The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 24, 1992
Filed:
Jan. 12, 1990
Anthony F Levi, Summit, NJ (US);
Ronald A Nordin, Naperville, IL (US);
Richard N Nottenburg, New York, NY (US);
AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ (US);
Abstract
Disclosed is apparatus, exemplarily an electronic switching machine, that comprises novel and advantageous optical interconnection means. In particular, the apparatus comprises one or more digital electronic gates, and the output of the gate or gates is applied, without intervening amplifications, to a semiconductor laser whose radiation output is responsive to the applied electrical signal. The laser exemplarily is a quantum well laser of the type disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 407,608, U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,878, comprising at least one gain section and at least one loss section. The electrical output of the gate or gates is connected to the at least one loss section. Due to the ability of such lasers to be switched by means of a relatively very small current through the loss section, conventionally used drive amplifiers are not required in apparatus according to the invention, resulting in significantly reduced complexity and cost.