor positioned below the first surface (upper
surface) of the first semiconductor substrate is removed, and that
a plane obliquely intersecting the optical axis of the light
reaching the reflecting mirror 3 is formed. That is, the reflecting
mirror 3 is formed on the first surface, and the plane of the
reflecting mirror 3 is a portion of the first surface. A normal
line of the plane of the reflecting mirror 3 obliquely interests
the optical axis of the light reaching the reflecting mirror 3 at
45 degrees, and thus the reflecting mirror 3 reflects the light in
a downward direction of FIG. 1B. That is, the reflecting mirror 3
reflects the light toward the second surface (lower surface).
[0042] The light reflected by the reflecting mirror 3 propagates
through the first semiconductor substrate in a downward direction
of FIG. 1B and reaches the convex lens 4. The convex lens 4 is
configured such that a semiconductor positioned below the second
surface (lower surface) of the first semiconductor substrate is
removed, and that a convex curve surface is formed. The convex lens
4 is formed in a region, which is the second surface, including the
optical axis of the light reflected by the reflecting mirror 3. The
convex lens 4 converges or parallelizes the light reflected by the
reflecting mirror 3 so as to cause the light to reach the grating
coupler 22 which is to be described later. In FIG. 1B, the optical
axis of the light emitted from the DFB laser unit 2, reflected by
the reflecting mirror 3, passing through the convex lens 4, and
reaching the grating coupler 22 is illustrated as a broken line,
and the optical axis of the light passing through the convex lens 4
penetrates the center of the convex lens 4. Here, the diameter of
the convex lens 4 is 90 .mu.m, and the radius of curvature of a
lens surface is 125 .mu.m. The semiconductor laser element 1 is
manufactured using, for example, a manufacturing method disclosed
in JP 2008-277445 A.
[0043] FIG. 1C is a top view of the silicon substrate 21 (second
semiconductor substrate) of the optical device according to this
embodiment. The silicon substrate 21 has a third surface which is
an upper surface illustrated in FIG. 1B, and the third surface is
disposed so as to face the second surface (lower surface) of the
first semiconductor substrate. In the optical device according to
this embodiment, the semiconductor laser element 1 is directly
mounted onto the silicon substrate 21. The grating coupler 22, a
first optical waveguide 23, and a second optical waveguide 24 are
formed on the third surface of the silicon substrate 21. Meanwhile,
the grating coupler 22 and the optical waveguides (first optical
waveguide 23 and second optical waveguide 24) will be collectively
referred to as an integrated waveguide circuit unit 25. The grating
coupler 22 is an element for coupling light having passed through
the convex lens 4 of the semiconductor laser element 1. The first
optical waveguide 23 is disposed so as to come into contact with
the right side of the grating coupler 22 of FIG. 1C, and has a
shape (triangular shape) in which a width thereof decreases toward
the right side. The light coupled in the grating coupler 22
propagates through the first optical waveguide 23, and then
propagates to the second optical waveguide 24 in a single mode. The
second optical waveguide 24 disposed so as to come into contact
with the first optical waveguide 23 and extending in a right
direction of FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C is a waveguide that satisfies a
single mode condition to stably guide light. Although not shown in
the drawing, for example, a Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulator, a grating
coupler, and an optical fiber for transmitting light may be formed
at the front where the second optical waveguide 24 extends.
[0044] The feature of the optical device according to the present
invention is to include the semiconductor laser element 1 (first
semiconductor substrate) having the reflecting mirror 3 and the
convex lens 4 formed on the first surface and the second surface,
respectively, and the second semiconductor substrate having the
grating coupler 22 formed on the third surface. The light emitted
from the DFB laser unit 2 is converged or parallelized by the
convex lens 4 and then reaches the grating coupler 22, and thus the
light can be coupled in the grating coupler 22 with high
efficiency. The reflecting mirror 3 and the convex lens 4 are
formed on the surface of the first semiconductor substrate, and
thus a reduction in a number of components is realized as compared
to a case where a reflecting mirror and a convex lens are formed
separately from a laser, thereby allowing the optical device to be
created through a simpler process. Therefore, it is possible to
realize a reduction in manufacturing costs and miniaturization of
the device.
