Optical amplifying system and method of controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10148061-B2
Application number	US-201715704476-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2017
Priority date	Sep 15, 2016
Publication date	Dec 4, 2018
Grant date	Dec 4, 2018

Abstract

An optical amplifying system is disclosed. The optical amplifying system includes a thermo-electric cooler (TEC), and a semiconductor laser diode (LD) mounted on the TEC. The semiconductor LD generating a modulated optical signal with a wavelength that depends on the temperature of the LD as controlled by the TEC. The optical amplifying system further includes a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) that amplifies the modulated optical signal. A feature of the optical amplifying system is that the temperature of the SOA is higher than that of LD.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical amplifying system, comprising:
a thermoelectric cooler (TEC);
a semiconductor laser diode mounted on the TEC, the semiconductor laser diode generating a modulated optical signal with a wavelength depending on a temperature of the semiconductor laser diode as controlled by the TEC;
a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) that amplifies the modulated optical signal output from the semiconductor laser diode; and
another TEC that mounts the SOA A thereon,
wherein the another TEC sets a temperature of the SOA higher than the temperature of the semiconductor laser diode.

2. The optical amplifying system of claim 1 ,
wherein the SOA is supplied with a driving current that raises the temperature of the SOA.

3. An optical amplifying system comprising:
a thermo-electric cooler (TEC);
a semiconductor laser diode mounted on the TEC, the semiconductor laser diode generating a modulated optical signal with wavelength depending on a temperature of the semiconductor laser diode as controlled by the TEC, the semiconductor laser diode including a gain region that generates laser light with the wavelength, and a modulating region that modulates the laser light generated in the gain region to provide a modulated optical signal; and
a semiconductor optical amplifier the amplifies the modulated optical signal output from the semiconductor laser diode,
wherein the SOA is integrated with the semiconductor laser diode and in front of the modulating region, the SOA and the gain region sandwiching the modulating region therebetween,
wherein the gain region and the modulating region are mounted on the TEC but the SOA overhangs from the TEC, and
wherein the SOA has a temperature thereof higher than the temperature of the semiconductor laser diode.

4. The optical amplifying system of claim 3 ,
wherein the semiconductor laser diode further integrates a waveguide region between the modulating region and the SOA, the waveguide region having a portion overlapping with the TEC and a rest portion overhanging from the TEC.

5. The optical amplifying system of claim 4 ,
further including another TEC that mounts the SOA and a portion of the rest portion of the waveguide region,
wherein the another TEC sets the temperature of the SOA higher than the temperature of the gain region and the modulating region of the semiconductor laser diode.

Assignees

• Sedi Inc

Inventors

• Honda Masahiro

Classifications

• H01S5/50

  Amplifier structures not provided for in groups H01S5/02 - H01S5/30 · CPC title

• H01S5/022 Primary

  Mountings; Housings · CPC title

• H01S5/02446

  Cooling being separate from the laser chip cooling · CPC title

• H01S5/0265

  Intensity modulators (intra-cavity modulators H01S5/0625) · CPC title

• H01S5/0683

  by monitoring the optical output parameters · CPC title