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US 6,731,880 B2Granted
Telecommunications system
AssigneeMicrowave Photonics, Inc.
InventorsLeslie D Westbrook, David G Moodie
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical communications network includes a terminal which can simultaneously receive and modulate an optical signal. The terminal includes an optical modulator which is controlled by varying the bias voltage applied to it.
Claims15
A method of communicating between a first node and one or more further nodes in an optical communications system, the method comprising:
- i) receiving at the first node, an optical signal transmitted from a first further node over an optical fibre link;
- ii) detecting, at the first node, the optical signal using an electro-absorption modulator and producing thereby an electrical signal representing information carried by the optical signal;
- and
- iii) imposing, using said electro-absorption modulator, an information-carrying modulation onto the received optical signal and feeding the thus modulated optical signal into an optical fibre link to transmit it to a second further node;
- wherein step ii and step iii are carried out with the electro-absorption modulator subject to the same DC operating conditions.
2 more elements
A bi-directional optical-electrical signal transducer comprising:
- an electro-absorption modulator having optical signal input and output ports and an electrical signal input/output port, whereby:
- first information-bearing optical signals presented to said optical signal input port produce corresponding first information-bearing electrical signals at said electrical signal input/output port, and
- second information-bearing electrical signals presented to said electrical signal input/output port produce corresponding second information bearing optical signals modulated onto an optical signal at said optical signal output port wherein said electro-absorption modulator functions simultaneously and at the same DC operating bias conditions to produce said output optical and electrical signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.