Second Embodiment
[0045] An optical device according to a second embodiment of the
present invention is different from that in the first embodiment in
the arrangement of a convex lens 4, but the other structures are
the same as those of the optical device according to the first
embodiment. In the optical device according to the first
embodiment, the axis penetrating the center of the convex lens 4 is
consistent with the optical axis of the light reflected by the
reflecting mirror 3 and reaching the convex lens 4. In contrast, in
the optical device according to this embodiment, an optical axis of
light reflected by a reflecting mirror 3 (optical axis of incident
light on convex lens 4) is shifted to the opposite side to the
optical waveguide side of a second semiconductor substrate from an
axis which penetrates the center of the convex lens 4 (the optical
axis of the convex lens 4), and penetrates the surface of the
convex lens 4. Here, the phrase "the optical axis of the incident
light on the convex lens 4 is shifted to the opposite side to the
optical waveguide side from the optical axis of the convex lens 4,
and penetrates the surface of the convex lens 4" as used herein is
as described below. The optical waveguides formed on a third
surface of the second semiconductor substrate are a first optical
waveguide 23 and a second optical waveguide 24. The first optical
waveguide 23 comes into contact with the right side of the grating
coupler 22 of FIG. 1C, and the second optical waveguide 24 further
extends to the right side of FIG. 1C. Therefore, this means that
the optical axis of the incident light on the convex lens 4 is
shifted to the left side of FIG. 1C from the optical axis of the
convex lens 4 and penetrates the surface of the convex lens 4.
Meanwhile, it is preferable that both the optical axis of the
convex lens 4 and the optical axis of the incident light on the
convex lens 4 are included in a plane, perpendicular to the third
surface, which penetrates the second optical waveguide 24. However,
both or either of the optical axis of the convex lens 4 or the
optical axis of the incident light on the convex lens 4 may not be
included in such a plane. Even in such a case, the optical axis of
the incident light on the convex lens 4 may be shifted to the
opposite side to the optical waveguide side from a plane,
perpendicular to an extension direction of the second optical
waveguide 24, which includes the optical axis of the convex lens 4,
and may penetrate the surface of the convex lens 4.
[0046] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the optical device
according to this embodiment, and corresponds to the cross-section
along line IB-IB illustrated in FIG. 1A. An enlarged view of a
region of FIG. 2 which is surrounded by a broken line is shown on
the lower side. Similarly to FIG. 1A, light reflected by the
reflecting mirror 3 propagates in a downward direction of FIG. 2
and reaches the convex lens 4. In the optical device illustrated in
FIG. 2, both the optical axis of the convex lens 4 and the optical
axis of the incident light on the convex lens 4 are included in a
plane, perpendicular to the third surface, which penetrates the
second optical waveguide 24. The optical axis (broken line) of the
incident light is shifted to the left side from the optical axis
(solid line) of the convex lens 4, and the shift of the optical
axis of the incident light on the convex lens 4 is d. The incident
light on the convex lens 4 is shifted to the opposite side to the
optical waveguide from the center of the convex lens 4, and thus
the optical axis of the light having passed through the convex lens
4 is tilted to the axis side (to the right side of FIG. 2) of the
center of the convex lens 4 from the optical axis of the incident
light by the convex lens 4. Here, an angle between the optical axis
of the light having passed through the convex lens 4 and a normal
line of the third surface is set to an incidence angle
.THETA..sub.in.
[0047] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the
shift d of the incident light on the convex lens 4 and an incidence
angle .THETA..sub.in of light on the grating coupler 22. When the
light incident on the grating coupler 22 is tilted to the optical
waveguide side in a normal direction, the coupling efficiency is
enhanced. In particular, when the incidence angle .THETA..sub.in is
equal to or less than 20 degrees, the coupling efficiency is high.
