Multiple wavelength laser source
AssigneeOprel Technologies Inc.
InventorAhmad Atieh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A simple and flexible WDM laser source is disclosed using a loop erbium-doped fiber amplifier (LEDFA) configuration. The loop serves as a mirror and as an amplification medium. The laser cavity was made from the loop mirror and a set of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) which select the proper lasing wavelengths. The FBGs can be placed either in parallel or in series at the output of the loop configuration. Optical attenuators are placed in front of the FBG to control the flatness of the laser source output and determine the required lasing condition for each wavelength to avoid competition of the different lasing wavelengths. This configuration is flexible for adding any number of wavelengths as long as enough amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is generated in the loop. Signal to noise ratio as high as 55-dB can be achieved.
Claims15
A multiple wavelength laser source comprising:
- a loop mirror comprising a loop of active fiber, and a first coupler having four ports, the loop of active fiber being connected to a first and second port of the first coupler;
- at least one pump means for injecting pump energy into the loop of active fiber remote from the first coupler, thereby generating amplified spontaneous emissions;
- and
- a plurality of wavelength-selective reflection devices having different selected wavelengths and coupled to at least a third port of the first coupler;
- wherein each reflection device is for reflecting back into the loop of active fiber a first portion, having a selected wavelength, of the amplified spontaneous emission, and directing a second portion of the amplified spontaneous emission away from the loop of active fiber to a first output port, which is optically coupled to at least one of the reflection devices.
A laser source system for producing multiple sets of lasing wavelengths, said system comprising:
- laser source combining means for combining output from a plurality of multiple wavelength laser sources, each multiple wavelength laser source comprising:
- a loop mirror means, said loop mirror means comprising:
- a loop of active fiber;
- and
- a coupler which is coupled, via a first and a second port, to both ends of the loop of active fiber;
- at least one pump means for injecting pump energy into the loop of active fiber remote from the first coupler, thereby generating amplified spontaneous emissions;
- and
- plurality of wavelength-selective reflection devices, said devices having different selected wavelengths and coupled to at least a third port of the coupler;
- wherein each reflection device is for reflecting a first portion of the amplified spontaneous emission back into the loop of active fiber, and directing a second portion of the amplified spontaneous emission, away from the loop of active fiber to an output port, which is optically coupled to at least one of the reflection devices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.