Apparatus and method for generation of optical signals
AssigneeJDS Uniphase Corporation
InventorsPaul Colbourne, Gary Duck, Bruce Nyman, Donald R. Zimmerman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A laser system is disclosed wherein a tunable laser signal has encoded within it information related to its wavelength at any instant in time. This encoding in one example is performed by modulating the signal to contain its wavelength information. This is particularly useful in a distributed system for testing optical components, wherein at a test site, the test station must determine the wavelength of light at which a component was tested.
Claims27
An apparatus for testing an optical component comprising;
- a tunable laser for providing a tunable laser signal having a wavelength that varies with time;
- an information signal generator for generating an information signal having an indicator that varies with the variations in wavelength of the tunable laser signal;
- a test station for receiving the tunable laser signal, and for testing the optical component therewith, providing a plurality of test information samples at various times and corresponding wavelengths;
- and
- a correlator for correlating the plurality of test information samples with the information signal to determine the wavelength corresponding to each test information sample independent of the specific optical component.
A method for testing an optical component, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a first optical signal that varies in wavelength over time;
- b) generating a second signal that has an indication therein related to variations in wavelength and time of the first optical signal;
- c) testing the optical component with at least a portion of the first optical signal to acquire test information at a plurality of wavelengths;
- d) deriving wavelength information relating to the first optical signal, or a signal derived therefrom, from the second signal;
- and
- e) correlating the acquired test information with the derived wavelength information to match the test information with a corresponding wavelength independent of the optical component.
An apparatus for testing an optical component comprising:
- a) means for providing an information signal indicative of a plurality of wavelengths at corresponding times of a tunable laser signal, which has a wavelength that changes in time from a higher wavelength to a lower wavelength or from a lower wavelength to a higher wavelength;
- b) a test station for receiving at least a portion of the tunable laser signal, and for providing test information about the optical component at the plurality of wavelengths;
- c) means for deriving from the information signal information relating to the wavelength of the tunable laser signal at a particular instant in time;
- and
- d) means for correlating the test information with the derived wavelength information to determine an output response for the optical component to the tunable laser signal, and to determine, independent of the optical component, the wavelength of the tunable laser signal that produced the output response.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.