OPTICAL RECEIVER CIRCUIT AND ADJUSTMENT METHOD FOR SAME

• US 20170099110A1
• Filed: 12/20/2016
• Published: 04/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujikura Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujikura Limited
• Inventors: OGAWA, Kensuke
• Granted Patent: US 10,014,953 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12147 Coupler
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/1215 Splitter
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/125 Bends, branchings or intersections
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/126 using polarisation effects G02B6/1226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2766 Manipulating the plane of polarisation from one input polarisation to another output polarisation, e.g. polarisation rotators, linear to circular polarisation converters
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2773 Polarisation splitting or combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/613 including phase diversity, e.g., having in-phase and quadrature branches, as in QPSK coherent receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/614 comprising one or more polarization beam splitters, e.g. polarization multiplexed [PolMux] X-PSK coherent receivers, polarization diversity heterodyne coherent receivers H04J14/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/64 Heterodyne , i.e. coherent receivers where, after the opto-electronic conversion, an electrical signal at an intermediate frequency [IF] is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/06 Polarisation multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0048 Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver

Abstract

An optical receiver circuit includes: a substrate; and an optical waveguide device that is formed on the substrate. The optical waveguide device includes: a first optical splitter section branching the signal light into a first signal light propagation waveguide and a second signal light propagation waveguide and; a second optical splitter section branching the local-oscillator light into a first local-oscillator light propagation waveguide and a second local-oscillator light propagation waveguide; a first optical coupler section that combines the signal light propagating through the first signal light propagation waveguide and the local-oscillator light propagating through the first local-oscillator light propagation waveguide with each other; a second optical coupler section that combines the signal light propagating through the second signal light propagation waveguide and the local-oscillator light propagating through the second local-oscillator light propagation waveguide with each other.

Claims

1. An optical receiver circuit comprising:

a substrate; and

an optical waveguide device that is formed on the substrate, wherein the optical waveguide device comprises;

a first optical splitter section in which signal light propagates, the first optical splitter section branching the signal light into a first signal light propagation waveguide and a second signal light propagation waveguide and;

a second optical splitter section in which local-oscillator light propagates, the second optical splitter section branching the local-oscillator light into a first local-oscillator light propagation waveguide and a second local-oscillator light propagation waveguide;

a first optical coupler section that combines the signal light propagating through the first signal light propagation waveguide and the local-oscillator light propagating through the first local-oscillator light propagation waveguide with each other, and makes the signal light and the local-oscillator light interfere with each other;

a second optical coupler section that combines the signal light propagating through the second signal light propagation waveguide and the local-oscillator light propagating through the second local-oscillator light propagation waveguide with each other, and makes the signal light and the local-oscillator light interfere with each other;

at least one first optical receiver unit that receives output light from the first optical coupler section;

at least one second optical receiver unit that receives output light from the second optical coupler section; and

a phase adjustment unit that is arranged in at least one of the first local-oscillator light propagation waveguide and the second local-oscillator light propagation waveguide, wherein

the first optical splitter section and the second optical splitter section are disposed so that a propagation direction of the local-oscillator light in the second optical splitter section is set to be a direction opposite to a propagation direction of the signal light in the first optical splitter section, wherein

the first optical coupler section and the second optical coupler section are disposed so that a propagation direction of the output light in the second optical coupler section is set to be a direction same as a propagation direction of the output light in the first optical coupler section, and wherein

all waveguides for propagating at least one of the signal light and the local-oscillator light in the optical waveguide device are arranged so as not to overlap with each other with respect to the substrate when seen in a plan view.

2. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the first local-oscillator light propagation waveguide passes through a lateral side of the first optical coupler section and is then connected to the first optical coupler section through a 180-degree bent portion, and wherein

the second local-oscillator light propagation waveguide passes through a lateral side of the second optical coupler section and is then connected to the second optical coupler section through a 180-degree bent portion.

3. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 2, wherein

the second optical splitter section is arranged on a side opposite to the first optical coupler section and the second optical coupler section with respect to the first optical receiver unit and the second optical receiver unit.

4. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:

an electrode that is provided on the optical waveguide device and propagates an electric signal which is output from each of the first optical receiver unit and the second optical receiver unit.

5. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 4,

wherein a part of the waveguide included in the optical waveguide device and the first and second optical splitter sections passes below the electrode.

6. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the optical waveguide device includes a polarization splitting circuit at a front stage of the first optical splitter section.

7. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 6, wherein

the polarization splitting circuit comprises a polarization splitting unit that is configured to split basic-order TE polarization and TM polarization from incident polarization multiplexed light, and a polarization rotation unit that is configured to rotate the TM polarization to the TE polarization.

8. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 6, wherein

the polarization splitting circuit comprises a polarization rotation unit that is configured to convert basic-order TM polarization into high-order TE polarization in incident polarization multiplexed light, and a polarization splitting unit that is configured to split basic-order TE polarization and high-order TE polarization from each other.

9. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 6, wherein

the optical waveguide device comprises

two sets of processing units each of which is constituted by the first optical splitter section, the second optical splitter section, the first optical coupler section, the second optical coupler section, the first optical receiver unit, the second optical receiver unit, and the phase adjustment unit;

a first connection waveguide, connected to the first optical splitter section, which is configured to propagate two polarizations split by the polarization splitting circuit to the different processing units,

a second connection waveguide, connected to the second optical splitter section, which is configured to propagate the local-oscillator light to the different processing units,

a signal light input waveguide that is configured to propagate the signal light from a location where the signal light is incident on the optical waveguide device to the polarization splitting circuit,

a local-oscillator light input waveguide that is configured to propagate the local-oscillator light from a location where the local-oscillator light is incident on the optical waveguide device, and

an optical splitter section that branches the local-oscillator light propagating through the local-oscillator light input waveguide into two second connection waveguides.

10. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the optical waveguide device comprises a core formed of silicon and a clad formed of silica.

11. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 1, wherein

a waveguide for propagating the local-oscillator light includes a 90-degree bent portion at one or two locations between a first location where the local-oscillator light is incident on the optical waveguide device and a second location where the waveguide connected to a first arranged optical splitter section.

12. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:

an application unit that is configured to apply a frequency shift with respect to continuous incident light to the continuous local-oscillator light; and

a detection unit that is configured to generate a heterodyne beat by making the incident light and the local-oscillator light, having the frequency shift applied thereto, interfere with each other, to thereby detect a phase of the heterodyne beat by setting either an output electric signal which is output from the first optical receiver unit or an output electric signal which is output from the second optical receiver unit as a reference signal and setting the other output electric signal different from the reference signal as an input signal, wherein

the optical receiver circuit is configured to adjust a phase difference between the local-oscillator light incident on the first optical coupler section and the local-oscillator light incident on the second optical coupler section to π

/2 by keeping the phase at π

/2.

13. The optical receiver circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the optical receiver circuit is connected to a control substrate, having a memory for recording a setting value of a current or a voltage to be applied to the phase adjustment unit at the time of adjusting a phase difference between the local-oscillator light incident on the first optical coupler section and the local-oscillator light incident on the second optical coupler section to π

/2, mounted thereon.

14. A method of adjusting the optical receiver circuit according to claim 1, the method comprising:

applying a frequency shift with respect to continuous incident light to the continuous local-oscillator light;

generating a heterodyne beat by making the incident light and the local-oscillator light, having the frequency shift applied thereto, interfere with each other;

detecting a phase of the heterodyne beat by setting either an output electric signal which is output from the first optical receiver unit or an output electric signal which is output from the second optical receiver unit as a reference signal and setting the other output electric signal different from the reference signal as an input signal; and

adjusting a phase difference between the local-oscillator light incident on the first optical coupler section and the local-oscillator light incident on the second optical coupler section to π

/2 by keeping the phase at π

/2.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

recording a setting value of a current or a voltage to be applied to the phase adjustment unit at the time of adjusting a phase difference between the local-oscillator light incident on the first optical coupler section and the local-oscillator light incident on the second optical coupler section to π

/2, in a memory