At this time, the shift d of the optical axis of the incident light
is 18 .mu.m, and the shift d is preferably equal to or less than 18
.mu.m. From the viewpoint of coupling efficiency, the incidence
angle .THETA..sub.in is preferably equal to or less than 10
degrees.+-.5 degrees (shift d is 5 .mu.m to 14.5 .mu.m), and is
further preferably equal to or less than 10 degrees.+-.2 degrees
(shift d is 8 .mu.m to 12 .mu.m). Meanwhile, when the shift d is 10
.mu.m, the incidence angle .THETA..sub.in is 10 degrees.
Third Embodiment
[0048] An optical device according to a third embodiment of the
present invention has the same structure as the optical device
according to the first embodiment except that a tilt of a plane of
a reflecting mirror 3 is different from that in the first
embodiment. In the optical device according to the first
embodiment, the normal line of the plane of the reflecting mirror 3
obliquely intersects the optical axis of the light (incident light
on the reflecting mirror 3) which reaches the reflecting mirror 3
at 45 degrees. On the other hand, in the optical device according
to this embodiment, an angle between an optical axis of the light
and a normal line of the reflecting mirror 3 is greater than 45
degrees, wherein the light is emitted from the DFB laser unit 2,
propagates, and reaches the reflecting mirror 3.
[0049] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the optical device
according to this embodiment, and corresponds to the cross-section
along line IB-IB illustrated in FIG. 1A. An enlarged view of a
region of FIG. 4 which is surrounded by a broken line is shown on
the lower side. An angle between an optical axis of light incident
on a plane of the reflecting mirror 3 and the normal line of the
reflecting mirror 3 is set to an incidence angle .THETA..sub.in of
light on the reflecting mirror 3. Herein, since the incidence angle
.THETA..sub.in of the light on the reflecting mirror 3 is greater
than 45 degrees, the optical axis of the light reflected by the
reflecting mirror 3 is tilted to the optical waveguide side from
the normal line of the third surface. Herein, the optical axis of
the light reflected by the reflecting mirror 3 penetrates the
center of the convex lens 4, and thus an optical axis of the light
having passed through the convex lens 4 is consistent with the
optical axis of the light reflected by the reflecting mirror 3
without being refracted by the convex lens. Similarly to FIG. 2, an
incidence angle of light on the grating coupler 22 is set to an
incidence angle .THETA..sub.in.
[0050] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the
incidence angle .THETA..sub.in of the light on the reflecting
mirror 3 and the incidence angle .THETA..sub.in of the light on the
grating coupler 22. Similarly to the second embodiment, when the
light incident on the grating coupler 22 is tilted to the optical
waveguide side in a normal direction, the coupling efficiency is
enhanced. In particular, when the incidence angle .THETA..sub.in is
equal to or less than 48 degrees, the incidence angle
.THETA..sub.in is greater than 0 degrees and is equal to or less
than 20 degrees, which is preferable. From the viewpoint of
coupling efficiency, the incidence angle .THETA..sub.in is
preferably equal to or less than 10 degrees.+-.5 degrees
(.THETA..sub.in is 45.8 degrees to 47.3 degrees), and is further
preferably equal to or less than 10 degrees.+-.2 degrees
(.THETA..sub.in is 46.2 degrees to 46.8 degrees). Meanwhile, when
the incidence angle .THETA..sub.in is 46.5 degrees, the incidence
angle .THETA..sub.in is 10 degrees, which is optimal.
[0051] Meanwhile, herein, the optical axis of the light reflected
by the reflecting mirror 3 and incident on the convex lens 4
penetrates the center of the convex lens 4, but the present
invention is not limited thereto. Similarly to the second
embodiment, the optical axis of the light incident on the convex
lens 4 may be shifted from the center of the convex lens 4 and
penetrate the surface of the convex lens 4. In this case, the
incidence angle .THETA..sub.in of the light on the grating coupler
22 is an angle in which a tilt caused by the reflection of the
reflecting mirror 3 and a tilt caused by the refraction on the
surface of the convex lens 4 are combined with each other in an
overlapping manner. In addition, it is preferable that an incidence
surface created by the optical axis of the light incident on the
reflecting mirror 3 penetrates the second optical waveguide 24, but
the present invention is not limited thereto. Even in this case,
the optical axis of the light on the grating coupler 22 may be
tilted to the optical waveguide side further than a plane,
including a point penetrating the surface of the grating coupler
22, which is perpendicular to the extension direction of the second
optical waveguide 24.
