Optical modulator and optical module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10268099-B2
Application number	US-201715679672-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2017
Priority date	Oct 31, 2016
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

An optical modulator connected to a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber arranged in parallel includes an optical-path changing unit that redirects light emerging from a tip of the first optical fiber toward a tip of the second optical fiber and an optical modulation chip that modulates the light redirected by the optical-path changing unit and outputs a light beam obtained by modulating the light to a tip of the second optical fiber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical modulator connected to a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber arranged in parallel, the optical modulator comprising:
an optical-path changing unit that redirects light emerging from a tip of the first optical fiber toward a tip of the second optical fiber; and
an optical modulation chip that is disposed on an extended line of the tip of the second optical fiber not to cross an extended line of the tip of the first optical fiber, modulates the light redirected by the optical-path changing unit, and outputs a light beam obtained by modulating the light to the tip of the second optical fiber.

2. The optical modulator according to claim 1 , wherein the optical modulation chip includes
a substrate having a first facet that faces the optical-path changing unit, and
an optical waveguide formed on the substrate, wherein the optical waveguide modulates the light redirected by the optical-path changing unit while causing the light to propagate from the first facet of the substrate to a second facet on a side opposite from the first facet along a longitudinal direction of the substrate and outputs the light beam obtained by modulating the light from the second facet to the tip of the second optical fiber.

3. The optical modulator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first ferrule that accommodates the tip of the first optical fiber;
a second ferrule that accommodates the tip of the second optical fiber; and
a package that houses the optical modulation chip, the optical-path changing unit, the first ferrule, and the second ferrule.

4. The optical modulator according to claim 3 , wherein
the package has, on one side of the package, a side wall having a through passage formed therethrough, and
the first ferrule and the second ferrule are housed in the package by being inserted inside the package through the through passage.

5. The optical modulator according to claim 3 , wherein the first ferrule and the second ferrule are integrally formed into a component.

6. An optical module comprising the optical modulator according to claim 1 .

7. An optical modulator connected to a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber arranged in parallel, the optical modulator comprising:
an optical modulation chip that is disposed on an extended line of the tip of the first optical fiber not to cross an extended line of the tip of the second optical fiber, modulates light emerging from a tip of the first optical fiber, and outputs a light beam obtained by modulating the light; and
an optical-path changing unit that redirects the light beam output from the optical modulation chip toward a tip of the second optical fiber.

8. The optical modulator according to claim 7 , wherein the optical modulation chip includes
a substrate having a first facet that faces the tip of the first optical fiber, and
an optical waveguide formed on the substrate, wherein the optical waveguide modulates the light emerging from the tip of the first optical fiber while causing the light to propagate from the first facet of the substrate to a second facet on a side opposite from the first facet along a longitudinal direction of the substrate and outputs the light beam obtained by modulating the light from the second facet to the optical-path changing unit.

9. The optical modulator according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a first ferrule that accommodates the tip of the first optical fiber;
a second ferrule that accommodates the tip of the second optical fiber; and
a package that houses the optical modulation chip, the optical-path changing unit, the first ferrule, and the second ferrule.

10. The optical modulator according to claim 7 , wherein
the package has, on one side of the package, a side wall having a through passage formed therethrough, and
the first ferrule and the second ferrule are housed in the package by being inserted inside the package through the through passage.

11. The optical modulator according to claim 7 , wherein the first ferrule and the second ferrule are integrally formed into a component.

12. An optical module comprising the optical modulator according to claim 7 .

Assignees

• Fujitsu Optical Components Ltd

Inventors

• Doi Masaharu
• Maruyama Shinji
• Kubota Yoshinobu

Classifications

• G06F13/4282

  on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus (on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247) · CPC title

• H04B10/505

  using external modulation · CPC title

• G02F1/3521

  using a directional coupler · CPC title

• G02B6/2706

  as bulk elements, i.e. free space arrangements external to a light guide, e.g. polarising beam splitters · CPC title

• G02F1/3131 Primary

  in optical fibres · CPC title