Xponent Photonics Inc

Hoya Corporation USA

Ortel Corporation

Emcore Corporation

Hiefo Corporation

Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

Other

Encore Corporation

Hoya Corporation USA Dba Xponent

Henry A Blauvelt

David W Vernooy

Joel S Paslaski

Kerry J Vahala

Xiaoguang He

Albert Michael Benzoni

Hao Lee

Israel Ury

Charles I Grosjean

Rolf Andreas Wyss

Franklin G Monzon

Katrina H Nguyen

John S Frame

Amnon Yariv

Guido Hunziker

Howard L Loboda

David B Huff

Harold A Zarem

Xian L Yeh

Wei Hsin

Jeffrey E Ungar

Sze-Keung Kwong

Robert M Lammert

Ching-Jong Lii

Mark E Temple

John Iannelli

Ronald S Moeller

Martin Regehr

Gerald C Byrd

Guido Hunzicker

A semiconductor optical device includes n-doped, p-doped, and active layers, an optical waveguide structure, and drive current structure(s). The waveguide structure defines optical mode(s); the drive current structure defines a drive current path. One or both of those structures are arranged to result in a selected (or maximized) degree of overlap between lateral profiles of current density and optical intensity. The optical device can be arranged as a diode laser or optical amplifier.

Semiconductor waveguide optical gain device with lateral current confinement or optical mode shaping

Semiconductor waveguide optical gain device with optical mode shaping

Semiconductor waveguide optical gain device with lateral current confinement

A semiconductor laser source includes a partial-grating DFB laser with two laser electrodes, one over the grating and the other between the grating and one end of the laser. Constant laser currents flow into the waveguide through the electrodes (typically different from each other) and produce laser output. A wavelength discriminator, an optical detector, and a wavelength-control circuit act as a wavelength-control feedback mechanism to generate a wavelength control current that flows through one laser electrode or the other, or through both electrodes with opposite polarities. Phase noise on the laser output can be reduced at modulation frequencies exceeding several hundred kHz up to one or several tens of MHz or more. The laser-wavelength can be swept while exhibiting reduced phase noise.

Wavelength-stabilized semiconductor laser source

A control circuit coupled to a light source and an optical modulator receives an electrical modulating signal with alternating active and idle temporal segments; the active temporal segments encode corresponding information. A portion of a source optical signal produced by the light source is transmitted by the modulator as the output optical signal. During idle temporal segments, the light source produces a non-zero source idle power level, and the modulator transmits at a constant idle transmission level. During active temporal segments, the light source produces a source average active power level, the modulator transmits at an average active transmission level that is higher than the idle transmission level, and the output optical signal is modulated in accordance with the electrical modulating signal, so that each active temporal segment of the output optical signal encodes the information of the corresponding active temporal segment of the electrical modulating signal.

Modulated optical source and methods of its operation

A modulated semiconductor laser source includes a waveguide on a semiconductor substrate; first and second reflectors; a laser electrode; an optical modulator; and a laser-electrode electrical circuit. The reflectors and a resonator segment of the waveguide define a laser resonator with laser output transmitted through the second reflector. The laser electrode is positioned over the resonator segment and a laser current flows through the laser electrode into the resonator segment to produce optical gain. The modulator receives and modulates the laser output, in response to a primary modulation signal, to produce a modulated output optical signal. The laser-electrode circuit is coupled to the laser electrode and derives from the primary modulation signal a laser-electrode secondary modulation current, optimized to reduce chirp in the modulated output signal, that flows through the laser electrode into or out of the resonator segment in addition to the laser current.

Modulated laser source and methods of its fabrication and operation

A method of making an optical modulator by determining the material composition of the quantum well region in the waveguide portion of the modulator so that the modulator is transparent at a gain peak wavelength that is greater than the predetermined wavelength by a predetermined amount, and fabricating the modulator with the determined material composition.

Method of fabricating and operating an optical modulator

A semiconductor device comprising a substrate; a monolithic gain region disposed on the substrate and operable to produce optical gain in response to current injection, including a first electrode over a first portion of the gain region having a first length L, with a first current Ibeing applied; and a second electrode over a second portion of the gain region having a second length L, with a second current Ibeing applied; wherein I/Lis greater than I/L.

An optical modulator including an information-containing radio frequency signal input; a semiconductor device having an optical input optically for receiving the coherent light beam, and a electrode connected to said radio frequency signal input and having a modulated bias potential so that current is generated in the second semiconductor device and extracted therefrom, while the coherent light beam is optically modulated by the signal changing the carrier density in the semiconductor device.

Optical modulator

There is discussed an optical system comprising a laser device that outputs a divergent light beam. A first portion of the divergent light beam, including a central portion, passes through an etalon device, which acts as a wavelength discriminator, and then the central portion is incident on a first monitor photodiode, which generates a wavelength-dependent detection signal. A second portion of the divergent light beam is incident on a second monitor photodetector, without passing through the etalon device, to generate a wavelength-independent detection signal. A processor processes the wavelength-dependent detection signal and the wavelength-independent detection signal to determine a control signal for controlling the wavelength of the laser device. By accurately positioning a photodetector at the central fringe of the divergent light beam following transmission through the etalon device, a compact and cost-effective wavelength locking arrangement is provided.

Wavelength locking of a laser device

A fiber optic network reduces distortion present in modulated optical signals received at an optical receiver from an optical transmitter via a fiber optic link. The optical receiver analyzes a received modulated optical signal, where the wavelength of the received signal is periodically varied at the transmitter around a center wavelength over a wavelength range. Based on the analysis, the receiver generates a link transmission curve indicative of the optical power of the received signal over the wavelength range. The network disclosed herein subsequently uses the link transmission curve to reduce the distortion caused by misalignment between the operating wavelength of a transmitter laser and a peak power wavelength at the peak power of the link transmission curve. For example, the transmitter may adjust the laser operating wavelength based on a control signal received from the receiver and generated at the receiver based on the link transmission curve.

Minimizing distortion due to wavelength dependent loss in WDM optical networks

Growing community of inventors

San Marino, CA, United States of America

Henry A Blauvelt