Fourth Embodiment
[0052] An optical device according to a fourth embodiment of the
present invention is different from those in the first to third
embodiments in that the optical device further includes an isolator
32 and accordingly additionally includes a holding member, but the
other structures are the same as the optical device according to
any of the first to third embodiments. The isolator 32 is disposed
between a semiconductor laser element 1 (first semiconductor
substrate) and a silicon substrate 21 (second semiconductor
substrate) and on a light path of light, to reach a grating coupler
22 after having passed through a convex lens 4.
[0053] FIG. 6A is a top view of the optical device according to
this embodiment. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the optical
device according to this embodiment, and shows a cross-section
along line VIB-VIB illustrated in FIG. 6A. The semiconductor laser
element 1 and the silicon substrate 21 illustrated in FIG. 6B are
the same as the semiconductor laser element 1 and the silicon
substrate 21 according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in
FIG. 6B, the optical device according to this embodiment further
includes a laser submount 31, the isolator 32, and a U-shaped guide
33. The semiconductor laser element 1 is mounted to the laser
submount 31, and is fixed to the laser submount 31 using an upper
electrode 13 (surface electrode). The isolator 32 is constituted by
an isolator chip 34 and an isolator magnet 35, and the isolator
chip 34 is fixed to the isolator magnet 35. The U-shaped guide 33
and the isolator magnet 35 are fixed onto the silicon substrate 21,
and the laser submount 31 having the semiconductor laser element 1
mounted thereto is fixed to the U-shaped guide 33 and the isolator
magnet 35. That is, the isolator chip 34 of the isolator 32 is
disposed between the convex lens 4 of the semiconductor laser
element 1 and the grating coupler 22 of the silicon substrate 21.
Meanwhile, the laser submount 31, the U-shaped guide 33, and the
isolator magnet 35 are holding members for fixing the semiconductor
laser element 1 and the isolator chip 34.
[0054] In the optical device according to this embodiment, the
isolator 32 is disposed between the convex lens 4 and the grating
coupler 22. Thus, even though reflected light propagates in a
reverse direction from an optical waveguide on the silicon
substrate 21 or an optical member (for example, optical fiber)
before the optical waveguide, the isolator 32 can reduce the
reflected light, and thus the intensity of the reflected light
incident on the semiconductor laser element 1 is significantly
attenuated, thereby exhibiting an additional effect such as a
stabilized oscillation state of the optical device. By the isolator
32 being disposed, a distance between the convex lens 4 and the
grating coupler 22 becomes longer than those in the first to third
embodiments. When light emitted from the semiconductor laser
element spreads out, the element size of the grating coupler is
required to be increased with the increase in distance. However, in
this embodiment, light emitted from the convex lens 4 by the
semiconductor laser element 1 is converged or parallelized by the
convex lens 4, and thus the mode radius of light incident on the
grating coupler 22 is as small as approximately 20 .mu.m.
Therefore, even though light passes through the isolator 32 having
a thickness of approximately 1.5 mm, the element size of the
grating coupler 22 is not required to be increased as compared with
the case of spread-out light, and thus the present invention has a
pronounced effect.
Fifth Embodiment
[0055] An optical device according to a fifth embodiment of the
present invention is different from that in the first embodiment in
that the optical device further includes an isolator 32 and two
angle variable reflecting mirrors 41 and 42 and accordingly
additionally includes a holding member, but the other structures
are the same as the optical device according to the first
embodiment.
