| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080226224 | OPTICAL JUNCTION APPARATUS AND METHODS EMPLOYING OPTICAL POWER TRANSVERSE-TRANSFER - An optical apparatus comprises an optical device formed on a device substrate, a first optical waveguide formed on the substrate or on the optical device, and a second, mechanically discrete optical waveguide assembled with the device substrate, optical device, or first optical waveguide. The first optical waveguide is arranged for transferring an optical signal between the optical device and the first optical waveguide. The first and second optical waveguides are arranged, when the second optical waveguide is assembled with the device substrate, optical device, or first optical waveguide, for transferring the optical signal therebetween via optical transverse coupling. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080232756 | MULTIPLE-CORE PLANAR OPTICAL WAVEGUIDES AND METHODS OF FABRICATION AND USE THEREOF - A multiple-core optical waveguide comprises: a substrate; lower and upper waveguide core layers; a waveguide core between the upper and lower waveguide core layers; upper and lower cladding; and middle cladding between the upper and lower waveguide core layers substantially surrounding the waveguide core. Each of the lower, middle, and upper claddings has a refractive index less than refractive indices of the lower waveguide core layer, the upper waveguide core layer, and the waveguide core. Along at least a given portion of the optical waveguide, the upper and lower waveguide core layers extend bilaterally substantially beyond the lateral extent of a propagating optical mode supported by the optical waveguide, the lateral extent of the supported optical mode being determined at least in part by the width of the waveguide core along the given portion of the optical waveguide. | 09-25-2008 |
| 20080272282 | OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR FREE-SPACE PROPAGATION BETWEEN AN OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE AND ANOTHER OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE, COMPONENT, OR DEVICE - An optical element comprises a substantially transparent material having opposing first and second transmission surfaces and a substantially flat mounting surface between them, an alignment mark, and an optical coating. The optical element is mounted self-supporting on a substrate with the mounting surface on a mating portion thereof. With the alignment mark aligned to a corresponding mark on the substrate, waveguides on the substrate can be end-coupled by reflection from the first transmission surface. The transmission and mounting surfaces are arranged to position the transmission surfaces at respective orientations relative to the substrate surface so that an optical beam propagating substantially parallel to the substrate surface and entering the optical element through the first transmission surface propagates as an optical beam through the optical element above the mounting surface and exits the optical element through the second transmission surface. The optical element can further include a lens or an aperture. | 11-06-2008 |
| 20080310838 | Independent upstream/downstream bandwidth allocations in a common hybrid telecommunications network - A network interface apparatus comprises a bidirectional optical signal port, an optical diplexer connected to the bidirectional optical signal port, a first RF signal port (bidirectional), a second RF signal port, a first RF diplexer, and an RF splitter. The RF diplexer transmits a first received RF input signal from the first RF signal port to the optical diplexer to modulate an optical output signal transmitted by the optical diplexer to the optical signal port. The RF splitter receives from the optical diplexer an RF signal derived from an RF-modulated optical input signal received from the bidirectional optical signal port, transmits a first portion of the derived RF signal as a first RF output signal to the first RF signal port through the first RF diplexer, and transmits a second portion of the derived RF signal as a second RF output signal to the second RF signal port. | 12-18-2008 |
| 20090304326 | ETCHED-FACET SEMICONDUCTOR OPTICAL COMPONENT WITH INTEGRATED END-COUPLED WAVEGUIDE AND METHODS OF FABRICATION AND USE THEREOF - An optical apparatus comprises: a semiconductor substrate; a semiconductor optical device integrally formed on the substrate and having an off-normal device end face; and a low-index planar optical waveguide integrally formed on the semiconductor substrate at the device end face. The device and waveguide are non-collinear, and the waveguide is end-coupled at its proximal end to the optical device by refraction at the device end face. The apparatus further includes a reflective coating between the waveguide and substrate, an etched end face curved in the horizontal dimension, or an etched end face with a lower portion that protrudes beneath a proximal portion of the waveguide. | 12-10-2009 |
| 20100024192 | OPTICAL JUNCTION APPARATUS AND METHODS EMPLOYING OPTICAL POWER TRANSVERSE-TRANSFER - A method comprises: forming an optical device on a device substrate; forming a first optical waveguide on the device or device substrate; forming a second, structurally discrete optical waveguide on a structurally discrete waveguide substrate; and assembling the optical device, first waveguide, or device substrate with the second waveguide or waveguide substrate. The device and first waveguide are arranged for transferring an optical signal between the device and the first waveguide. Upon assembly the first and second waveguides are positioned between the device and waveguide substrates and are relatively positioned for transferring the optical signal therebetween via optical transverse coupling. The first or second optical waveguide is arranged for transferring the optical signal therebetween via substantially adiabatic optical transverse coupling with the first and second waveguides so positioned. | 02-04-2010 |
