Increased processing efficiency for optical spectral analyzers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10295406-B2
Application number	US-201715638829-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2017
Priority date	Jun 30, 2017
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

An optical spectral analyzer for measuring an optical multi-channel signal by separating the multi-channel signal and measuring a plurality of single-channel signals simultaneously. The spectral analyzer can include a demultiplexer configured to receive the multi-channel signal. The multi-channel signal can be a multi-channel wavelength range. The demultiplexer can separate the multi-channel signal into the plurality of single-channel signals including a first single-channel signal and a second single-channel signal. The spectral analyzer can include a plurality of optical paths. The plurality of optical paths can include a plurality of respective detectors for measuring an optical power of the respective single-channel signals. The detectors can convert the optical power of the respective single-channel signals to corresponding electrical signals. In some examples, the spectral analyzer includes a controller configured to obtain the plurality of respective electrical signals simultaneously to correspondingly detect the optical power of the multi-channel signal across the multi-channel wavelength range.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical spectral analyzer for measuring an optical multi-channel signal by separating the multi-channel signal and measuring a plurality of single-channel signals simultaneously, the spectral analyzer comprising:
a demultiplexer configured to receive the multi-channel signal having a multi-channel wavelength range and to separate the multi-channel signal into the plurality of single-channel signals including a first single-channel signal and a second single-channel signal;
a plurality of optical paths including:
a first optical path including a first tunable filter to receive the first single-channel signal and generate first individual wavelength segments and a first detector to measure an optical power of the first individual wavelength segments and convert the optical power of the first single-channel signal to a first electrical signal;
a second optical path including a second tunable filter to receive the second single-channel signal and generate second individual wavelength segments and a second detector to measure an optical power of the second individual wavelength segments and convert the optical power of the second single-channel signal to a second electrical signal; and
a controller that sweeps the first tunable filter from a first lower wavelength limit to a first upper wavelength limit of the first individual wavelength segments and sweeps the second tunable filter from a second lower wavelength limit to a second upper wavelength limit of the second individual wavelength segments,
wherein the first detector includes respective pixels to determine power of respective first individual wavelength segments and the second detector includes respective pixels to determine power of respective second individual wavelength segments, and
wherein the controller is further operable to determine a power of the multi-channel signal based on the power of the respective first individual wavelength segments and the respective second individual wavelength segments.

2. The optical spectral analyzer of claim 1 , wherein the demultiplexer is a coarse width demultiplexer configured to separate the multi-channel signal into three or more single-channel signals, and the optical spectral analyzer includes three or more optical paths.

3. The optical spectral analyzer of claim 1 , wherein the first optical measurement path and the second optical measurement path include optical fiber communicatively coupling the demultiplexer and the respective first detector and second detector.

4. The optical spectral analyzer of claim 1 , wherein a wavelength range of the first single-channel signal is different than a wavelength range of the second single-channel signal.

5. The optical spectral analyzer of claim 1 , wherein the respective single-channel wavelength ranges of the first tunable filter and the second tunable filter are less than the multi-channel wavelength range of the multi-channel signal.

6. The optical spectral analyzer of claim 1 , wherein the first and the second tunable filters are electrically adjustable by a controller.

7. A method for measuring a multichannel signal, the method comprising:
obtaining the multi-channel signal;
separating, by a demultiplexer, the multi-channel signal into a plurality of single-channel signals including a first single-channel signal and a second single-channel signal;
filtering, by a first tunable filter and a second tunable filter, the plurality of respective first and second single-channel signals, individually, to transmit respective first individual wavelength segments and second individual wavelength segments;
sweeping, by a controller, the first tunable filter between a first lower wavelength limit and a first upper wavelength limit of the first individual wavelength segments and sweeping the second tunable filter between a second lower wavelength limit and a second upper wavelength limit of the second individual wavelength segments,
detecting, at a first detector including respective pixels to determine power of respective first individual wavelength segments and a second detector including respective pixels to determine power of respective second individual wavelength segments, at least one wavelength segment of the plurality of wavelength segments simultaneously from the respective first and second single-channel signals to measure the corresponding optical power of the multi-channel signal across the multi-channel wavelength range.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising converting the respective single-channel signals into a plurality of respective electrical signals and obtaining the plurality of electrical signals with the controller.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Detofsky Abram M
• Klehn Brett E

Classifications

• G01J3/0218

  using optical fibers · CPC title

• G01J3/0264

  Electrical interface; User interface · CPC title

• G01J3/0213

  using attenuators · CPC title

• G01J3/2803

  using photoelectric array detector · CPC title

• G01J3/0227

  using notch filters · CPC title