Digital optical power modulator

Optical: systems and elements – Optical modulator – Light wave temporal modulation

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359320, G02F 101, G02F 129

Patent

active

058221085

ABSTRACT:
An integrated digital light modulator. In one embodiment, a light beam is split into a set of binary weighted beams which are then individually switched on or off by an optical switch. The weighted beams which are conveyed by the optical switches are then recombined to produce a modulated beam. In this manner, a fast inexpensive integrated digital light modulator may be advantageously obtained. Broadly speaking, the present invention contemplates a digital optical power modulator that comprises a binary power divider and an optical modulator. The binary power divider is configured to receive an input light beam and split it into a set of weighted beams. The optical powers of the weighted beams are related in that the ratio of the optical powers of any two weighted beams is substantially an integer power of two. The optical modulator receives the set of weighted beams from the binary power divider and receives a digital signal. The optical modulator is configured to convey weighted beams that correspond to asserted bits in the digital signal. The present invention may further include an optical combiner coupled to receive the weighted beams from the optical modulator and configured to combine the weighted beams to produce a modulated beam having a discrete optical power. A lookup table may be included to convert a desired digital power value into the digital signal provided to the optical modulator.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4291950 (1981-09-01), Pepper et al.
patent: 5131060 (1992-07-01), Sakata
patent: 5168535 (1992-12-01), Laor
patent: 5542014 (1996-07-01), Lerminiaux
patent: 5724178 (1998-03-01), Grandpierre et al.

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