[0056] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the optical device
according to this embodiment. Both the angle variable reflecting
mirrors 41 and 42 are located between a semiconductor laser element
1 (first semiconductor substrate) and a silicon substrate 21
(second semiconductor substrate). The angle variable reflecting
mirror 41 (first angle variable reflecting mirror) is disposed on
an optical axis of light having passed through a convex lens 4 and
reflects the light. The angle variable reflecting mirror 42 (second
angle variable reflecting mirror) reflects the light reflected by
the angle variable reflecting mirror 41 and causes the light to
reach a grating coupler 22. Furthermore, the (isolator chip of)
isolator 32 is disposed on a light path of the light, to reach the
angle variable reflecting mirror 42 after being reflected by the
angle variable reflecting mirror 41. The light reflected by the
angle variable reflecting mirror 41 passes through the isolator 32
and is then incident on the angle variable reflecting mirror 42.
Silicon substrates 43 and 44 for holding the angle variable
reflecting mirrors 41 and 42, respectively, are fixed onto the
silicon substrate 21. The semiconductor laser element 1 is fixed to
a laser submount 31 using a lower electrode 14 (rear electrode),
and the laser submount 31 having the semiconductor laser element 1
mounted thereto is fixed to a top surface of the silicon substrate
43.
[0057] Both the angle variable reflecting mirrors 41 and 42 have a
micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) structure, and are capable
of adjusting an angle under its control. The light reflected by the
second angle variable reflecting mirror 42 is incident on the
grating coupler 22 formed on the silicon substrate 21. With respect
to an incidence angle .THETA..sub.in of the light on the grating
coupler 22, it is possible to perform optical-axis adjustment
including angle adjustment by using the two angle variable
reflecting mirrors 41 and 42. Therefore, there are pronounced
effects that the mounting is facilitated because fine adjustment is
not necessary when mounting the semiconductor laser element 1 to
the optical device, and that it is also possible to perform angle
adjustment even after the semiconductor laser element 1 is
manufactured.
[0058] Herein, although the isolator 32 is disposed between the two
angle variable reflecting mirrors 41 and 42, the isolator 32 is not
indispensable. In addition, in this embodiment, the two angle
variable reflecting mirrors 41 and 42 and the isolator 32 are
disposed, and thus the light path between the convex lens 4 and the
grating coupler 22 is increased. However, in this embodiment, light
emitted from the convex lens 4 by the semiconductor laser element 1
is converged or parallelized by the convex lens 4. Therefore,
similarly to the fourth embodiment, the element size of the grating
coupler 22 is not required to be increased, and thus the present
invention has a pronounced effect.
Sixth Embodiment
[0059] An optical device according to a sixth embodiment of the
present invention is different from that in the fourth embodiment
in that a semiconductor laser and a grating coupler are configured
as an array, but the other structures are the same as the optical
device according to the fourth embodiment. That is, a semiconductor
laser element (first semiconductor substrate) includes a plurality
(herein, four) of integrated laser element units each of which
includes the laser unit, the reflecting mirror, and the convex
lens. A plurality (herein, four) of integrated waveguide circuit
units each of which includes a grating coupler and an optical
waveguide, are formed on a silicon substrate 21 (second
semiconductor substrate). An isolator 32 is disposed between the
first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor
substrate and over light paths of light, to respectively reach the
grating couplers of the integrated waveguide circuit units after
having passed through convex lenses of the plurality of integrated
laser element units.
[0060] FIG. 8A is a top view of the optical device according to
this embodiment. FIG. 8B is a top view of the silicon substrate 21
(second semiconductor substrate) of the optical device according to
this embodiment. When each of the integrated laser element units
including the DFB laser unit, the reflecting mirror, and the convex
lens is set to one array, a semiconductor laser element 51
according to this embodiment includes a total of four arrays
disposed lined up in a direction (vertical direction) crossing an
emission direction of light of the DFB laser unit. When each of the
integrated waveguide circuit units, respectively corresponding to
the integrated laser element units of the semiconductor laser
element 51, which includes the grating coupler and the optical
waveguides (first optical waveguide and second optical waveguide)
is set to one array, a total of four arrays disposed lined up so as
to be along the direction in which the integrated laser element
units are disposed lined up are formed on a third surface of the
silicon substrate 21. In FIG. 8A, four integrated laser element
units 52A, 52B, 52C, and 52D are illustrated together with four DFB
laser units, four reflecting mirrors 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D, and four
convex lenses 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D, but configurations of each of the
integrated laser element units are the same as the configurations
included in the semiconductor laser element 1 according to any one
of the first to third embodiments.