| 20100074619 | LASER SOURCE FOR A PASSIVE OPTICAL NETWORK - A method comprises: receiving a RF signal; providing a RF signal level; varying a laser power DC set point linearly with the RF signal level over a selected range; and modulating with the RF signal laser output power about the DC set point. The RF signal level can be RF signal amplitude or RF signal power. An apparatus comprises: a laser; a RF detector adapted to receive the RF signal and to provide the RF signal level; a laser power control circuit coupled to the RF detector and to the laser and adapted to vary the laser power DC set point substantially linearly with respect to the RF signal level over a selected range; and a laser modulator coupled to the laser and adapted to receive the RF signal and to modulate therewith laser output power about the DC set point. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100078547 | OPTICAL ELEMENT FOR FREE-SPACE PROPAGATION BETWEEN AN OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE AND ANOTHER OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE, COMPONENT, OR DEVICE - An optical element comprises a substantially transparent material having opposing first and second transmission surfaces and a substantially flat mounting surface between them, an alignment mark, and an optical coating. The optical element is mounted self-supporting on a substrate with the mounting surface on a mating portion thereof. With the alignment mark aligned to a corresponding mark on the substrate, waveguides on the substrate can be end-coupled by reflection from the first transmission surface. The transmission and mounting surfaces are arranged to position the transmission surfaces at respective orientations relative to the substrate surface so that an optical beam propagating substantially parallel to the substrate surface and entering the optical element through the first transmission surface propagates as an optical beam through the optical element above the mounting surface and exits the optical element through the second transmission surface. The optical element can further include a lens or an aperture. | 04-01-2010 |
| 20100092144 | MULTIPLE-CORE PLANAR OPTICAL WAVEGUIDES AND METHODS OF FABRICATION AND USE THEREOF - A multiple-core optical waveguide comprises: a substrate; lower and upper waveguide core layers; a waveguide core between the upper and lower waveguide core layers; upper and lower cladding; and middle cladding between the upper and lower waveguide core layers substantially surrounding the waveguide core. Each of the lower, middle, and upper claddings has a refractive index less than refractive indices of the lower waveguide core layer, the upper waveguide core layer, and the waveguide core. Along at least a given portion of the optical waveguide, the upper and lower waveguide core layers extend bilaterally substantially beyond the lateral extent of a propagating optical mode supported by the optical waveguide, the lateral extent of the supported optical mode being determined at least in part by the width of the waveguide core along the given portion of the optical waveguide. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100232461 | BIAS SIGNAL GENERATION FOR A LASER TRANSMITTER IN A PASSIVE OPTICAL NETWORK - The teachings presented herein disclose a method and apparatus for controlling the optical power of a laser in a passive optical network transmitter that outputs a modulated optical signal responsive to a modulated input signal. In one or more embodiments, such a control method comprises detecting the voltage of the modulated input signal, and setting the DC bias level of the laser as a function of the detected voltage. These teachings may be implemented, for example, by a laser control circuit in the transceiver module of an optical network unit (“ONU”). Such an ONU may be advantageously used in a hybrid coaxial cable-optical fiber network, such as used in DPONs which interface cable system subscriber equipment to cable system head-end equipment. | 09-16-2010 |
| 20100314027 | OPTICAL JUNCTION APPARATUS AND METHODS EMPLOYING OPTICAL POWER TRANSVERSE-TRANSFER - A method comprises: (i) forming a first optical waveguide on a first substrate; (ii) forming a second, structurally discrete optical waveguide on a structurally discrete second substrate; (iii) assembling the second substrate or second optical waveguide with the first substrate or first optical waveguide so that the first and second optical waveguides are positioned between the first and second substrates and are relatively positioned for transferring the optical signal therebetween via optical transverse coupling; and (iv) arranging the first or second optical waveguide for transferring the optical signal therebetween via substantially adiabatic optical transverse coupling with the first and second waveguides so positioned. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20110110672 | Burst Mode Linear Optical Receivers - Techniques are provided for implementing a burst mode optical receiver capable of maintaining a stable gain profile in response to a burst signal. The optical receiver has a photodiode in balanced circuit configuration with a separate RF amplifier stage connected to each terminal of the photodiode. The two RF amplifier stages are coupled to biasing voltage sources that are inverted in comparison to the terminal connections and that, in some examples, each contain a field effect transistor (FET) that having a gate that is controlled in response to a sensed voltage. The burst mode optical receiver may be used in numerous applications, including optical line terminations (OLTs) in passive optical networks (PONs). | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110134957 | Low Chirp Coherent Light Source - A coherent light source having a semiconductor laser resonator and an optical amplifier which amplifies coherent light emitted by the semiconductor laser resonator in response to current injection, in which the amount of current injected into the semiconductor laser is controlled for conformity with a chirp requirement of an optical communication system. The optical amplifier, which introduces no chirp, may be controlled to match an optical power requirement of the optical communication system. A heater may be provided to introduce a low frequency chirp in order to suppress interferometric intensity noise and unwanted second-order effects such as stimulated Brillouin Scattering. The optical amplifier may be monolithically formed with the semiconductor laser resonator, with separate electrodes provided for injecting current into the semiconductor laser resonator and the optical amplifier. | 06-09-2011 |