VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OPTICAL DIRECTIONAL COUPLER

• US 20160085136A1
• Filed: 12/08/2015
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Optical Communications LLC (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Corning Optical Communications Wireless Ltd. (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Reuven, Rami
• Granted Patent: US 9,715,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2808 using a mixing element which evenly distributes an input signal over a number of outputs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/313 in an optical waveguide structure
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3132 of directional coupler type
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/16 series; tandem

Abstract

A voltage controlled optical directional coupler (VCODC) having a coupling ratio that can be adjusted to any desired value through voltage tuning is disclosed. The VCODC may include a first optical hybrid coupler and a second optical hybrid coupler, which may be coupled with each other via one or more voltage controlled optical elements having a variable transparency depending on a voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements. The VCODC may be configured to divert a portion of optical power received to a trunk input of the VCODC to a tap output of the VCODC based on the variable coupling ratio of the VCODC, which may be dependent on the variable transparency of the one or more voltage controlled optical elements.

Claims

1. A voltage controlled optical directional coupler, comprising:

a first optical hybrid coupler comprising a trunk input;

a second optical hybrid coupler coupled with a tap output; and

one or more voltage controlled optical elements configured to couple the first optical hybrid coupler to the second optical hybrid coupler, the one or more voltage controlled optical elements having a variable transparency depending on a voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements;

wherein the voltage controlled optical directional coupler is configured to divert a portion of optical power received to the trunk input to the tap output based on a variable coupling ratio of the voltage controlled optical directional coupler, the variable coupling ratio being dependent on the variable transparency of the one or more voltage controlled optical elements.

2. The voltage controlled optical directional coupler of claim 1, wherein the one or more voltage controlled optical elements comprise one or more voltage controlled optical reflectors.

3. The voltage controlled optical directional coupler of claim 1, further comprising:

a control loop configured to adjust the variable coupling ratio of the voltage controlled optical directional coupler to achieve a target optical power at the tap output (P_{OPT TAP}) by tuning the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements in an instance in which an observed P_{OPT TAP} is not equal to the target P_{OPT TAP}.

4. The voltage controlled optical directional coupler of claim 3, wherein the control loop comprises:

a sensor configured to generate a correction signal indicative of the observed P_{OPT TAP}; and

a voltage controller configured to tune the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements based at least in part on the correction signal.

5. The voltage controlled optical directional coupler of claim 4, wherein the correction signal comprises a correction voltage, and wherein the voltage controller is configured to tune the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements based at least in part on a relationship between the correction voltage and a threshold voltage corresponding to the target P_{OPT TAP}.

6. The voltage controlled optical directional coupler of claim 5, wherein the voltage controller comprises a loop filter.

7. The voltage controlled optical directional coupler of claim 4, wherein the sensor comprises a photodiode, the photodiode being positioned to be illuminated by output from the tap output and being configured to generate a correction voltage based on illumination from the tap output, and wherein the correction signal comprises the correction voltage generated by the photodiode.

8. The voltage controlled optical directional coupler of claim 3, wherein the control loop is configured to tune the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements to increase transparency of the one or more voltage controlled optical elements in an instance in which the observed P_{OPT TAP} is less than the target P_{OPT TAP}.

9. The voltage controlled optical directional coupler of claim 3, wherein the control loop is configured to tune the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements to decrease transparency of the one or more voltage controlled optical elements in an instance in which the observed P_{OPT TAP} is greater than the target P_{OPT TAP}.

