Photonic Integrated Receiver
AssigneeEric Swanson
InventorsEric Swanson, Christopher Doerr
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Abstract
A wavelength tunable laser device includes a gain element positioned in an optical cavity that provides optical gain to an optical signal. A frequency shifter that generates a frequency shift as a function of time is positioned in the optical cavity. The optical cavity is configured so that a magnitude of the frequency shift as a function of time generated by the frequency shifter is substantially equal to a frequency separation of a cavity mode of the cavity such that an output of the cavity generates laser light having a wavelength that tunes as a function of time.
Claims21
1-15. (canceled)
A photonic integrated receiver circuit comprising:
- a) a substrate;
- b) a first optical coupler positioned on the substrate and configured to couple an optical reference signal;
- c) a second optical coupler positioned on the substrate and configured to couple an optical probe signal returned from a sample;
- d) a polarization beam splitter positioned on the substrate and having an input optically coupled to the second optical coupler, the polarization beam splitter configured to provide a first polarization at a first output and a second polarization at a second output;
- e) a first optical hybrid element positioned on the substrate and having an input optically coupled to the first output of the polarization beam splitter, the first optical hybrid element having a first output coupled to a first photodiode and a second output coupled to a second photodiode;
- and
- f) a second optical hybrid element positioned on the substrate and having an input optically coupled to the second output of the polarization beam splitter, the second optical hybrid having a first output coupled to a third photodiode and a second output coupled to a fourth photodiode,
- wherein at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth photodiodes generates an electrical signal that includes information about optical properties of the sample in response to both the optical reference signal and the optical probe signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.