[0061] In FIG. 8B, four integrated waveguide circuit units 25A,
25B, 25C, and 25D are illustrated together with four grating
couplers 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D, four first optical waveguides 23A,
23B, 23C, and 23D, and four second optical waveguides 24A, 24B,
24C, and 24D, but configurations of each of the integrated
waveguide circuit units are the same as the configurations formed
in the silicon substrate 21 according to the first embodiment.
Therefore, a cross-section along line VIB-VIB of the optical device
according to this embodiment which is illustrated in FIG. 8A is the
same as the cross-section of the optical device according to the
fourth embodiment which is illustrated in FIG. 6B, except that the
reference numerals of the semiconductor laser elements are
different from each other.
[0062] The (isolator chip of) isolator 32 is disposed over all of
four light paths connecting the four convex lenses 4A, 4B, 4C, and
4D and the four grating couplers 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D,
respectively. Here, the number of isolators 32 is one. Thus, even
though reflected light propagates in a reverse direction from an
optical waveguide on the silicon substrate 21 or an optical member
(for example, optical fiber) before the optical waveguide, the one
isolator 32 can reduce the reflected light on all the four light
paths, and thus the intensity of the reflected light incident on
the semiconductor laser element 51 is significantly attenuated,
thereby exhibiting an additional effect such as a stabilized
oscillation state of the optical device. The interval (distance
between central lines of adjacent DFB laser units) among the four
DFB laser units is 100 .mu.m. Similarly to the optical device
illustrated in FIG. 6B, the isolator 32 is disposed between a laser
submount 31 having the semiconductor laser element 51 mounted
thereto and the silicon substrate 21. At this time, the number of
isolators 32 is one, and the isolator 32 operates as an isolator
with respect to the four light paths. The isolator 32 (isolator
magnet 34) has a size of 1 mm.times.1 mm, whereas the centers of
the four lenses are separated from each other at a maximum of 300
.mu.m, and the four arrays can share the one isolator 32.
[0063] In the optical device according to this embodiment, the four
integrated laser element units are integrated in the first
semiconductor substrate. The convex lens is formed on a second
surface of the first semiconductor substrate, and thus the diameter
of the convex lens is 70 .mu.m which is smaller than that of an
ordinary glass lens. Therefore, the diameter of the convex lens is
smaller than the interval between the DFB laser units, and thus
four convex lenses can be disposed lined up, thereby realizing the
optical device including four arrays. In this embodiment, a case in
which four DFB laser units are included in the semiconductor laser
element 51 has been described as an example. However, as long as it
is a case in which a plurality (two or more) of DFB laser units are
included, the present invention is not limited thereto. The number
of isolators may be determined in consideration of the number of
arrays to be disposed and the element size of the isolator.
Seventh Embodiment
[0064] FIG. 9A is a top view of an optical device according to a
seventh embodiment of the present invention. The optical device
according to this embodiment includes a first semiconductor
substrate and a second semiconductor substrate. The first
semiconductor substrate (semiconductor laser element 61) includes
four DFB laser units 62A, 62B, 62C, and 62D which are disposed
lined up in a direction (vertical direction) crossing an emission
direction of light, a reflecting mirror 63, a convex lens 64, and
four laser optical waveguides 67A, 67B, 67C, and 67D which
propagate light beams respectively emitted from the four DFB laser
units 62A, 62B, 62C, and 62D and cause the light beams to reach the
reflecting mirror 63. Meanwhile, herein, when one DFB laser unit
and the laser optical waveguide extending from an end of the DFB
laser unit are collectively referred to as an integrated laser
element unit, the first semiconductor substrate includes a
plurality of the integrated laser element units, the reflecting
mirror 63, and the convex lens 64. The interval between the
adjacent DFB laser units is 100 .mu.m. The four DFB laser units
62A, 62B, 62C, and 62D emit light beams having a wavelength .lamda.
