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US 12,184,402 B2Granted
Polarization-diversity optical power supply
AssigneeNubis Communications, Inc.
InventorPeter Johannes Winzer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided is an optical communication system comprising a polarization-diversity optical power supply capable of supplying light over a non-polarization-maintaining optical fiber to a polarization-sensitive modulation device. In an example embodiment, the polarization-diversity optical power supply operates to accommodate random polarization fluctuations within the non-polarization-maintaining optical fiber and enables an equal-power split at a passive polarization splitter preceding the polarization-sensitive modulation device.
Claims38
An apparatus for communicating optical signals modulated at a symbol rate, the apparatus comprising:
- an optical power supply that comprises:
- a light source and an electronic controller connected to the light source to cause the light source to generate a first light output having a first optical frequency and a second light output having a second optical frequency different from the first optical frequency, each of the first and second light outputs being steady during a time interval that is significantly longer than one over the symbol rate;
- and
- a polarization combiner connected to receive the first light output and the second light output of the light source at a first input port and a second input port, respectively, the polarization combiner being configured to generate, at a single output port thereof, an optical output signal in which first and second mutually orthogonal polarization components carry light of the first and second light outputs, respectively,
- wherein the polarization combiner includes no more than one output port, and is configured to multiplex light in a first polarization state at the first input port onto the first polarization state of light on the output port, and light in a second polarization state at the second input port onto the second polarization state of light on the same output port;
- a transmit module configured to receive the optical output signal irrespective of polarization changes of the optical output signal, the transmit module including at least one optical modulator configured to modulate the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner;
- and
- an optical fiber that includes one or more sections of non-polarization-maintaining fiber, in which the optical fiber is optically coupled between the output port of the polarization combiner and the transmit module, and the optical fiber is configured to transmit the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner to the transmit module.
5 more elements
An apparatus comprising an optical transmitter that comprises:
- a passive polarization splitter having an optical input port and first and second optical output ports, the optical input port being optically connected to receive an optical input signal having first and second polarization components, the first polarization component carrying light of a first optical frequency, the second polarization component carrying light of a second optical frequency different from the first optical frequency, the first and second polarization components being mutually orthogonal and jointly undergoing a state-of-polarization change during a time interval, the passive polarization splitter causing light of a first fixed polarization to be directed from the optical input port to the first optical output port and also causing light of a second fixed polarization to be directed from the optical input port to the second optical output port, the first and second fixed polarizations being orthogonal to one another, the state-of-polarization change causing respective spectral compositions of the lights directed to the first and second optical ports to change during said time interval;
- and
- a first optical modulator connected to the first optical output port and configured to modulate the light of the first fixed polarization received therefrom in response to a first data signal.
An apparatus for communicating optical signals modulated at a symbol rate, the apparatus comprising:
- an optical power supply that comprises:
- a light source and an electronic controller connected to the light source to cause the light source to generate a first light output having a first optical frequency and a second light output having a second optical frequency different from the first optical frequency, each of the first and second light outputs being steady during a time interval that is significantly longer than one over the symbol rate;
- and
- a polarization combiner connected to receive the first and second light outputs of the light source at different respective input ports thereof, the polarization combiner being configured to generate, at an output port thereof, an optical output signal in which first and second mutually orthogonal polarization components carry light of the first and second light outputs, respectively, wherein the polarization combiner comprises a polarization-maintaining optical power combiner;
- a transmit module configured to receive the optical output signal irrespective of polarization changes of the optical output signal, the transmit module including at least one optical modulator configured to modulate the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner;
- and
- an optical fiber that includes one or more sections of non-polarization-maintaining fiber, in which the optical fiber is optically coupled between the output port of the polarization combiner and the transmit module, and the optical fiber is configured to transmit the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner to the transmit module.
4 more elements
An apparatus for communicating optical signals modulated at a symbol rate, the apparatus comprising:
- an optical power supply that comprises:
- a light source and an electronic controller connected to the light source to cause the light source to generate a first light output having a first optical frequency and a second light output having a second optical frequency different from the first optical frequency, each of the first and second light outputs being steady during a time interval that is significantly longer than one over the symbol rate;
- and
- a polarization combiner connected to receive the first and second light outputs of the light source at different respective input ports thereof, the polarization combiner being configured to generate, at an output port thereof, an optical output signal in which first and second mutually orthogonal polarization components carry light of the first and second light outputs, respectively, wherein the polarization combiner comprises a polarization-maintaining wavelength multiplexer;
- a transmit module configured to receive the optical output signal irrespective of polarization changes of the optical output signal, the transmit module including at least one optical modulator configured to modulate the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner;
- and
- an optical fiber that includes one or more sections of non-polarization-maintaining fiber, in which the optical fiber is optically coupled between the output port of the polarization combiner and the transmit module, and the optical fiber is configured to transmit the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner to the transmit module.
