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US 2004/0105480 A1Published application
Tunable optical source
AssigneeOptitune plc
InventorsYakov Sidorin, Ari H. Karkkainnen
Life of this patent
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AssigneeOptitune plc
InventorsYakov Sidorin, Ari H. Karkkainnen
Estimating the term…
A tunable optical source comprises a laser diode 105 and an external optical feedback device 135. The feedback device 135 has a waveguiding portion fabricated at least in part out of a glass material having both organic and inorganic components. Control means is provided for controlling the refractive index of the glass material so as to change the wavelength of feedback to the laser diode. The glass material may for example have thermo-optic properties and the control means might then be a heating device for heating the glass material. The feedback device 135 can have more than one portion, a second portion for example having controllable coupling characteristics for coupling optical radiation into or out of the feedback device 135. It also preferably has a portion for controlling optical path length in the feedback device 135.
A tunable optical source comprising a laser diode and an external optical feedback device, the feedback device comprising a glass material having both organic and inorganic components and means for controlling the refractive index of the glass material so as to control the wavelength of feedback to the laser diode.
10 A tunable optical source according to claim 9 wherein the optical coupling arrangement provides focussing or mode taper in use.
A tunable optical source according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the, or each, glass material is thermo-optic, having a refractive index which changes with temperature.
A tunable optical source according to any one of the preceding claims wherein at least one of said glass materials comprises a trichlorosilane material.
A packaged optical assembly comprising a tunable optical source according to any one of the preceding claims mounted together with at least one optical performance monitoring device on a shared substrate.
A method of tuning an optical source, which source comprises a feedback portion incorporating a glass material having both organic and inorganic components, said method comprising the step of changing the temperature of said glass material so as to change at least one optical performance characteristic of the feedback portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.