Optical wavelength converter
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorJuerg Leuthold
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wavelength converter with a monolithically integrated delay loop in a delayed interference configuration that needs only one SOA or other non-linear optical element coupled to the input fiber, a first coupler arranged to split the output of the SOA or other non-linear optical amplifying element into two paths having controllable delay and phase shift characteristics, and at least one output coupler to combine the signals present on the two paths to provide the converter output. One embodiment of the invention has a monolithically integrated delay loop utilizing one or more asymmetric couplers. Another embodiment of the invention has a coupler that does not require an asymmetric splitting ratio, and has either a gain element in one of the paths, an attenuation element in one of the paths, or both.
Claims10
A wavelength converter comprising:
- a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA);
- an input coupler, in optical communication with the SOA;
- a delay loop, in optical communication with the input coupler;
- and
- an output coupler, in optical communication with the delay loop,
- wherein one or both of the input and output couplers have an asymmetric splitting ratio.
A wavelength converter comprising:
- a non-linear optical element;
- a first coupler arranged to receive an optical communication signal from the nonlinear element and to provide first and second outputs;
- a delay loop, in optical communication with the first output of the first coupler;
- and
- a second coupler, in optical communication with (a) the delay loop and (b) the second output of said first coupler,
- wherein one or the other of said first and second couplers, or both, are asymmetric couplers.
A wavelength converter comprising:
- a non-linear optical element;
- a first coupler optically connected to the non-linear optical element;
- first and second optical paths in optical communication with the first coupler, said first path arranged to delay optical signals with respect to optical signals in said second path;
- means in one or both of said first and second paths to adjust the gain and/or attenuation of optical signals;
- and
- a second coupler, in optical communication with said first and second paths, for providing the output of said wavelength converter.
A wavelength converter comprising:
- a non-linear optical element for receiving an input optical signal;
- a first coupler optically connected to the non-linear optical element, said first coupler arranged to direct a portion of the output of said non-linear optical element onto first and second optical paths;
- means in said first path arranged to delay optical signals with respect to optical signals in said second path;
- means in said first or second path to adjust the gain and/or phase shift of optical signals that traverse said paths;
- a second coupler for removing a portion of the optical signal present in one of said paths, and
- a third coupler, in optical communication with said first and second paths, for providing the output of said wavelength converter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.