10. A method for operating a voltage controlled optical directional coupler comprising:

a first optical hybrid coupler comprising a trunk input; and

a second optical hybrid coupler coupled with a tap output of the voltage controlled optical directional coupler, the first optical hybrid coupler being coupled with the second optical hybrid coupler via one or more voltage controlled optical elements having a variable transparency depending on a voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements, the method comprising;

setting a target optical power at the tap output (P_{OPT TAP}) for the voltage controlled optical directional coupler, wherein a portion of optical power received to the trunk input is diverted to the tap output based on a variable coupling ratio of the voltage controlled optical directional coupler, the variable coupling ratio being dependent on the variable transparency of the one or more voltage controlled optical elements;

observing an actual P_{OPT TAP},

determining whether the actual P_{OPT TAP} is equal to the target P_{OPT TAP}, and

adjusting the variable coupling ratio of the voltage controlled optical directional coupler to achieve the target P_{OPT TAP} by tuning the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements in an instance in which the actual P_{OPT TAP} is not equal to the target P_{OPT TAP}.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting the variable coupling ratio of the voltage controlled optical directional coupler comprises:

tuning the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements to increase transparency of the one or more voltage controlled optical elements in an instance in which the actual P_{OPT TAP} is less than the target P_{OPT TAP}; and

tuning the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements to decrease transparency of the one or more voltage controlled optical elements in an instance in which the actual P_{OPT TAP} is greater than the target P_{OPT TAP}.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein:

observing the actual P_{OPT TAP} comprises a sensor detecting the actual P_{OPT TAP} and generating a correction signal indicative of the actual P_{OPT TAP}; and

adjusting the variable coupling ratio of the voltage controlled optical directional coupler comprises a voltage controller tuning the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements based at least in part on the correction signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the correction signal comprises a correction voltage, and wherein adjusting the variable coupling ratio of the voltage controlled optical directional coupler comprises the voltage controller tuning the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements based at least in part on a relationship between the correction voltage and a threshold voltage corresponding to the target P_{OPT TAP}.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein:

setting the target P_{OPT TAP} comprises providing a target voltage corresponding to the target P_{OPT TAP} to a control loop; and

adjusting the variable coupling ratio of the voltage controlled optical directional coupler comprises the control loop tuning the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein setting the target P_{OPT TAP} comprises processing circuitry setting the target P_{OPT TAP} for the voltage controlled optical directional coupler.

16. A system comprising:

a voltage controlled optical directional coupler comprising;

a first optical hybrid coupler comprising a trunk input;

a second optical hybrid coupler coupled with a tap output; and

one or more voltage controlled optical elements configured to couple the first optical hybrid coupler to the second optical hybrid coupler, the one or more voltage controlled optical elements having a variable transparency depending on a voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements;

wherein the voltage controlled optical directional coupler is configured to divert a portion of optical power received to the trunk input to the tap output based on a variable coupling ratio of the voltage controlled optical directional coupler, the variable coupling ratio being dependent on the variable transparency of the one or more voltage controlled optical elements;

a control loop configured to adjust the variable coupling ratio of the voltage controlled optical directional coupler to achieve a target optical power at the tap output (P_{OPT TAP}) by tuning the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements in an instance in which an observed P_{OPT TAP} is not equal to the target P_{OPT TAP}; and

processing circuitry configured to set the target P_{OPT TAP}.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the control loop is configured to:

tune the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements to increase transparency of the one or more voltage controlled optical elements in an instance in which the observed P_{OPT TAP} is less than the target P_{OPT TAP}; and

tune the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements to decrease transparency of the one or more voltage controlled optical elements in an instance in which the observed P_{OPT TAP} is greater than the target P_{OPT TAP}.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the control loop comprises:

a sensor configured to generate a correction signal indicative of the observed P_{OPT TAP}; and

a voltage controller configured to tune the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements based at least in part on the correction signal.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the correction signal comprises a correction voltage, and wherein:

the processing circuitry is configured to set a threshold voltage corresponding to the target P_{OPT TAP}, and

the voltage controller is configured to tune the voltage applied to the one or more voltage controlled optical elements based at least in part on a relationship between the correction voltage and the threshold voltage.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the sensor comprises a photodiode, the photodiode being positioned to be illuminated by output from the tap output and being configured to generate the correction voltage based on illumination from the tap output.