of 1340 nm, a wavelength .lamda..sub.2 of 1320 nm, a wavelength
.lamda..sub.3 of 1300 nm, and a wavelength .lamda..sub.4 of 1280
nm, respectively. That is, the four DFB laser units 62A, 62B, 62C,
and 62D emit light beams having different wavelengths. The four
laser optical waveguides 67A, 67B, 67C, and 67D extend from ends of
the four DFB laser units 62A, 62B, 62C, and 62D, are curved so as
to be collected in the reflecting mirror 63 in accordance with the
extension thereof, further extend while being lined up at equal
intervals, and reach the reflecting mirror 63. That is, the laser
optical waveguide is an optical waveguide that propagates the light
emitted from the DFB laser unit to the reflecting mirror 63. Here,
the interval between two laser optical waveguides adjacent to each
other in the vicinity of the reflecting mirror 63 is 2.5 .mu.m
which is smaller than that on the DFB laser unit side.
[0065] FIG. 9B and FIG. 9C are cross-sectional views of the optical
device according to this embodiment. FIG. 9B illustrates a
cross-section along line IXB-IXB illustrated in FIG. 9A, and FIG.
9C illustrates a cross-section along line IXC-IXC illustrated in
FIG. 9A. Meanwhile, the line IXB-IXB illustrated in FIG. 9A is a
cross-section that passes through the central line of the DFB laser
unit 62A, further passes through the central line of laser optical
waveguide 67A to be curved, and further linearly intersects the
reflecting mirror 63, and then reaches an end of the optical
device. As illustrated in FIG. 9B, the laser optical waveguide 67A
is formed in a core layer 66, and thus light propagating through
the laser optical waveguide can reach the reflecting mirror 63 with
low loss. As illustrated in FIG. 9B, a normal line of a plane of
the reflecting mirror 63 obliquely intersects optical axes 4 of
four light beams reaching the reflecting mirror 63 at 45 degrees,
and the reflecting mirror 63 reflects the four light beams toward a
second surface (lower surface). At this time, the optical axes of
the four light beams pass through the center of the convex lens 64,
are lined up in a straight line along the line IXC-IXC in FIG. 9A,
and reach the second surface of the convex lens 64. The optical
axes of the four light beams are shifted in order on the opposite
side to the optical waveguide side from the center of the convex
lens 64, and penetrate the surface of the convex lens 64. The light
beam closest to the center of the convex lens 64 is a light beam
emitted from the DFB laser unit 62D, propagating through the laser
optical waveguide 67D, and then reflected by the reflecting mirror
63, and is set to be 5.5 .mu.m away from the center of the convex
lens 64. The four light beams shifted in order from the center of
the convex lens 64 are lined up in the order of light beams emitted
from the DFB laser units 62D, 62C, 62B, and 62A.
[0066] As illustrated in FIG. 9C, similarly to the first
embodiment, a grating coupler 72, a first optical waveguide 73, and
a second optical waveguide 74 are formed lined up in order on a
third surface of the silicon substrate 21, but are lined up in a
direction perpendicular to an emission direction of the DFB laser
unit rather than in a direction parallel thereto. Thus, the second
optical waveguide 74 extends along the direction perpendicular
thereto. The four light beams reflected by the reflecting mirror 63
are lined up along the direction perpendicular thereto. In FIG. 9C,
in the four light beams, a light beam emitted from the DFB laser
unit 62A and propagating and a light beam emitted from the DFB
laser unit 62D and propagating are only shown as .lamda..sub.1 and
.lamda..sub.4, respectively, but two light beams emitted from the
DFB laser units 62B and 62C and propagating are also actually
present between two light beams. The four light beams are incident
on positions shifted from the center of the convex lens 64, and
consequently, are incident on the grating coupler 72 at different
angles. Here, incidence angles .THETA..sub.in of the four light
beams on the grating coupler 72 are .THETA..sub.in
(.lamda..sub.1)=12.9 degrees, .THETA..sub.in (.lamda..sub.2)=10.4
degrees, .THETA..sub.in (.lamda..sub.3)=8 degrees, and
.THETA..sub.in (.lamda..sub.4)=5.6 degrees, respectively, in the
order (in the order from the left side to the right side of FIG.
