Proposal of a novel semiconductor optical waveguide isolator

• Published in: Conference Proceedings. Eleventh International Conference on Indium Phosphide and Related Materials (IPRM'99) (Cat. No.99CH36362) pp. 289 - 292
• Main Authors: Takenaka, M., Nakano, Y.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: IEEE 20.01.2003
• Subjects: Isolators; Magnetooptic effects; Optical refraction; Optical variables control; Optical waveguides; Proposals; Refractive index; Semiconductor optical amplifiers; Semiconductor waveguides; Stimulated emission
• ISBN: 9780780355620; 0780355628
• ISSN: 1092-8669
• DOI: 10.1109/ICIPRM.1999.773691

A novel semiconductor optical waveguide isolator is proposed and analyzed. The proposed isolator has semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) structure with a ferromagnetic metal (iron or nickel, for example) deposited on top for providing the magneto-optical effect as well as electrical contact. By nonreciprocal complex effective refractive index change through the magneto-optical effect and by appropriate current injection into SOA, only the backward-propagating light is to become subject to optical loss. The amount of nonreciprocal complex effective refractive index change has been estimated by a perturbation method. Wavelength dispersion and tolerance of fabrication errors have also been calculated. As a result the isolator is predicted to have practical isolation ratio (40 dB) with compact size (1.58 mm) at 1.55 /spl mu/m wavelength, wide operation wavelength range, and large fabrication tolerance.