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US 7,133,576 B2Granted
Traveling-wave optoelectronic wavelength converter
AssigneeAgility Communications, Inc.
InventorsChristopher W. Coldren, Larry A. Coldren
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AssigneeAgility Communications, Inc.
InventorsChristopher W. Coldren, Larry A. Coldren
Estimating the term…
Traveling-wave optoelectronic wavelength conversion is provided by a monolithic optoelectronic integrated circuit that includes an interconnected traveling-wave photodetector and traveling-wave optical modulator with a widely tunable laser source. Either parallel and series connections between the photodetector and modulator may be used. An input signal modulated onto a first optical wavelength develops a traveling wave voltage on transmission line electrodes of the traveling-wave photodetector, and this voltage is coupled via an interconnecting transmission line of the same characteristic impedance to transmission line electrodes of the traveling-wave optical modulator to modulate the signal onto a second optical wavelength derived from the tunable laser. The traveling wave voltage is terminated in a load resistor having the same characteristic impedance as the photodetector and modulator transmission lines. However, the interconnecting transmission lines and the load resistor may have different impedances than the photodetector and modulator.
A monolithic wavelength converter assembly using a common layer structure and including a widely-tunable laser, traveling-wave photodetector (TWPD) and travelingwave modulator (TWM), wherein the TWPD and TWM are positioned side-by-side within an interconnecting electrical transmission line such that an electrical signal generated by the TWPD in response to an input signal on a first lightwave with a first wavelength simultaneously propagates along the TWM where the electrical signal is imprinted onto a second lightwave with a second selectable wavelength derived from the widely-tunable laser, and the electrical signal continues to propagate along the interconnecting electrical transmission line to a load resistance, RL.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.