Optical amplifiers

• US 6,628,853 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2001
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nortel Networks UK Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bookham Incorporated (Oclaro (North America), Inc.)
• Inventors: Cordina, Kevin J
• Primary Examiner(s): Palmer, Phan T. H.
• Application Number:
  US10/024,994
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 385/14, 385/15, 385/24, 385/27, 385/37, 385/46, 385/129, 359/160, 359/134, 359/337, 359/341.7, 372/6, 372/32, 372/50, 372/96
• US Class Current: 385/14
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/063 Waveguide lasers, i.e. whereby the dimensions of the waveguide are of the order of the light wavelength waveguide gas lasers H01S3/0315
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0941 of a laser diode
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/178 plastic
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/2308 Amplifier arrangements, e.g. MOPA
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/2383 Parallel arrangements

Abstract

An optical amplifier is constituted by a planar waveguide having an optical core intersected by a transverse trench occupied by a polymeric optically amplifying medium. An optical pump for the amplifier is provided by a laser diode positioned to direct its emission, transversely with respect to the waveguide axis, into the polymer.

Claims

1. An optical amplifier having an optical input port optically coupled with an optical output port via an optical waveguide having an optical core intersected by a transverse trench occupied by a polymeric optically amplifying medium.

2. An optical amplifier as claimed in claim 1, the waveguide of which amplifier is a planar waveguide forming a monolithic structure with one or more waveguides of an integrated optics structure.

3. An optical amplifier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the integrated optics structure is a passive integrated optics structure.

4. An optical amplifier as claimed in claim 3, wherein the integrated optics structure is a wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer.

5. An optical amplifier as claimed in claim 2, wherein the integrated optics structure includes at least one active non-amplifying component.

6. An optical amplifier as claimed in claim 1, which amplifier additionally incorporates an optical pump optically pumped with the polymeric optically amplifying medium via a further waveguide terminating in a side-wall of the trench.

7. An optical amplifier as claimed in claim 6, wherein the optical waveguide having an optical core intersected by the transverse trench is one of a set of at least two waveguide having an optical core intersected by the transverse trench.

8. An optical amplifier as claimed in claim 1, the core of whose waveguide is intersected optically by at least one further transverse trench occupied by a polymeric optically amplifying medium.

9. An optical amplifier as claimed in claim 8, each transverse trench occupied by a polymeric optically amplifying medium is provided with an associated pump laser diode.

10. An optical amplifier as claimed in claim 1, which amplifier additionally incorporates a pump laser diode positioned to direct light into the polymer in the trench transversely with respect to the waveguide axis.

11. A method of making an optical amplifier including the step of constructing an optical waveguide having a filamentary optical core extending from an input port of the amplifier to an output port thereof, the step of forming a transverse trench in the optical waveguide to intersect its optical core, and the step of depositing an optically amplifying polymer in said trench.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, and further including the step of locating a diode pump laser with respect to the trench so that its laser emission is directed, transversely with respect to the filamentary optical core, into the polymer in the trench.