Transmitter optical sub-assembly with eye safety
AssigneeFinisar Corporation
InventorLewis B. Aronson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A transmitter optical subassembly includes an optical emitter and a fiber receptacle within which an optical fiber is received. An optical limiting element is positioned between the optical emitter and the fiber receptacle. When an optical signal is emitted from the optical emitter, the optical signal passes through the optical limiting element before the optical signal reaches the fiber receptacle and is received by the optical fiber. The optical limiting element has a property such that if the power of the optical signal entering the optical limiting element exceeds a predetermined limit, the power of the optical signal is optically attenuated so that the power of the optical signal exiting the optical limiting element remains below a predetermined limit.
Claims22
A transmitter optical subassembly comprising:
- an enclosure within which an optical emitter is disposed;
- a housing attached to the enclosure and defining a fiber receptacle configured so that when an optical fiber is received in the fiber receptacle, an optical signal from the optical emitter passes into the optical fiber;
- and
- an optical limiting element positioned between the optical emitter and the fiber receptacle, the optical limiting element having a tranmissivity such that when power of the optical signal entering the optical limiting element falls within a predetermined range, power of the optical signal leaving the optical limiting element remains at or below a predetermined limit and such that when the power of the optical signal exceeds the predetermined range, the transmissivity of the optical limiting element decreases.
An optical transceiver module comprising:
- a printed circuit board;
- a receiver optical subassembly connected to the printed circuit board;
- a transmitter optical subassembly connected to the printed circuit board, and comprising:
- an optical emitter;
- a fiber receptacle configured so that when an optical fiber is received therein signals from the optical emitter pass into the optical fiber;
- and
- means for optically attenuating an optical signal that is generated by the optical emitter when an optical power of the optical signal exceeds a predetermined limit, wherein the means for optical attenuating the optical signal transmits the optical signal substantially unchanged when the optical power is at or below the predetermined limit;
- and
- a housing that substantially encloses the printed circuit board, the transmitter optical subassembly, and the receiver optical subassembly.
A method of processing an optical signal within a transmitter optical subassembly, the method comprising:
- generating an optical signal;
- emitting the optical signal;
- passing the optical signal substantially unchanged with an optical limiting element when an optical power of the optical signal is below a predetermined limit;
- optically attenuating the optical power of the optical signal with the optical limiting element, if the power exceeds the predetermined limit, wherein the optical limiting element includes a material having non-linear optical properties that operate to attenuate the optical power when the optical power exceeds the predetermined limit;
- and
- transmitting the optical signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.