9C) of light beams respectively emitted from the DFB laser units
62A, 62B, 62C, and 62D.
[0067] Here, a technique relating to coupling of light in a grating
coupler is disclosed in "Frederik Van Laere, et. al., Journal of
Lightwave Technology, Vol. 25, No. 1, January 2007, Pages 151-156"
and "Christopher R. Doerr et al., IEEE Photonics Technology
Letters, Vol. 22, No. 19, Oct. 1, 2010, Pages 1461-1463"
(hereinafter, "Doerr"). When a diffraction grating pitch of the
grating coupler is set to d, a refractive index of the grating
coupler is set to n.sub.eff (=2.6), a refractive index of air is
set to n.sub.air (=1), an incidence angle of light is set to
.THETA..sub.in, and a wavelength is set to .lamda., the relation
may be expressed as dn.sub.eff+dn.sub.airsin .THETA..sub.in=.lamda.
(Equation 1). The coupling efficiency of the grating coupler which
is expressed by Equation 1 is disclosed in (1) of Doerr, and light
having the wavelength .lamda. satisfying Equation 1 can be coupled
to the grating coupler with the maximum efficiency. Meanwhile, the
reason why the sign before sin .THETA..sub.in in Equation 1 is "+"
is because the definition of an incidence angle .THETA..sub.in is
different from that of (1) of Doerr, but both the equations are
equivalent to each other in terms of expression.
[0068] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the
incidence angle .THETA..sub.in of the light incident on the grating
coupler and the wavelength .lamda.. A curve illustrated in FIG. 10
shows a relationship between the incidence angle .THETA..sub.in and
the wavelength .lamda. based on Equation 1, and the incidence angle
.THETA..sub.in and the wavelength .lamda. in each of the
above-mentioned four light beams substantially satisfies (Equation
1), and thus such four light beams can be coupled to the grating
coupler 72 with low loss. The four light beams having different
wavelengths and respectively emitted from the four DFB laser units
62D, 62C, 62B, and 62A, which are lined up in ascending order of
wavelengths thereof, penetrate the surface of the convex lens 64 at
positions shifted from the center of the convex lens 64 in this
order, and thus it is possible to cause incidence angles
.THETA..sub.in of the four light beams incident on the grating
coupler to be different from each other, and to cause the incidence
angles to be increased in order. Furthermore, the shift from the
center is determined so as to substantially satisfy (Equation 1),
and thus the four light beams can be coupled to the grating coupler
with higher efficiency, thereby exhibiting a pronounced effect. In
this embodiment, a case in which four DFB laser units are included
in the semiconductor laser element 61 has been described as an
example. However, as long as it is a case in which a plurality (two
or more) of DFB laser units are included, the present invention is
not limited thereto.
[0069] As stated above, the optical devices according to the
embodiments of the present invention have been described. Although
a DFB laser is used as a light source of the semiconductor laser
element of the optical device, it is needless to say that the
present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a
distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser may be used, and the light
source may be an element in which a laser and a modulator are
integrated. Here, the modulator may be an electro-absorption (EA)
modulator or an MZ modulator. In addition, in the above embodiment,
silicon (Si) used as a material of the second semiconductor
substrate (second substrate) has been described as the most
preferable example, but it is possible to use silicon glass
(SiO.sub.2) or a general glass in addition to a semiconductor
material such as InP or GaAs. For this reason, the "second
semiconductor substrate" in the example is illustrative of the
"second substrate", and the second substrate is not limited to a
semiconductor substrate. In addition, the present invention can be
widely applied to an optical device including a semiconductor
laser, a lens, and a grating coupler.
[0070] While there have been described what are at present
considered to be certain embodiments of the invention, it will be
understood that various modifications may be made thereto, and it
is intended that the appended claim cover all such modifications as
fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *