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US 6,674,569 B2Granted
Optical power equalizer
AssigneeAlcatel
InventorsPatrick Brindel, Stéphanie Barre, Denis Penninckx, Alexandre Shen
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AssigneeAlcatel
InventorsPatrick Brindel, Stéphanie Barre, Denis Penninckx, Alexandre Shen
Estimating the term…
Known optical power equalizers receive an optical main input signal modulating between high and low input power levels. The optical power equalizers emit an equalized optical main output signal modulating between high and low output power levels, where at least one of the two sets of high and low power levels is equalized to one high or one low output power level. Such devices can comprise at least one gain-clamped semiconductor optical amplifier that operates about its saturation range. The optical power equalizer receives an amplifier input signal, which has one or more modulated portions, and emits a modulated amplifier output signal. According to the invention the dependence of the gain-clamped semiconductor optical amplifier's gain on the power of the amplifier input signal is adjusted such that the high input power levels of the amplifier input signal are equalized into the one high output power level of the amplifier output signal.
An optical power equalizer that receives an optical input signal that modulates between high and low input power levels, and outputs an equalized optical output signal modulating between high and low output power levels, where at least one of the high and low power levels is equalized to one high or one low output power level, the optical power equalizer comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.