Control apparatus and control method for an optical modulator
First Claim
1. A control apparatus for an optical modulator which generates a signal light corresponding to the CS-RZ modulation method, comprising:
- a monitor section that extracts a specific frequency component from a spectrum of the signal light output from said optical modulator to detect the optical intensity thereof; and
a control section that determines a phase shift between a plurality of drive signals supplied to said optical modulator based on the optical intensity detected by said monitor section, and controls a phase difference between said drive signals so that said phase shift is minimized.
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Abstract
The present invention aims at providing a control technique for an optical modulator, which can accurately detect a phase shift between signals of a drive system of an optical modulator, to feedback control. To this end, a control apparatus of the present invention comprises, for example, in an optical modulator which generates a signal light corresponding to the CS-RZ modulation method by two LN modulators connected in series: a monitor section that extracts a specific frequency component from a spectrum of the CS-RZ signal light output from a latter LN modulator to detect the optical intensity thereof, and a control CPU that determines a phase shift between first and second drive signals corresponding to a clock signal supplied to the latter LN modulator based on the optical intensity detected by the monitor section, and controls a phase difference between the drive signals so that the phase shift is minimized.
20 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A control apparatus for an optical modulator which generates a signal light corresponding to the CS-RZ modulation method, comprising:
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a monitor section that extracts a specific frequency component from a spectrum of the signal light output from said optical modulator to detect the optical intensity thereof; and
a control section that determines a phase shift between a plurality of drive signals supplied to said optical modulator based on the optical intensity detected by said monitor section, and controls a phase difference between said drive signals so that said phase shift is minimized. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A control apparatus for an optical modulator comprising:
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an optical modulator incorporating a section for branching an optical waveguide into a first branch optical waveguide and a second branch optical waveguide, and a section for combining these first and second branch optical waveguides, that controls the refractive indexes of said first and second branch optical waveguides using a first electrode and a second electrode which are provided in said first and second branch optical waveguides respectively, to obtain periodic optical intensity characteristics corresponding to a difference between the refractive indexes;
a drive circuit that applies a voltage to said first and second electrodes so that a modulation operation is performed based on one cycle of optical intensity characteristics of said optical modulator;
a phase controller that controls a phase of said drive circuit; and
a detector that detects a specific optical wavelength component in an output of said optical modulator, wherein the phase of said drive circuit is controlled by said phase controller based on the detection result from said detector.
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9. An optical transmitter for transmitting a signal light corresponding to the CS-RZ modulation method, comprising:
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a light source that generates continuous light;
a modulator that modulates the continuous light from said light source, in accordance with the CS-RZ modulation method;
a monitor section that extracts a specific frequency component from a spectrum of the signal light output from said optical modulator to detect the optical intensity thereof; and
a control section that determines a phase shift between a plurality of drive signals supplied to said optical modulator based on the optical intensity detected by said monitor section, and controls a phase difference between said drive signals so that said phase shift is minimized.
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10. A method of controlling an optical modulator which generates a signal light corresponding to the CS-RZ modulation method, comprising:
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extracting a specific frequency component from a spectrum of the signal light output from said optical modulator to detect the optical intensity thereof;
determining a phase shift between a plurality of drive signals supplied to said optical modulator, based on said optical intensity; and
controlling a phase difference between said drive signals so that said phase shift is minimized.
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Specification