Tunable semiconductor laser having cavity with wavelength selective mirror and Mach-Zehnder interferometer
US6633593B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 28, 2001 |
| Grant date | Oct 14, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 9, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S5/1032
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The semiconductor laser has a resonance cavity composed of a gain chip, a Mach-Zehnder wide tuning port, and a wavelength-selective mirror component formed either as a ring resonator or a reflective Fabry-Perot etalon. Optical signals generated by the gain chip propagate through the wide tuning port and into the wavelength-selective mirror component and are then reflected back to the gain chip. The wavelength-selective mirror component is configured to reflect only those optical signals having wavelengths within a set of sharp peaks so that the laser cavity resonates only within the sharp peaks. The wavelength-selective mirror component is heated to adjust internal dimensions to maintain one of the sharp peaks at a selected emission wavelength. As optical signals pass through the wide tuning port, the signals are split between two channels of differing lengths resulting in optical interference. The optical interference limits the ability of the laser cavity to resonate at wavelengths other than near the center of a single broad peak determined by the relative lengths of the two channels. The wide tuning port is heated to vary the relative lengths of the two channels to maintain the…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.