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US 6,920,159 B2Granted
Tunable optical source
AssigneeOptitune plc
InventorsYakov Sidorin, Ari H Kärkkåinnen
Life of this patent
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AssigneeOptitune plc
InventorsYakov Sidorin, Ari H Kärkkåinnen
Estimating the term…
A tunable optical source comprises a laser diode and an external optical feedback device. The feedback device has a waveguiding portion fabricated at least in part out of a glass material having both organic and inorganic components. A control device is provided for controlling the refractive index of the glass material so as to change the wavelength of feedback to the laser diode. The glass material may for example have thermo-optic properties and the control device might then be a heating device for heating the glass material. The feedback device can have more than one portion, a second portion for example having controllable coupling characteristics for coupling optical radiation into or out of the feedback device. It also preferably has a portion for controlling optical path length in the feedback device.
A tunable optical source comprising a laser diode and an external optical feedback device, the feedback device comprising a glass material having both organic and inorganic components and a controller for controlling the refractive index of the glass material so as to control the wavelength of feedback to the laser diode;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.