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US 10,761,352 B1Granted
Optical device
AssigneeSicoya GmbH
InventorsMoritz Grehn, Thorsten Kettler, Gan Zhou, Marco Vitali
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to optical devices comprising polarization diversity couplers. An embodiment of the invention relates to an optical device comprising a polarization diversity coupler configured to receive a beam of optical radiation. The optical device may further comprise a phase shifter, a 2×N coupler, a photodetector and a control unit configured to generate a control signal based on a monitor signal of the photodetector.
Claims16
An optical device comprising
- a polarization diversity coupler configured to receive a beam of optical radiation having a first polarization, a second polarization perpendicular to the first polarization or a mixture of both the first and second polarization, the polarization diversity coupler comprising a first output port for outputting a first portion of the optical radiation that featured the first polarization in said beam of optical radiation, and a second output port for outputting a second portion of the optical radiation that featured the second polarization in said beam of optical radiation,
- a first waveguide connected to the first output port of the polarization diversity coupler and configured to receive the first portion of the optical radiation and guide the first portion in a waveguide mode provided by the first waveguide,
- a second waveguide that provides the same waveguide mode as the first waveguide, wherein the second waveguide is connected to the second output port of the polarization diversity coupler and configured to receive the second portion of the optical radiation and guide the second portion in said same waveguide mode,
- a first phase shifter arranged in the first waveguide and configured to induce a phase shift in the first waveguide in response to a first control signal,
- a 2×N coupler having a first input port connected to the first waveguide, a second input port connected to the second waveguide and two or more output ports, a first photodetector configured to detect at least a portion of the radiation that passes the 2×N coupler, and to generate a first monitor signal that indicates the amount of the detected radiation, and
- a control unit configured to generate the first control signal based on the first monitor signal,
- wherein the 2×N coupler comprises N output ports, each of which is connected to an individually assigned output waveguide, and a plurality of photodetectors, one which is said first photodetector,
- wherein each of the photodetectors is individually assigned to one of the output waveguides,
- wherein each of the photodetectors is configured to detect at least a portion of the radiation that is guided in its individually assigned output waveguide,
- wherein each of the photodetectors is configured to generate a monitor signal indicating the amount of the detected radiation, and
- wherein the control unit is configured to generate the first control signal based on the monitor signals of said N photodetectors,
- wherein the control unit is configured to generate the first control signal such that it yields monitor signals meeting at least one condition,
- wherein the at least one condition includes a requirement that the radiation guided in the N output waveguides is equal or at least equal within a given tolerance,
- wherein each of the output ports of the 2×N coupler is connected to an assigned output port of the optical device via an output path,
- wherein at least one modulator is located in each output path, and
- wherein each modulator is configured to modulate the radiation in its respective output path in response to an electrical data signal that is applied to the modulator and comprises a data stream.
13 more elements
An optical device comprising
- a polarization diversity coupler configured to receive a beam of optical radiation having a first polarization, a second polarization perpendicular to the first polarization or a mixture of both the first and second polarization, the polarization diversity coupler comprising a first output port for outputting a first portion of the optical radiation that featured the first polarization in said beam of optical radiation, and a second output port for outputting a second portion of the optical radiation that featured the second polarization in said beam of optical radiation,
- a first waveguide connected to the first output port of the polarization diversity coupler and configured to receive the first portion of the optical radiation and guide the first portion in a waveguide mode provided by the first waveguide,
- a second waveguide that provides the same waveguide mode as the first waveguide, wherein the second waveguide is connected to the second output port of the polarization diversity coupler and configured to receive the second portion of the optical radiation and guide the second portion in said same waveguide mode,
- a first phase shifter arranged in the first waveguide and configured to induce a phase shift in the first waveguide in response to a first control signal,
- a 2×N coupler having a first input port connected to the first waveguide, a second input port connected to the second waveguide and two or more output ports, a first photodetector configured to detect at least a portion of the radiation that passes the 2×N coupler, and to generate a first monitor signal that indicates the amount of the detected radiation, and
- a control unit configured to generate the first control signal based on the first monitor signal,
- wherein the 2×N coupler is a first 2×2 coupler having a first and a second output port,
- wherein the first output port of the first 2×2 coupler is connected to a first input port of a second 2×2 coupler via a third waveguide,
- wherein the second output port of the first 2×2 coupler is connected to a second input port of a second 2×2 coupler via a fourth waveguide,
- wherein a first intermediate phase shifter is arranged in the third waveguide and configured to induce a phase shift in the third waveguide in response to a first intermediate control signal,
- wherein the first photodetector is configured to detect at least a portion of the radiation that also passes the second 2×2 coupler, and
- wherein the control unit is configured to generate the first control signal and the first intermediate control signal based on the first monitor signal,
- wherein the control unit is configured to generate the first control signal and the first intermediate control signal such that they yield a first monitor signal meeting at least one condition,
- wherein the at least one condition includes a requirement that the radiation outputted at a first output port of the second 2×2 coupler is minimal or zero within a given tolerance, and
- wherein a second output port of the second 2×2 coupler is connected to an output port of the optical device,
- wherein the optical device comprises a modulator located between the second output port of the second 2×2 coupler and the output port of the optical device and
- wherein the modulator is configured to modulate the radiation that it receives from the second output port of the second 2×2 coupler, in response to an electrical data signal that is applied to the modulator and comprises a data stream.
14 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.