Traveling-wave optoelectronic wavelength converter

• US 20060257065A1
• Filed: 07/19/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JDS Uniphase Corporation (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agility Communications Incorporated (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Coldren, Larry A., Coldren, Christopher W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,174,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/10
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/025 in an optical waveguide structure G02F1/017, G02F1/2257 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0356 controlled by a high-frequency electromagnetic wave component in an electric waveguide structure
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/212 Mach-Zehnder type
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/2255 controlled by a high-frequency electromagnetic component in an electric waveguide structure
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/2257 the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting material
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2/004 Transferring the modulation of modulated light, i.e. transferring the information from one optical carrier of a first wavelength to a second optical carrier of a second wavelength, e.g. all-optical wavelength converter
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2/008 Opto-electronic wavelength conversion, i.e. involving photo-electric conversion of the first optical carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/127 travelling wave
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035236 Superlattices; Multiple quantum well structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/105 the potential barrier being of the PIN type
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/026 Monolithically integrated components, e.g. waveguides, monitoring photo-detectors, drivers stabilisation of output H01S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0262 Photo-diodes, e.g. transceiver devices, bidirectional devices H01S5/0265 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0265 Intensity modulators intra-cavity modulators H01S5/0625
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0427 for applying modulation to the laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06256 with DBR-structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1209 Sampled grating

Abstract

Traveling-wave optoelectronic wavelength conversion is provided by a monolithic optoelectronic integrated circuit that includes an interconnected traveling-wave photodetector and traveling-wave optical modulator with a widely tunable laser source. Either parallel and series connections between the photodetector and modulator may be used. An input signal modulated onto a first optical wavelength develops a traveling wave voltage on transmission line electrodes of the traveling-wave photodetector, and this voltage is coupled via an interconnecting transmission line of the same characteristic impedance to transmission line electrodes of the traveling-wave optical modulator to modulate the signal onto a second optical wavelength derived from the tunable laser. The traveling wave voltage is terminated in a load resistor having the same characteristic impedance as the photodetector and modulator transmission lines. However, the interconnecting transmission lines and the load resistor may have different impedances than the photodetector and modulator.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A traveling-wave optoelectronic wavelength conversion assembly, comprising:

a monolithic optoelectronic integrated circuit including an interconnected traveling-wave photodetector (TWPD) and

traveling-wave modulator (TWM) with a widely tunable laser source, wherein an input signal modulated onto a first optical wavelength develops a traveling wave voltage on transmission line electrodes of the TWPD, and the traveling wave voltage is coupled via a first interconnecting electrical transmission line to transmission line electrodes of the TWM in order to modulate the input signal onto a second optical wavelength derived from the tunable laser, and the traveling wave voltage continues to propagate along a second interconnecting electrical transmission line to a load resistor.

21. The traveling-wave optoelectronic wavelength conversion assembly of claim 20, wherein the TWPD and TWM are connected in parallel.

22. The traveling-wave optoelectronic wavelength conversion assembly of claim 20, wherein the TWPD and TWM are connected in series.

23. The traveling-wave optoelectronic wavelength conversion assembly of claim 20, wherein the load resistor has a characteristic impedance equal to the second interconnecting electrical transmission line.

24. The traveling-wave optoelectronic wavelength conversion assembly of claim 20, wherein the load resistor and second interconnecting electrical transmission line have different impedances than the TWPD and TWM in order to provide better impedance matching over some signal bandwidth.