Optical wavelength shifter
US5264960A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 8, 1992 |
| Grant date | Nov 23, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 8, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S5/509
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
High bit rate optical wavelength shifters that are fully tunable within a bandwidth of interest are realized using a traveling wave semiconductor optical amplifier that impresses a representation of data modulated on an optical signal at a first wavelength onto an optical signal of weaker signal strength at a second, desired wavelength. The data representation is impressed on the second optical signal through use of the gain-saturation effect that occurs in the traveling wave semiconductor optical amplifier. The traveling wave (single pass) amplifier receives simultaneously the modulated optical signal at the first wavelength and the second optical signal at the desired wavelength. The first optical signal affects the gain of the traveling wave amplifier as seen by the second optical signal so as to impress a representation of variations in the envelope of the first optical signal onto the second optical signal.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.