Extension of steps in reflective optical gratings

1. An optical device, comprising:

a light-transmitting medium positioned on a base, the light-transmitting medium at least partially defining a free propagation region through which light signals travel; and

a reflective grating including stepped reflecting surfaces positioned such that light signals that travel through the free propagation region are received by the reflecting surfaces, the reflecting surfaces being configured to reflect the light signal back into the free propagation region, the reflecting surfaces reflecting the light signals such that the light signals associated with different wavelengths separate as the light signals travel through the free propagation region,

at least a portion of the reflecting surfaces each including an overlapped region and un-overlapped region,

at least a portion of the reflecting surfaces each including an overlapping region that overlaps one of the overlapped regions such that a plane that is perpendicular to the base and perpendicular to the overlapping region can extend through both the overlapping region and the overlapped region that is overlapped by the overlapping region,

the reflecting grating being configured such that the light signals travel toward the overlapped regions and the un-overlapped regions, the un-overlapped regions being positioned such that the un-overlapped regions receive the light signals but the overlapping regions being positioned between the overlapped region and the light signals such that the overlapping regions receive the light signals before the light signals can be received by the overlapped regions.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein each of the overlapped regions of each reflecting surface has a contour that follows the contour of the un-overlapped region of the reflecting surface and the overlapped regions of each reflecting surface is continuous with the un-overlapped region of the reflecting surface.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the overlapped regions have a width greater than 0.2 μm.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the optical grating is an echelle grating.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein a shadow surface and one or more secondary surfaces connect each of the reflecting surfaces to another reflecting surface, each shadow surface being connected directly to one of the reflecting surfaces and the one or more secondary surfaces connecting each of the shadow surfaces to another one of the reflecting surfaces.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein each shadow surface is parallel to a direction that the light signals travel upon being incident on an intersection between the shadow surface and the reflecting surface to which the shadow surface is directly connected.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the one or more secondary surfaces that connect one of the shadow surfaces to one of the reflecting surface are located behind a second one of the reflecting surfaces such that the second reflecting surface receives the light signals before the light signals can be received by the secondary surface.

8. The device of claim 5 , wherein at least a portion of the shadow surfaces have a width less than 5 μm.

9. The device of claim 5 , wherein the one or more secondary surfaces are located between reflecting surfaces such that the plane extending through the overlapping region of one of the reflecting surfaces and also through the overlapped region that is overlapped by the overlapping region also extends through the one or more secondary surfaces.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the light-transmitting medium that defines the free propagation region having a facet through which the light signals are transmitted,

the grating including a reflecting layer configured to reflect the light signals received by the grating, and

the grating including a buffer layer between the facet and the reflecting layer.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the buffer layer contacts the facet of the light-transmitting medium and the reflecting layer.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein a cladding on the free propagation region serves as the buffer layer.

13. The device of claim 10 , wherein the light-transmitting medium at least partially defines waveguides through which light signals travel,

the waveguide include an input waveguide and output waveguides,

the optical grating is configured to reflect the light signal back into the free propagation region such that the light signals are received at the output waveguides and the optical grating reflects the light signals such that light signals associated with different wavelengths are received at different output waveguides, and

a cladding for the waveguides serves as the buffer layer, the cladding contacting the light transmitting medium.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the cladding and the buffer layer are silica and the light-transmitting medium is silicon.

15. The device of claim 13 , wherein an upper portion of the reflecting layer is positioned on a top of the light transmitting medium and the facet extends from the top of the light transmitting medium toward the base.

16. The device of claim 15 , wherein the buffer layer is between the upper portion of the reflecting layer and the free propagation region of the light-transmitting medium.

17. The device of claim 16 , wherein the buffer layer is accordance with a layer that is thermally grown on the light-transmitting medium.

18. The device of claim 16 , wherein the reflecting layer includes a series of stepped reflecting surfaces, each reflecting surface including a primary reflecting surface and a shadow surface,

the primary reflecting surfaces reflecting the light signals and being arranged such that the light signals associated with different wavelengths separate as the light signals travel through the free propagation region,

the shadow surfaces physically connecting the primary reflecting surfaces, and

the buffer layer and the reflecting layer being positioned on both the primary reflecting surfaces and the shadow surfaces.