Tunable-gain lasing semiconductor optical amplifier
US6445495B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 22, 1999 |
| Grant date | Sep 3, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 22, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S5/5027
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A tunable-gain lasing semiconductor optical amplifier comprises a vertical-lasing semiconductor optical amplifier that includes a tunable region which allows the gain of the vertical-lasing semiconductor optical amplifier to be tuned. The tunable region comprises a region whose loss and/or phase may be tuned by adjusting a physical characteristic of the region. For example, the region may comprise a liquid crystal layer whose transmissivity may be adjusted by applying different voltages across the layer to adjust the reflectivity of a cavity mirror, or a cavity mirror whose reflectivity may be adjusted by ion implantation. In an alternative embodiment of this invention, the tunable-gain lasing semiconductor optical amplifier comprises a tunable loss element in series after the gain-clamped semiconductor optical amplifier.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.