| Abstract: | Thermal control devices, photonic systems and methods of stabilizing a
temperature of a photonic system are provided. A thermal control device
thermally coupled to a substrate includes a waveguide for receiving
light, an absorption element optically coupled to the waveguide for
converting the received light to heat and an optical filter. The optical
filter is optically coupled to the waveguide and thermally coupled to the
absorption element. An operating point of the optical filter is tuned
responsive to the heat from the absorption element. When the operating
point is less than a predetermined temperature, the received light is
passed to the absorption element via the optical filter. When the
operating point is greater than or equal to the predetermined
temperature, the received light is transmitted out of the thermal control
device via the optical filter, without being passed to the absorption
element. |