US 12,253,745 B2
Silicon photonic device with backup light paths
Weiwei Song, San Jose, CA (US); Stefan Rusu, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Chan-Hong Chern, Palo Alto, CA (US); and Chih-Chang Lin, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Aug. 1, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/363,489.
Application 18/363,489 is a continuation of application No. 17/379,620, filed on Jul. 19, 2021, granted, now 11,841,561.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/178,102, filed on Apr. 22, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0375862 A1, Nov. 23, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G02F 1/01 (2006.01); G02F 1/025 (2006.01); G02F 1/225 (2006.01)
CPC G02F 1/025 (2013.01) [G02F 1/2255 (2013.01); G02F 1/2257 (2013.01); G02F 2201/508 (2013.01); G02F 2201/58 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a first silicon ring modulator, wherein the first silicon ring modulator comprises:
a first bus waveguide;
a first silicon ring optically coupled to the first bus waveguide;
a second silicon ring optically coupled to the first bus waveguide, wherein the first silicon ring and the second silicon ring have a same resonant wavelength at a same temperature;
a first heater configured to heat the first silicon ring;
a second heater configured to heat the second silicon ring;
a first switch having a first switching position and a second switching position, wherein the first switch is configured to:
at the first switching position, electrically couple the first silicon ring to a first radio frequency (RF) circuit; and
at the second switching position, electrically couple the second silicon ring to the first RF circuit; and
a first heater control circuit configured to control the first heater and the second heater such that during operation of the first silicon ring modulator, the first silicon ring and the second silicon ring are heated to different temperatures, wherein the first heater control circuit is configured to:
heat the first silicon ring and the second silicon ring to a first temperature and a second temperature, respectively, when the first switch is at the first switching position; and
heat the first silicon ring and the second silicon ring to the second temperature and the first temperature, respectively, when the first switch is at the second switching position.