Optical differential group delay module with folded optical path

• US 7,723,670 B1
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Luna Innovations, Inc.
• Original Assignee: General Photonics Corporation (General Cable Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Xiaojun, Yao, Xiaotian Steve, Yan, Lianshan
• Primary Examiner(s): Sohn; Seung C
• Application Number:
  US12/055,685
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 250/225, 359/124, 359/156, 359/246, 359/251
• US Class Current: 250/225
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2713 cascade of polarisation selective or adjusting operations
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0136 for the control of polarisation, e.g. state of polarisation [SOP] control, polarisation scrambling, TE-TM mode conversion or separation G02F1/0353 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/07951 Monitoring or measuring chromatic dispersion or PMD

Abstract

Differential group delay (DGD) devices and techniques based on folded optical paths. An in-line polarization monitor can be provided as a feedback for worst-case alignment without using an in-line polarizer. Polarization maintaining retro reflectors can minimize the introduced higher-order polarization effects caused by reflections between folding mirrors or prisms in conventional schemes.

Claims

1. An optical differential group delay (DGD) device, comprising:

an input optical port to receive light;

an output optical port to output light;

polarization maintaining retro-reflectors located relative to the input and output optical ports to form a folded optical path that directs light from the input optical port to the output optical port via the polarization maintaining retro-reflectors;

a polarization monitor in the folded optical path to monitor polarization of light;

a plurality of polarization rotators in the folded optical path; and

a plurality of birefringent elements in the folded optical path and separated by the polarization rotators.

2. The device as in claim 1, wherein the polarization monitor comprises:

a partial beam splitter to couple part of the input light out of the folded optical path for monitoring the optical polarization;

a linear polarizer aligned at a relative 45-degree; and

a photodetector to detect the coupled light after the linear polarizer.

3. The device as in claim 1, wherein the polarization monitor comprises:

four partial beam splitters to couple part of the input light into four different paths out of the folded optical path;

a 0-degree polarizer in one path of the coupled light output;

a 90-degree polarizer in one path of the coupled light output;

a relative 45-degree polarizer in one path of the coupled light output;

a quarter waveplate followed by a relative 45-degree polarizer in one path of the coupled light output; and

four photodetectors that are respectively located in the four paths to detect optical power after a respective polarizer or waveplate.

4. The device as in claim 1, wherein the polarization monitor comprises:

a partial beam splitter to couple part of the input light out of the folded optical path;

a quarter waveplate to receive the coupled light;

a linear polarizer oriented at a 45-degree angle relative to the quarter waveplate to receive light from the quarter waveplate; and

a photodetector to detect the coupled light after the linear polarizer.

5. The device as in claim 1, wherein the polarization monitor comprises:

two partial beam splitters to couple part of the input light out of the folded optical path into first and second different optical paths,

wherein the first optical path comprises;

a 0-degree linear polarizer to receive the coupled light from a respective partial beam splitter, and

a photodetector to detect light after the linear polarizer; and

wherein the second optical path comprises;

a 90-degree linear polarizer to receive light from a respective partial beam splitter, and

a photodetector to detect light after the linear polarizer.

6. The device as in claim 1, wherein the birefringent elements and rotators are arranged to maximize the symmetry of the folded optical path in terms of path length.

7. The device as in claim 1, the polarization maintaining retro-reflectors comprise:

a first mirror to reflect received light;

a second mirror with a plane of incidence perpendicular to a plane of incidence of the first mirror to reflect the light from the first mirror;

a third mirror to reflect the light from the second mirror; and

a fourth mirror with a plane of incidence perpendicular to a plane of the incidence of the third mirror to reflect the light from the third mirror and change a polarization of the reflected back to a polarization of the light initially incident the first mirror.

8. The device as in claim 1, the polarization maintaining retro-reflectors comprise:

a first prism having a hypotenuse facet to reflect incident light received by the first prism; and

a second prism having a hypotenuse facet oriented at 45 degrees to the hypotenuse facet of the first prism to reflect light from the first prism through its two legs back to the hypotenuse facet of the first prism.

9. The device as in claim 1, the polarization maintaining retro-reflectors comprise:

a first reflection mirror to reflect an input signal;

a first polarization rotator to rotate the reflected light;

a second reflection mirror to reflect the rotated light; and

a second polarization rotator to rotate the reflected light after the second mirror and change the polarization back to original.

10. The device as in claim 9, wherein the second polarization rotator is shared with one of the polarization rotators for DGD generation.

11. The device as in claim 1, the polarization maintaining retro-reflectors comprise:

a first reflection surface to reflect an input optical signal;

a second reflection surface to reflect the optical signal from the first reflection surface and positioned to be aligned such that the incidence planes of the first and second reflection surfaces are perpendicular to each other with equal angles of incidence;

a third reflection surface to reflect the optical signal from the second reflection surface and positioned to be aligned such that the incidence planes of the second and the third reflection surfaces are perpendicular to each other with equal angles of incidence; and

a fourth reflection surface to reflect the optical signal from the third reflection surface in an output optical polarization identical to an input optical polarization when the optical signal is incident to the first reflection surface, wherein the fourth reflection surface is aligned so that the incidence planes of the third and the fourth reflection surfaces are perpendicular to each other with equal angles of incidence.

