Saturable absorber component and method for production of a saturable absorber component

Abstract

A saturable absorber component including an absorbent material located between a front mirror and a rear mirror, and a method for manufacturing a saturable absorber component. The rear mirror is a metallic buried mirror fixed by a welding joint on a heat conductive substrate. The saturable absorber can be applied to the field of high-rate optical transmission.

1 - 38 . (Canceled).  
   
   
       39 . A saturable absorber component comprising: 
 an absorbent material located between a front mirror and a rear mirror,    wherein the rear mirror is a metallic buried mirror fixed by a welding joint on a heat conductive substrate, the rear mirror, the welding joint, and the heat conductive substrate constituting a set configured to evacuate power absorbed by the component when a light is incident on the front mirror.    
   
   
       40 . A component set forth in  claim 39 , wherein the absorbent material comprises a set of quantum wells separated by barrier layers.  
   
   
       41 . A component set forth in  claim 40 , wherein the quantum wells comprise InGaAsP wells and the barrier layers comprise InP layers.  
   
   
       42 . A component set forth in  claim 40 , wherein the absorbent material comprises defects created by ion irradiation.  
   
   
       43 . A component set forth in  claim 39 , wherein the front mirror is a Bragg mirror located on a surface of the component and having a reflectivity inferior to a reflectivity of the rear mirror.  
   
   
       44 . A component set forth in  claim 43 , wherein the Bragg mirror comprises a stack of dielectric layers.  
   
   
       45 . A component set forth in  claim 44 , wherein the stack of dielectric layers comprises an alternation of SiO 2  and TiO 2  layers or an alternation of SiO 2  and Si layers.  
   
   
       46 . A component set forth in  claim 43 , wherein the Bragg mirror is an epitaxy semiconductive Bragg mirror.  
   
   
       47 . A component set forth in  claim 46 , wherein the epitaxy semiconductive Bragg mirror comprises an alternation of non-absorbent Inp and InGaAsP layers.  
   
   
       48 . A component set forth in  claim 47 , wherein the InGaAsP layers are transparent at an operating wavelength.  
   
   
       49 . A component set forth in  claim 39 , further comprising: 
 a first phase control layer located between the front mirror and the absorbent material; and    a second phase control layer located between the absorbent material and the rear mirror.    
   
   
       50 . A component set forth in  claim 49 , wherein the first and second phase control layers comprise InP layers.  
   
   
       51 . A component set forth in  claim 39 , further comprising: 
 a diffusion barrier between the rear mirror and the welding joint.    
   
   
       52 . A component set forth in  claim 51 , wherein the diffusion barrier comprises a layer, or a multilayer, or an alloy made from at least one of the metals chosen from Ti, W, Pt, Nb, Cr or Ta.  
   
   
       53 . A component set forth in  claim 39 , wherein the welding joint comprises an intermetallic alloy.  
   
   
       54 . A component set forth in  claim 53 , wherein the intermetallic alloy comprises at least one element chosen among the following materials: Au, Ag, Cu, Pd and at least one element chosen among the following elements: In, Sn, Pb.  
   
   
       55 . A component set forth in  claim 39 , wherein the rear mirror is in Au or Ag.  
   
   
       56 . A manufacturing method of saturable absorber components including an absorbent material located between a front mirror and a rear mirror, the method comprising: 
 creating a first structure by depositing a first metallic layer on a heat conductive substrate;    creating a second structure comprising, on a growth substrate, the absorbent material and a second metallic layer;    bringing the first and second metallic layers into contact; and    solid-liquid interdiffusion soldering the first and second metallic layers.    
   
   
       57 . A method set forth in  claim 56 , wherein the creating the second structure comprises stacking, on the growth substrate, a barrier layer, a first phase layer, the absorbent material, a second phase layer, the rear mirror, and the second metallic layer.  
   
   
       58 . A method set forth in  claim 57 , further comprising, before the stacking of the rear mirror on the second phase layer, an ion irradiation of the second phase layer to create crystalline defects in the absorbent material.  
   
   
       59 . A method set forth in  claim 57 , wherein the creating the second structure further comprises depositing a diffusion barrier on the rear mirror and depositing a layer of gold on the diffusion barrier.  
   
   
       60 . A method of saturable absorber components set forth in  claim 56 , further comprising, successively, removing the growth substrate and removing the barrier layer and, after removing the barrier layer, slow etching the first phase layer, said slow etching being controlled by a spectral characterisation of the component.  
   
   
       61 . A method set forth in  claim 60 , further comprising, after the slow etching, depositing the front mirror.  
   
   
       62 . A method set forth in  claim 61 , wherein the front mirror is a Bragg mirror made by stacking dielectric layers.  
   
   
       63 . A method set forth in  claim 62 , wherein the stacking dielectric layers comprises an alternation of SiO 2  and TiO 2  layers or of an alternation of SiO 2  and Si layers.  
   
   
       64 . A method set forth in  claim 56 , wherein the creating the second structure comprises epitaxial growth, on the growth substrate, successively, a barrier layer, a front mirror, a first phase layer, the absorbent material, a second phase layer, the rear mirror, and the second metallic layer.  
   
   
       65 . A method set forth in  claim 64 , further comprising, before the epitaxial growth of the rear mirror on the second phase layer, an ion irradiation of the second phase layer to create crystalline defects in the absorbent material.  
   
   
       66 . A method set forth in  claim 58 , wherein irradiation energy in the ion irradiation is adjusted so that ions end their travel in the growth substrate.  
   
   
       67 . A method set forth in  claim 58 , wherein the ions are Ni +6  ions.  
   
   
       68 . A method set forth in  claim 64 , wherein the creating the second structure further comprises depositing a diffusion barrier on the rear mirror and depositing a layer of gold on the diffusion barrier.  
   
   
       69 . A method set forth in  claim 64 , wherein the front mirror is a Bragg mirror made by an alternation of Inp and InGaAsP layers.  
   
   
       70 . A method set forth in  claim 64 , further comprising, successively, removing the growth substrate and removing the barrier layer.  
   
   
       71 . A method set forth in  claim 60 , wherein the removing the growth substrate comprises mechanical polishing and then etching.  
   
   
       72 . A method set forth in  claim 60 , wherein the removing the barrier layer comprises etching.  
   
   
       73 . A method set forth in  claim 56 , wherein the depositing the first metallic layer is preceded by depositing a bonding layer on the heat conductive substrate.  
   
   
       74 . A method set forth in  claim 56 , wherein the first metallic layer is made from at least one of the following metals: Au, Ag, Pd, Cu and in that the second metallic layer is made from any one of the following metals: In, Sn, Pb.  
   
   
       75 . A method set forth in  claim 56 , wherein the depositing the absorbent material comprises depositing a succession of quantum wells and barriers separating the quantum wells.  
   
   
       76 . A method set forth in  claim 56 , further comprising depositing the rear mirror in a form of a gold or silver layer deposit.