US 12,066,741 B2
Photonic AC-DC equivalence converter and performing AC-DC equivalence conversion
Nikolai Nikolaevich Klimov, Ellicott City, MD (US); Joseph Arthur Schneemeyer Hagmann, Falls Church, VA (US); Stefan Cular, Gaithersburg, MD (US); and Thomas Eller Lipe, Jr., Richfield, NC (US)
Assigned to GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, Gaithersburg, MD (US)
Filed by Government of the United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of Commerce, Gaithersburg, MD (US)
Filed on Sep. 27, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/486,852.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/083,218, filed on Sep. 25, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0179285 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
Int. Cl. H03M 1/00 (2006.01); G02F 7/00 (2006.01); H02M 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC G02F 7/00 (2013.01) [H02M 11/00 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A photonic ac-dc voltage and current equivalence converter for performing ac-dc voltage and current equivalence conversion, the photonic ac-dc voltage and current equivalence converter comprising:
a photonic chip;
a weak thermal link disposed on and in mechanical communication with the photonic chip;
a isothermal region disposed on the weak thermal link an in mechanical communication with the weak thermal link, the isothermal region comprising: an isothermal substrate, an isothermal membrane, an isothermal obelisk disposed on either isothermal substrate, or on the isothermal membrane;
when isothermal region comprised of isothermal membrane, the weak thermal link mechanically suspends the isothermal region from the photonic chip;
the weak thermal link comprised of the following elements interposed between the isothermal region and the photonic chip: isolation trenches, an isolation membrane, isolation tether;
an weak thermal link interposed between the isothermal region and the photonic chip, such that the isothermal region is thermally isolated from the photonic chip;
a resistive electrode disposed on the isothermal region and in thermal communication with the isothermal region and that receives dc voltage, resistively heats to a primary elevated temperature in response to the dc voltage, receives ac voltage non-contemporaneously with the dc voltage, resistively heats to a test elevated temperature in response to the ac voltage, and heats the isothermal region via heat transfer from the resistive electrode to the isothermal region based on the primary elevated temperature and the test elevated temperature of the high resistivity electrode;
an isothermal region photonic nanoresonator disposed on the isothermal region and comprising a first photonic resonance from which a temperature of the isothermal region is determinable and that varies with temperature of the isothermal region and that receives an isothermal region temperature probe light from an isothermal region waveguide;
the isothermal region waveguide disposed on the isothermal region in optical communication with the isothermal region photonic nanoresonator and that communicates the isothermal region temperature probe light to the isothermal region photonic nanoresonator and that monitors transmission and storage of the isothermal region temperature probe light by the isothermal region photonic nanoresonator to determine the temperature of the isothermal region;
a chip photonic nanoresonator disposed on the photonic chip and in thermal communication with the photonic chip and comprising a second photonic resonance from which a temperature of the photonic chip is determinable and that varies with temperature of the photonic chip and that receives a chip temperature probe light from a chip waveguide; and
the chip waveguide disposed on the photonic chip in optical communication with the chip photonic nanoresonator and that communicates the chip temperature probe light to the chip photonic nanoresonator and that monitors transmission and storage of the chip temperature probe light by the chip photonic nanoresonator to determine the temperature of the isothermal region, such that the ac voltage is determined from matching a temperature rise of the isothermal region due to the primary elevated temperature of the isothermal region when the ac voltage is received by the resistive electrode.