19. The device as in claim 1, wherein the birefringent elements in the folded optical path are arranged to place a first birefringent element having a DGD value greater than a DGD value of any other birefringent elements closer to the input optical port than any other birefringent elements.

12. An optical differential group delay (DGD) device, comprising:

an input and output panel;

an input optical port that is located on the input and output panel and receives input light;

an output optical port that is located on the input and output panel and outputs light;

a polarization maintaining retro-reflection module that receives light directed from the input optical port along a first optical path and reflects the received light towards the output optical port along a second optical path while maintaining polarization of the received light, wherein the input optical port, the polarization maintaining retro-reflection module, and the output optical port form a folded optical path;

one or more first optical birefringent elements of varying lengths spatially separated from one another and located in series in the first optical path which directs light from the input optical port to the polarization maintaining retro-reflection module;

one or more first optical polarization rotators or polarization controllers placed in the first optical path and spatially interleaved with the one or more first optical birefringent elements so that each first optical polarization rotator or polarization controller is adjacent to at least one first birefringent element and is not adjacent to another first optical polarization rotator or polarization controller;

one or more second optical birefringent elements of varying lengths spatially separated from one another and located in series in the second optical path which directs light from the polarization maintaining retro-reflection module to the output optical port; and

one or more second optical polarization rotators or polarization controllers placed in the second optical path and spatially interleaved with the one or more second optical birefringent elements so that each second optical polarization rotator or polarization controller is adjacent to at least one second birefringent element and is not adjacent to another second optical polarization rotator or polarization controller, wherein the first and second optical birefringent elements and the first and second optical polarization rotators or polarization controllers produce a variable DGD in the light output at the output optical port.

13. The device as in claim 12, comprising a polarization monitor device placed in one of the first and second optical paths to monitor a polarization of light.

14. The device as in claim 13, comprising a feedback control that uses a monitored signal from the polarization monitor device to control the first and second optical birefringent elements and the first and second optical polarization rotators or polarization controllers.

15. The device as in claim 12, wherein the polarization maintaining retro-reflection module comprises:

a first reflection surface to reflect an input optical signal;

a second reflection surface to reflect the optical signal from the first reflection surface and positioned to be aligned such that the incidence planes of the first and second reflection surfaces are perpendicular to each other with equal angles of incidence;

a third reflection surface to reflect the optical signal from the second reflection surface and positioned to be aligned such that the incidence planes of the second and the third reflection surfaces are perpendicular to each other with equal angles of incidence; and

a fourth reflection surface to reflect the optical signal from the third reflection surface in an output optical polarization identical to an input optical polarization when the optical signal is incident to the first reflection surface, wherein the fourth reflection surface is aligned so that the incidence planes of the third and the fourth reflection surfaces are perpendicular to each other with equal angles of incidence.

16. The device as in claim 15, wherein the polarization maintaining retro-reflection module comprises a first prism that supports the first and second reflection surfaces and a second prism that supports the third and fourth reflection surfaces.

17. The device as in claim 12, the polarization maintaining retro-reflection module comprises:

a first reflection mirror to reflect an input signal;

a first polarization rotator to rotate the reflected light;

a second reflection mirror to reflect the rotated light; and

a second polarization rotator to rotate the reflected light after the second mirror and change the polarization back to original.

18. The device as in claim 12, wherein the one or more first birefringent elements in the first optical path of the folded optical path are arranged to place a selected first birefringent element having a DGD value greater than a DGD value of any other birefringent elements closer to the input optical port than any other birefringent elements so that the input light enters the selected first birefringent element first before entering other birefringent elements.

20. An optical differential group delay (DGD) device, comprising:

a housing comprising an input and output panel;

an input optical port formed on the input and output panel to receive input light;

an output optical port formed on the input and output panel to export output light;

a first optical path located inside the housing and having a first receiving end linked to the input optical port to receive the received input light and a first output end;

a second optical path located inside the housing and having a second receiving end and a second output end linked to the to the output optical port, the second optical path spatially overlapping with at least a portion of the first optical path;

a polarization maintaining retro-reflection module that is optically coupled to the first output end of the first optical path to receive light from the first optical path and is optically coupled to the second receiving end of the second optical path to direct light from the first optical path into the second optical path while maintaining polarization of the light, wherein the input optical port, the first optical path, the polarization maintaining retro-reflection module, the second optical path and the output optical port form a folded optical path;

a plurality of optical birefringent elements of varying lengths spatially separated from one another and located in series in the first and second optical paths inside the housing, the birefringent elements including a first birefringent element having a DGD value greater than a DGD value of any other birefringent elements and the first birefringent element located closer to the input optical port than any other birefringent elements;

one or more optical polarization rotators or polarization controllers placed in the first and second optical paths inside the housing and spatially interleaved with the optical birefringent elements so that each optical polarization rotator or polarization controller is adjacent to at least one birefringent element and is not adjacent to another optical polarization rotator or polarization controller, wherein the optical birefringent elements and the optical polarization rotators or polarization controllers collectively produce a variable DGD in the light output at the output optical port.