Multi-wavelength lasers
AssigneePeleton Photonic Systems Inc.
InventorsNima Ahmadvand, Hamid Hatami-Hanza
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Abstract
In this invention an optical gain element is used where a fraction of the optical output signal is passed through a periodic filter and fed back to the gain medium. This configuration simply forms a multi-wavelength ring laser. The optical gain element provides the gain medium for the laser and the filter forces the laser to lase on the predetermined wavelengths. The periodic filter can simply be an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI). It is known that asymmetric MZIs have an almost sinusoidal wavelength response where its period is a function of the length difference of the arms of the asymmetric MZI. Therefore, channel spacing may be controlled by changing the arms length difference in an Asymmetric MZI.
Claims7
A multi-wavelength laser, comprising:
- (a) a pump laser source;
- (b) an optical gain module (OGM) which is pumped by the pump laser source;
- (c) a periodic band-pass filter (BPF) in a feedback loop between output and input of the optical gain module;
- and
- (d) the output of the OGM being an output of said multi-wavelength laser;
- wherein the OGM comprises a gain element and a gain flattening filter between the gain element and the periodic BPF.
A method of generating a multi-wavelength laser signal comprising:
- operating an optical gain medium with a feedback input and a pump laser source, and no other input;
- feeding back a portion of an output of the optical gain medium through a gain-flattening filter and periodic band-pass filter, and passing an output of the periodic band-pass filter to the feedback input;
- whereby a lasing source is realized in at least two bands of the periodic band-pass filter such that a laser signal having at least two wavelengths is generated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.