Optical modulator having a plurality of modulator segments
AssigneeCoriant Advanced Technology, LLC
InventorsRan Ding, Thomas Wetteland Baehr-Jones, Peter D. Magill, Michael J. Hochberg, Alexander Rylyakov
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Abstract
An optical modulator apparatus may include a plurality of segment drivers, each segment driver having a unique offset voltage and driving but a portion or a segment of an electro-optical modulator. A modulating electrical signal may be applied to the segment drivers via a plurality of electrical delays. Parameters of the segment drivers may be selected so as to approximate a pre-defined transfer function, which may include a linear or a non-linear transfer function.
Claims25
A modulator apparatus comprising:
- an optical path comprising an optical input port receiving an optical carrier wave, an optical output port outputting a modulated optical signal, and a succession of serially optically coupled optical modulator segments extending between the input and output optical ports modulating the optical carrier wave so as to obtain the modulated optical signal;
- a plurality of segment drivers, wherein each segment driver has associated:
- a low voltage Vlow;
- a high voltage Vhigh;
- a unique offset voltage Vos;
- and a threshold voltage Vth;
- wherein each segment driver is electrically coupled to one of the succession of the modulator segments applies a driving voltage Vd thereto in response to a control voltage Vc, such that:
- Vd=Vlow when Vc<Vos−Vth;
- Vd=Vhigh when Vc>Vos+Vth;
- and
- Vd varies between Vlow and Vhigh when Vc varies between Vos−Vth and Vos+Vth;
- an electrical input port receiving an electrical signal to be modulated onto the optical carrier wave to obtain the modulated optical signal;
- and
- a plurality of electrical connections between the electrical input port and each segment driver.
A method of modulating an optical carrier wave by an electrical signal, the method comprising:
- propagating the optical carrier wave in a succession of serially optically coupled optical modulator segments;
- and
- coupling the electrical signal to a plurality of segment drivers, wherein each segment driver has associated:
- a low voltage Vlow;
- a high voltage Vhigh;
- a unique offset voltage Vos;
- and a threshold voltage Vth, wherein each segment driver is electrically coupled to one of the succession of the modulator segments for applying a driving voltage Vd thereto in response to a control voltage Vc, such that:
- Vd=Vlow when Vc<Vos−Vth;
- Vd=Vhigh when Vc>Vos+Vth;
- and
- Vd varies between Vlow and Vhigh when Vc varies between Vos−Vth and Vos+Vth.
A modulator apparatus comprising:
- an optical path comprising an optical input port receiving an optical carrier wave, an optical output port outputting a modulated optical signal, and N serially optically coupled optical modulator segments extending between the input and output optical ports and modulating the optical carrier wave so as to obtain the modulated optical signal, wherein N is an integer;
- an electrical input port receiving an electrical signal to be modulated onto the optical carrier wave to obtain the modulated optical signal;
- an analog to digital converter operationally coupled to the electrical input port, digitizing the electrical signal to provide input digital signals;
- a digital filter operationally coupled to the analog to digital converter, and receiving and digital filtering the input digital signals to provide N output digital signals, each of which for driving one of the N optical modulator segments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.