Integrated laser array devices

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

Reexamination Certificate

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

C359S627000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06411424

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND
This invention relates generally to wavelength division multiplexing.
Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is an optical communication technique that leverages the enormous bandwidth of an optical fiber. A WDM system may include a plurality of laser light sources, conventionally implemented by laser diodes that produce a plurality of wavelength separated data streams. The independent data streams are then multiplexed together on a single output fiber. Allowing multiple WDM channels to coexist on a single fiber, one can tap into the huge available fiber bandwidth with data rates exceeding several tens of gigabits per second.
A multi-wavelength light source emits light at precisely determined wavelengths with a precisely determined inter-wavelength spacing. Discrete laser sources and small arrays of sources are commercially available. Laser outputs of different wavelengths may be made available from a single chip. The light beams of multiple wavelengths may ultimately be combined for transmission over a single-mode fiber. Such an approach provides an integrated solution that reduces packaging cost while improving performance.
An integrated laser array may be formed of a multiple wavelength InGaAsP/InP strained multi-quantum well (MQW) gain-coupled distributed-feedback (DFB) laser array including several ridge waveguide lasers with ridge widths from 1.5 to 5 micrometers. See “Multi-Ridge Waveguide Gain-Coupled DFB Laser Array,” by G. P. Li et al., JLT, Vol. 13, No. 2 pp. 196-199 (1995).
Even with an integrated laser array, a separate multiplexer is utilized to couple the different light beam wavelengths into a single mode fiber. This increases the packaging costs and necessarily results in insertion losses. Given sufficient numbers of multiplexers and de-multiplexers, significant power losses may result in large optical networks.
Thus, there is a need for better ways to couple integrated laser light sources to multi-mode fibers.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5115444 (1992-05-01), Kirkby et al.
patent: 5206920 (1993-04-01), Cremer et al.
patent: 5351262 (1994-09-01), Poguntke et al.
patent: 5379310 (1995-01-01), Papen et al.
patent: 5960133 (1999-09-01), Tomlinson
patent: 6208679 (2001-03-01), Sanchez-Rubio et al.
patent: 6236771 (2001-05-01), Aoki et al.
Kannan Raj and Werner Metz, “Optical Serial Link”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/690,548, Oct. 17, 2000.

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Integrated laser array devices does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Integrated laser array devices, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Integrated laser array devices will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2978595

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.