Back to results
US 7,742,223 B2Granted
System and method for implementing a boosterless optical communication system
AssigneeXtera Communications, Inc.
InventorsAndrej B. Puc, Do Il Chang, Andrzej S. Kaminski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical communication system includes a transmission fiber that is operable to receive at least one optical signal and at least one pump signal. The optical signal includes one or more optical signal wavelengths and a power level at approximately a minimum threshold power level. The pump signal co-propagates with at least a portion of the optical signal over at least a portion of the transmission fiber. In one particular embodiment, the pump signal operates to amplify the optical signal to approximately a maximum threshold power level as the pump signal and the optical signal traverse the portion of the transmission fiber.
Claims24
An optical communication system comprising:
- a transmission fiber operable to receive one or more optical signals at a first end of the transmission fiber and one or more pump signals at the first end of the transmission fiber, the one or more optical signals comprising one or more optical signal wavelengths and a power level at within twenty percent of a minimum threshold power level the one or more pump signals co-propagating with at least a portion of the one or more optical signals over at least a portion of the transmission fiber, wherein the first end of the transmission fiber is coupled to a transmitter end terminal adapted to generate the one or more optical signals received at the first end of the transmission fiber;
- and
- wherein the one or more pump signals operate to amplify the one or more optical signals to approximately a maximum threshold power level as the one or more pump signals and the one or more optical signals traverse the portion of the transmission fiber, wherein the power level of the one or more optical signals as received into the transmission fiber is less than the maximum threshold power level.
An unrepeatered optical communication system comprising:
- a boosterless end terminal adapted to generate one or more optical signals and to introduce the one or more optical signals to a first end of a transmission fiber, the one or more optical signals introduced to the first end of the transmission fiber comprising a power level at within twenty percent of a minimum threshold power level;
- and
- a pump source coupled to the first end of the transmission fiber, the pump source adapted to generate one or more pump signals and to introduce the one or more pump signals to the first end of the transmission fiber, wherein the one or more pump signals operates to amplify the one or more optical signals to approximately a maximum threshold power level as the one or more pump signals traverses the portion of the transmission fiber, and wherein the one or more pump signals co-propagates with at least a portion of the one or more optical signals over at least a portion of the transmission fiber, wherein the power level of the one or more optical signals as introduced at the first end of the transmission fiber is less than the maximum threshold power level;
- and
- a receiving end terminal coupled to a second end of the transmission fiber the second end terminal operable to receive the one or more optical signals after traversing the transmission fiber, wherein the transmission fiber between the first end of the transmission fiber and a second end of the transmission fiber is substantially free from optical components that require electrical power.
2 more elements
A method of communicating an optical signal in an unrepeatered optical communication system, the method comprising:
- introducing one or more optical signals at a first end of a transmission fiber, the one or more optical signals comprising one or more optical signal wavelengths and comprising a power level at within twenty percent of a minimum threshold power level;
- generating one or more pump signals comprising one or more pump wavelengths;
- and
- introducing the one or more pump signals to the first end of the transmission fiber, the one or more pump signals co-propagating with at least a portion of the one or more optical signals over at least a portion of the transmission fiber, the one or more pump signals amplifying the one or more optical signals to approximately a maximum threshold power level as the one or more pump signals and the one or more optical signals traverse the portion of the transmission fiber, wherein the power level of the one or more optical signals as introduced at the first end of the transmission fiber is less than the maximum threshold power level;
- and
- receiving the one or more optical signals at a second end of the transmission fiber, wherein the transmission fiber between the first end of the transmission fiber and the second end of the transmission fiber is substantially free from optical components that require electrical power.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.