Planar lightwave filter with mixed diffraction elements
First Claim
1. A planar lightwave circuit device comprising:
- a slab waveguide including a core region;
a first port for launching a first input optical signal into the slab waveguide;
a second port optically coupled with the first port for outputting at least a first portion of the input optical signal from the slab waveguide;
a third port optically coupled to the first port;
a first planar filter formed in the slab waveguide for redirecting the first portion of the input optical signal to the second port; and
a concave reflective element having optical power formed in an end wall of the slab waveguide optically coupling the first port to the third port and enabling light to be focused therebetweenwherein the first filter comprises a concave distributed Bragg reflector for redirecting and refocusing the first portion of the first input optical signal to the second port; and
wherein the reflective element comprises a concave diffraction grating formed in the end wall of the slab waveguide for filtering and refocusing at least one wavelength channel between the first and third ports.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A planar lightwave circuit including a slab waveguide, with a plurality of different diffraction filtering elements optically coupling a plurality of input and output ports, provides various optical functionalities including multiplexing, demultiplexing, diplexer and triplexer. In the basic configuration one or more output ports are optically coupled to an input port via grating filters etching in the cladding of the slab waveguide, and an additional port is optically coupled to the input port via a diffraction grating etched in an endwall of the slab waveguide. A triplexer platform can be provided by optically coupling photo-detectors to two output ports, which receive wavelength channels demultiplexed from an input signal by two cladding etched filters, and by optically coupling a laser to another input port, which launches an outgoing laser signal at the endwall etched grating filter for coupling into the same fiber that launched the original input signal.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A planar lightwave circuit device comprising:
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a slab waveguide including a core region; a first port for launching a first input optical signal into the slab waveguide; a second port optically coupled with the first port for outputting at least a first portion of the input optical signal from the slab waveguide; a third port optically coupled to the first port; a first planar filter formed in the slab waveguide for redirecting the first portion of the input optical signal to the second port; and a concave reflective element having optical power formed in an end wall of the slab waveguide optically coupling the first port to the third port and enabling light to be focused therebetween wherein the first filter comprises a concave distributed Bragg reflector for redirecting and refocusing the first portion of the first input optical signal to the second port; and wherein the reflective element comprises a concave diffraction grating formed in the end wall of the slab waveguide for filtering and refocusing at least one wavelength channel between the first and third ports. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A planar lightwave circuit device comprising:
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a slab waveguide including a core region; first port for launching an input optical signal into the slab waveguide; a second port for outputting a first portion of the input optical signal; a first concave distributed Bragg reflector filter formed in the slab waveguide for redirecting and refocusing the first portion of the input optical signal onto the second port, and for passing a second portion of the input optical signal; a third port for outputting the second portion of the input optical signal; and a concave diffraction grating, having an order of zero or higher, formed in an endwall of the slab waveguide for focusing light between the first and third ports. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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18. A wavelength locker comprising:
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a slab waveguide included a core region; a first port for optically coupling to a laser, which launches an input optical signal into the slab waveguide; a first concave distributed Bragg reflector filter formed in the slab waveguide for redirecting and refocusing a first portion of the input optical signal back to the first port for locking the wavelength thereof at a desired wavelength, and for passing a remainder of the input optical signal; a second port optically coupled with the first port for outputting the remainder of the input optical signal from the slab waveguide; and a concave reflective element formed in an end wall of the slab waveguide optically coupling the first port to the third port for redirecting and refocusing the remainder of the input optical signal to the second port; wherein the reflective element comprises a concave diffraction grating for filtering out unwanted portions of the remainder of the input optical signal.
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Specification