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US 6,249,373 B1Granted
Semiconductor optical amplifier with adjustable gain
AssigneeAT&T Corp.
InventorSheryl Leigh Woodward
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semiconductor optical amplifier includes an optical signal input and an active section surrounded by two mirrors. A current is applied to the second mirror, for example by a current generator. Thus, the central wavelength of the reflection range of the second mirror is modifiable, the loss of the semiconductor-optical amplifier is changeable and the gain of the amplifier is adjustable.
Claims23
A method for amplifying an optical signal, comprising:
- inputting the optical signal to be amplified at one of a first and a second wavelength-selective mirrors, the first mirror having a wavelength at which the reflectivity is maximum, the first wavelength-selective mirror being coupled to the second wavelength-selective mirror and to an active section located between the first and second wavelength-selective mirrors;
- and
- setting a wavelength at which a reflectivity of the second wavelength-selective mirror is maximum to a wavelength different from the wavelength at which the reflectivity of the first wavelength-selective mirror is maximum, wherein the wavelength of the input signal is different than the wavelengths at which the reflectivity of the first and second wavelength-selective mirrors is maximum.
A semiconductor optical amplifier comprising:
- a first wavelength-selective mirror;
- a second wavelength-selective mirror;
- an active section located between the first and second wavelength-selective mirrors;
- wherein a wavelength at which a reflectivity of the second wavelength-selective mirror is maximum is tunable to be different from a wavelength at which a reflectivity of the first wavelength-selective mirror is maximum.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.