Seagate Technology Incorporated

Iolon, Inc.

Other

Polar Laser Laboratories, LLC

Alexander Tselikov

Jeffrey P Wilde

John F Heanue

Jerry E Hurst, Jr

Yongwei Zhang

Viatcheslav Izraelian

James N Blake

Stephen J Hrinya

Alan A Fennema

Jill D Berger

George R Gray

Edward Charles Gage

David A King

Gregory S Mowry

Douglas W Anthon

Man Cheung

Ronald Evan Gerber

Fedor A Ilkov

Olga Gorbounova

Pavel Polynkin

Howard S Lee

Subrata K Dutta

Heather L Tavernier

The system contains an input fiber section coupled in optical communication with an optical input signal. A length of doped optical gain fiber is optically coupled with the input fiber section. A pumping mechanism is coupled to the doped optical gain fiber. An output port is formed at a distal end of the doped optical gain fiber, wherein the output port is approximately less than twenty centimeters long.

System and method for output port management in short-length fiber amplifiers

An apparatus and method for controlling the phase of a tunable laser is provided. Stabilization of the mode of a laser beam is provided as the laser is tuned to a target frequency. For one embodiment, a laser generates a reference beam and an output beam. The power of each of beam is measured by optical detectors, and a ratio thereof is utilized to detect when a mode hop occurs as the laser is coarsely tuned. The average of the pre and post mode hop ratios is utilized as a control setpoint while finely tuning the laser to the target frequency. Wavelength lockers, optical power dividers and optical detectors are utilized to determine power levels of the reference and output beams while also monitoring frequency characteristics thereof. A control unit utilizes the outputs from the wavelength locker to control the operation of the extended cavity laser during and after tuning.

Apparatus and method for phase control of tunable external cavity lasers

An apparatus comprising a first reference element having an output power that varies monotonically with input frequency over an operating frequency range and receiving at least a portion of an output beam of light from an optical source. A second reference element having an output power that is frequency dependent receives at least a portion of the output beam of light. A first optical detector measures the power of a first reference beam of light from the first reference element. A second optical detector measures the power of a second reference beam of light from the second reference element. Electronic circuitry is coupled to the first and second optical detectors for receiving first and second reference signals therefrom and producing a coarse error signal for permitting coarse adjustment and a fine error signal for permitting fine adjustment of the frequency of the output beam of light.

Apparatus for frequency tuning and locking and method for operating same

A system and method for achieving, while using a multimode diode laser and polarization-maintaining fibers, high signal-to-noise ratio in a magneto optical storage system. In particular, the system splits an incoming main light signal into two orthogonal polarization states, which then propagate over different distances before recombining. By pulsing the laser on and off at a high frequency and choosing an appropriate path difference for the polarization states, which is dependent upon the modulation frequency of the laser, the system eliminates first-order spectral polarization noise arising from a potential error in a key optical component.

Low noise optical storage system based on an optical polarimetric delay line

An optical data storage system utilizes optical fibers for transfer of information to and from storage media. The storage media comprises magneto-optical storage disks. The optical fibers are low-birefringence optical fibers. As compared with conventional approaches, a polarization state conveyed by the optical fiber is accurately reproduced with reduced noise. Various noise reduction techniques are provided by substantially decreasing or eliminating spurious reflections (or the effects thereof) at end faces and of an optical fiber. In particular, various techniques, such as index matching, a cover slip method, laser modulation, or angle polishing, may be used to eliminate spurious reflections (or the effects thereof) at the front end face of the optical fiber. Various techniques, such as angle cleaving, index matching, or multi-mode fiber splicing, may be used to eliminate spurious reflections (or the effects thereof) at the back end face of the optical fiber.

Refractive index matching means coupled to an optical fiber for eliminating spurious light

A system and method for achieving, while using a laser and optical fibers, high signal-to-noise ratio. In particular, the system splits an incoming main light signal into two orthogonal polarization states, which then propagate through an optical circuit before recombining. The use of appropriate path differences ensures that the system is immune from the conversion of mode partition noise to intensity noise arising from the interference between parasitic light waves which traveled through the system in undesired polarization states.

Optical depolarizer

A method and system for aligning optical fibers includes aperturing the optical beams from the optical fibers at two points along a path. Photodetectors are placed on the apertures and the positions of the tips of the optical fibers are controlled using actuators to center the optical beams within the apertures.

Fiber optic alignment system and method

An optical system and method for selective transmission of light between a source of light and set of storage disks along an optical path includes at least one polarization maintaining optical fiber optical fiber. Various noise reduction techniques are provided by substantially decreasing or eliminating spurious reflections (or the effects thereof) at end faces and of an optical fiber. In particular, various techniques, such as index matching, a cover slip method, or laser modulation, may be used to eliminate spurious reflections (or the effects thereof) at the front end face of the optical fiber. Various techniques, such index matching or multi-mode fiber splicing, may be used to eliminate spurious reflections (or the effects thereof) at the end face of the optical fiber.

Method and system for suppressing spurious reflections

An optical data storage system utilizes optical fibers for transfer of information to and from storage media The storage media comprises magneto-optical storage disks. The optical fibers are low-birefringence optical fibers. As compared to the prior art, a polarization state conveyed by the optical fiber is accurately reproduced with reduced noise.

Low-birefringence optical fiber for use in an optical data storage system

In general, the mode field pattern of a single-mode polarization-maintaining fiber is symmetric. There are preferred axes for the polarization states, but the intensity pattern emerging from the fiber is rotationally symmetric. If a short piece of multi-mode fiber is spliced onto the end of a polarization-maintaining single-mode fiber, it is possible to change the apparent shape of the mode field. The use of a fusion splicer affects the stress pattern in polarization-preserving fiber, and introduces asymmetry into the shape of the fiber mode field. If the spliced fiber is cleaved near the splice, and the asymmetry of the fiber mode field is matched to the asymmetry of a laser diode beam, then the laser beam is coupled efficiently into the fiber without the use of additional beam-shaping optics. The asymmetric beam from the laser is brought to a focus, which is also asymmetric. By matching the asymmetries of the focused spot and the distorted mode field (caused by the addition of the short piece of multi-mode fiber), good coupling is achieved into the fiber. Once the light has entered the spliced fiber and propagated past the splice, the mode field returns to its original symmetric pattern and the light propagates in a single mode, as it would in an unspoiled, single-mode polarization-maintaining fiber. The output from the unspoiled end is still symmetric, and there is little attenuation caused by the splice.

Spliced optical fiber coupler

An optical data storage system,utilizes optical fibers,for transfer of information to and from storage media,The storage media,comprises magneto-optical storage disks. The optical fibers,are low-birefringence optical fibers. As compared to the prior art, a polarization state conveyed by the optical fiber,is accurately reproduced with reduced noise.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Alexander Tselikov