Sagnac raman amplifiers and cascade lasers
US5778014A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 23, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jul 7, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 23, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/094003
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A distributed gain medium, such as an optical fiber, is configured as a Sagnac interferometer or loop mirror, and this mirror is used as at least one of the two reflectors in the amplifier or laser. The distributed gain medium produces optical signal gain through nonlinear polarization, that may cascade through several orders. The Sagnac interferometer or loop mirror defines two optical paths that will support both common mode and difference mode optical signals. Pump fluctuations resulting from higher cascade orders are at least partially rejected through the difference mode signal path, thereby reducing the overall effect of pump fluctuation. The result is a broadband optical resonator, suitable for use at a variety of different wavelengths, including 1.3 .mu.m and 1.55 .mu.m wavelengths. Amplifiers based on this technology are "four-level," providing a pass through signal even when the pump laser is not functioning.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.