Non-linear optical amplification

Optical: systems and elements – Optical amplifier – Bistable

Patent

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

377102, 372 21, 359345, H01S 3103, G02F 128

Patent

active

051111535

ABSTRACT:
An optical amplifier having a saturable absorption region is operated below the lasing threshold for the device. Non-linear effects and bistability are observable at temperatures above room temperature. A selected input wavelength .lambda..sub.i within the gain spectrum of the device is amplified and an output at the same wavelength .lambda..sub.i is produced. This is in contrast to the normal operation at threshold, where there is a wavelength shift to the lasing wavelength and, depending on the laser used for the naturable absorption device, the output may be multimode for a monomode input. Best gain is achieved by tuning the input wavelength to a peak of a Fabry-Perot mode in the gain spectrum for the amplifier.
The amplifier may be used as wavelength controlled optical switch, when operated bistably, or as a regenerative amplifier when operated in the non-linear region without hysteresis effects.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4074361 (1978-02-01), Claw
patent: 4518934 (1985-05-01), Venkateser
patent: 4772854 (1988-09-01), Silberberg
Adams et al., "A Comparison of Active . . . Semiconductors", IEEE JQE, vol. QE-21, #9, pp. 1498-1504, Sep. 1985 abst only provided.
Proceedings of the Topical Meeting, "Optical Bistability III", held at Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 2-4, 1983, Springer-Verlag, (1986).
Smith, "Optical Switching and Logic", Paper, pp. 184-186, Bell Communications Research, Inc., Holmdel, N.J. 07733.
Lasher, "Analysis of a Proposed Bistable Injection Laser", 7 Solid-State Electronics, pp. 707-716, IBM Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, N.Y., (received Mar. 20, 1964) Pergamon Press printed in Great Britain, (1964).
Nathan et al, "GaAs Injection Laser with Novel Mode Control and Switching Properties", 36 Journal of Applied Physics, No. 2, pp. 473-480, (Feb. 1965).
"Bistable Operation in Semiconductor Lasers with Inhomogeneous Excitation", 17 Electronics Letters, No. 4, pp. 167-168, (Feb. 19, 1981).
Harder et al., "Bistability and Pulsations in cw Semiconductor Lasers with a Controlled Amount of Saturable Absorption", 39 Appl. Phys. Lett. No. 5, pp. 382-384, 1981, American Institute of Physics, 0003-6951/81/170382-03$00.50 (Sep. 1, 1981).
Kawaguchi, "Optical Input and Output Characteristics for Bistable Semiconductor Lasers", 41 Appl. Phys. Lett. No. 8, 1982 American Institute of Physics, 0003-6951/82/08072-03$01.00, (Oct. 15, 1982).
Basov, "O-1-Dynamics of Injection Lasers", QE-4 IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, No 11, pp. 855-864, (Nov. 1968).
M. J. O'Mahony, et al., "Gain Measurements on Laser Amplifiers for Optical Transmission System at 1.5 .mu.m", British Telecom Technology Journal, vol. 3, No. 3, Jul. 1985, pp. 25-29.
R. C. Steele and I. W. Marshall, "100 Mbits/s PSK Heterodyne Experiment Using a Travelling-Wave Laser Amplifiers", Electronics Letters, vol. 23, No. 6, May 12, 1987, pp. 296-297.
M. J. Adams, H. J. Westlake and M. J. O'Mahony, "Optical Bistability in 1.55 .mu.m Semiconductor Laser Amplifiers", pp. 173-176.
M. J. O'Mahony, "Optical Amplifiers and Their Applications", Phil. Trans. R. Society of London, 1989, pp. 143-152.
M. J. Adams, H. J. Westlake, M. J. O'Mahony and I. D. Henning, "A Comparison of Active and Passive Optical Bistability in Semiconductors", IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, vol. QE-21, No. 9, Sep. 1985, pp. 1498-1504.
M. J. O'Mahony, et al., "Wideband Optical Receivers Using Travelling Wave Amplifiers for Gbit/s Systems", GLOBECOM, 1987, pp. 833-836.
M. J. O'Mahony, et al., "Wideband 1.5 .mu.m Optical Receiver Using Travelling-Wave Laser Amplifier", Electronics letters, vol. 22, No. 33, Nov. 6, 1986, pp. 1238-1240.