4 more elements
An apparatus for communicating optical signals modulated at a symbol rate, the apparatus comprising:
- an optical power supply that comprises:
- a light source and an electronic controller connected to the light source to cause the light source to generate a first light output having a first optical frequency and a second light output having a second optical frequency different from the first optical frequency, each of the first and second light outputs being steady during a time interval that is significantly longer than one over the symbol rate;
- and
- a polarization combiner connected to receive the first and second light outputs of the light source at different respective input ports thereof, the polarization combiner being configured to generate, at an output port thereof, an optical output signal in which first and second mutually orthogonal polarization components carry light of the first and second light outputs, respectively;
- a transmit module configured to receive the optical output signal, the transmit module including at least one optical modulator configured to modulate the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner;
- and
- an optical fiber that includes one or more sections of non-polarization-maintaining fiber, in which the optical fiber is optically coupled between the output port of the polarization combiner and the transmit module, and the optical fiber is configured to transmit the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner to the transmit module;
- wherein the transmit module comprises a polarization splitter having an input port optically connected to an end of one of the sections of the non-polarization-maintaining fiber to receive light of the optical output signal, and
- wherein the polarization splitter has a first output port and a second output port, and the polarization splitter is configured to perform a substantially equal-power split between the first output port and the second output port regardless of polarization rotations within the one or more sections of non-polarization-maintaining optical fiber between the polarization combiner and the transmit module.
6 more elements
An apparatus for communicating optical signals modulated at a symbol rate, the apparatus comprising:
- an optical power supply that comprises:
- a light source and an electronic controller connected to the light source to cause the light source to generate a first light output having a first optical frequency and a second light output having a second optical frequency different from the first optical frequency, each of the first and second light outputs being steady during a time interval that is significantly longer than one over the symbol rate;
- and
- a polarization combiner connected to receive the first and second light outputs of the light source at different respective input ports thereof, the polarization combiner being configured to generate, at an output port thereof, an optical output signal in which first and second mutually orthogonal polarization components carry light of the first and second light outputs, respectively;
- a transmit module configured to receive the optical output signal irrespective of polarization changes of the optical output signal, the transmit module including at least one optical modulator configured to modulate the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner;
- and
- an optical fiber that includes one or more sections of non-polarization-maintaining fiber, in which the optical fiber is optically coupled between the output port of the polarization combiner and the transmit module, and the optical fiber is configured to transmit the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner to the transmit module;
- wherein the light source comprises a polarization-diversity in-phase/quadrature modulator that is configured to generate two tones in a first polarization and two tones in a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization;
- wherein frequency spacing between the two tones in the first polarization and frequency spacing between the two tones in the second polarization are equal to one another;
- and
- wherein frequency spacing between a tone in the first polarization and a tone in the second polarization is an integer multiple of said equal frequency spacing.
8 more elements
An apparatus for communicating optical signals modulated at a symbol rate, the apparatus comprising:
- an optical power supply that comprises:
- a light source and an electronic controller connected to the light source to cause the light source to generate a first light output having a first optical frequency and a second light output having a second optical frequency different from the first optical frequency, each of the first and second light outputs being steady during a time interval that is significantly longer than one over the symbol rate;
- a polarization combiner connected to receive the first and second light outputs of the light source at different respective input ports thereof, the polarization combiner being configured to generate, at an output port thereof, an optical output signal in which first and second mutually orthogonal polarization components carry light of the first and second light outputs, respectively;
- a first polarization maintaining element disposed in an optical path of the first light output between the light source and the polarization combiner;
- and
- a second polarization maintaining element disposed in an optical path of the second light output between the light source and the polarization combiner;
- a transmit module configured to receive the optical output signal irrespective of polarization changes of the optical output signal, the transmit module including at least one optical modulator configured to modulate the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner;
- and
- an optical fiber that includes one or more sections of non-polarization-maintaining fiber, in which the optical fiber is optically coupled between the output port of the polarization combiner and the transmit module, and the optical fiber is configured to transmit the optical output signal from the output port of the polarization combiner to the transmit module.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.