Optical modulator for producing a controllable chirp
AssigneeFujitsu Limited
InventorMinoru Seino
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical modulator comprises an optical waveguide provided on an electro-optic substrate and formed of a first region for optical phase modulation and a second region for optical amplitude modulation cascaded with each other on the substrate, a signal electrode covering the optical waveguide for the first and second regions, and a ground electrode covering a surface of the substrate for the first and second regions, wherein the signal electrode includes an electrode strip extending on the surface of the substrate to continuously cover the optical waveguide from the first region to the second region, and wherein the ground electrode includes an electrode strip extending from the first region to the second region and covering the optical waveguide only in the first region.
Claims19
An optical modulator, comprising:
- a substrate showing an electro-optic effect;
- an optical waveguide provided on said substrate for guiding an optical beam therethrough, said optical waveguide including a first region and a second, different region cascaded with each other for consecutively passing said optical beam;
- signal electrode means provided on said substrate in the vicinity of said optical waveguide for receiving an electric signal, said signal electrode means including a first region and a second, different region respectively corresponding to said first and second regions of said optical waveguide;
- ground electrode means provided on said substrate in separation from said signal electrode means, said ground electrode including a first region and a second, different region respectively corresponding to said first and second regions of said optical waveguide;
- said first region of said optical waveguide, said first region of said signal electrode means, and said first region of said ground electrode means forming an optical amplitude modulator for modulating an amplitude of said optical beam propagating through said optical waveguide;
- said second region of said optical waveguide, said second region of said signal electrode means and said second region of said ground electrode means forming an optical phase modulator for modulating a phase of said optical beam propagating through said optical waveguide;
- said second region of said signal electrode means having a size, along said optical waveguide, corresponding to a desired magnitude of chirp caused in said optical beam by said optical modulator;
- said signal electrode means comprising an electrode strip extending continuously form said first region to said second region of said signal electrode means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.