H. J. Westlake and M. J. O'Mahony, "Gain Characteristics of a 1.5 .mu.m DCPBH InGaAsP Resonant Optical Amplifier", Electronics Letters, vol. 21, No. 1, Jan. 3, 1985, pp. 33-35.
M. J. O'Mahony et al., "Low-Reflective Semiconductor Laser Amplifier with 20 dB Fibre-to-Fibre Gain at 1500 nm", Electronics Letters, vol. 21, No. 11, May 23, 1985, pp. 501-502.
I. W. Marshall, M. J. O'Mahony and P. D. Constantine, "Optical System with Two Packaged 1.5 .mu.m Semiconductor Laser Amplifier Repeaters", Electronics Letters, vol. 22, No. 5, Feb. 27, 1986, pp. 253-255.
H. J. Westlake, M. J. Adams and M. J. O'Mahony, "Assessment of Switching Speed of Optical Bistability in Semiconductor Laser Amplifier", Electronics Letters, vol. 22, No. 10, May 8, 1986, pp. 541-543.
H. J. Westlake, M. J. Adams, M. J. O'Mahony, "Measurement of Optical Bistability inan InGaAsP Laser Amplifier at 1.5 .mu.m", Electronics Letters, vol. 21, No. 21, Oct. 10, 1985.
A. J. Lowery, I. W. Marshall, "Stabilization of Mode-Locked Pulses Using Travelling-Wave Semiconductor Laser Amplifier", Electronics Letters, vol. 26, No. 2, Jan. 18, 1990, pp. 104-106.
Hitoshi Kawaguchi, "Absorptive and Dispersive Bistability in Semiconductor Injection Lasers", Opatical and Quantum Electronics, vol. 19, 1987, pp. S1-S36.
M. J. O'Mahony et al., "Semiconductor Laser Amplifiers for Optical Communication Systems", British Telecom Technology, vol. 5, No. 3, Jul. 1987, pp. 9-18.
I. W. Marshall, M. J. O'Mahony, et al., "Gain Characteristics of a 1.5 .mu.m Nonlinear Split Contact Laser Amplifier", Applied Physics Letters, vol. 53, No. 17, Oct. 24, 1988, pp. 1577-1579.
M. J. O'Mahony and R. G. Brockbank, "TUA5 Effects of Phase Noise in Injection-Locked Laser Amplifier Systems", Conference on Optical Fibre Communication, Digest of Technical Papers, pp. 36, Jan. 23, 1984-Jan. 25, 1984.
H. J. Westlake, M. J. Adams, M. J. O'Mahony, "Optical Bistablity in Semiconductor Laser Amplifiers--Assessment of Switching Speed", Extended Abstract of the 18th (1986 International) Conference on Solid State Devices and Materials, Tokyo, 1986, pp. 161-164.
M. J. O'Mahony, "Semiconductor Laser Optical Amplifiers for Use in the Future Fiber Systems", Journal of Lightwave Technology, vol. 6, No. 4, Apr. 1988, pp. 533-544.
H. J. Westlake, M. J. O'Mahony, "Bidirectional and Two-Channel Transmission System Measurements Using a Semiconductor-Laser-Amplifier Repeater", Electronics Letters, vol. 23, No. 12, Jun. 4, 1987, pp. 649-654.
I. W. Marshall and M. J. O'Mahony, "10 GHz Optical Receiver Using a Travelling-Wave Semiconductor Laser Amplifier", Electronics Letters, vol. 23, No. 20, Sep. 24, 1987, pp. 1052-1053.
I. W. Marshall, D. M. Spirit, M. J. O'Mahony, "Picosecond Pulse Response of a Traveling-Wave Semiconductor Laser Amplifier", Electronics Letters, vol. 23, No. 16, Jul. 30, 1987, pp. 818-819.
I. W. Marshall, M. J. O'Mahony, P. D. Constantine, "TWSLA Preamplifier Optical Receivers", Proceedings of the 14th European Conference on Optical Communication, Conference Publication No. 292, vol. 1, Sep. 15, 1988, pp. 483-586.
M. J. O'Mahony, "Semiconductor Laser Amplifiers as Repeaters", IOOC-EOC, 1985, pp. 39-53.
Optical and Quantum Electronics, vol. 19, Jul. 1987, Chapman and Hall Ltd., H. Kawaguchi: "Absorptive and Dispersive Bistability in Semiconductor Injection Lasers", pp. S1-S36.
Electronics Letters, vol. 23, No. 10, May 7, 1987, H. F. Liu et al: "Proposal of an Optical Triggering Scheme for Bistable Semiconductor Lasers: Combination with Photoconductors"--pp. 532-534.
Solid-State Electronics, vol. 30, No. 1, Jan. 1987, Pergamon Journals Ltd, (Oxford, GB), M. J. Adams: "Physics and Applications of Optical Bistability in Semiconductor Laser Amplifiers"--pp. 43-51.

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

Non-linear optical amplification does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Non-linear optical amplification, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Non-linear optical amplification will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1415541

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