Monitoring a multiplexed laser array in an optical communication system
US9455782B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 11, 2014 |
| Grant date | Sep 27, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 11, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S5/4087
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Individual channels of a multiplexed laser array in a multi-channel optical transmitter are monitored at an output of an optical multiplexer. The monitoring may be used to confirm proper operation of each of the channels in the multiplexed laser array and/or to perform wavelength locking on each of the channels. Monitoring at the output of the optical multiplexer avoids the use of multiple photodetectors coupled directly to multiple lasers in the multiplexed laser array. The multiplexed laser array generally includes a plurality of laser emitters optically coupled to an optical multiplexer such as an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG). An optical transmitter with a monitored multiplexed laser array may be used, for example, in an optical line terminal (OLT) in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) passive optical network (PON) or in any other type of WDM optical communication system capable of transmitting optical signals on multiple channel wavelengths.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.