Reconfigurable spectroscopy system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10962718-B2
Application number	US-202016867372-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2020
Priority date	Jul 5, 2017
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

A reconfigurable spectroscopy system comprises tunable lasers and wavelength lockers to lock to accurate reference wavelengths. Band combiners with differently optimized wavelength ranges multiplex the optical signal over the time domain, to emit a plurality of reference wavelengths for spectroscopy applications. The power requirements are greatly reduced by multiplexing over the time domain in time slots which do not affect sampling and receiving of the spectroscopy data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a plurality of tunable lasers generating a plurality of wavelengths;
a plurality of wavelength lockers to reduce wavelength noise from the plurality of wavelengths;
a plurality of band combiners each configured to combine a different wavelength range than other band combiners of the plurality of band combiners;
a broadband combiner receiving outputs of the plurality of band combiners;
a passive splitter configured to split an output of the broadband combiner; and
a plurality of emitters to emit a plurality of reference wavelengths, each emitter receiving an output of the passive splitter.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wavelength lockers comprises a plurality of optical channel monitors located after the plurality of band combiners, and feeding back to the plurality of tunable lasers.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein each optical channel monitor of the plurality of optical channel monitor:
comprises:
one input configured to receive a portion of light from a tunable laser;
an arrayed waveguide grating;
a first photodiode outputting a first current; and
a second photodiode outputting a second current; and

is configured to monitor a ratio of the first current to the second current, to stabilize a target wavelength.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein each band combiner of the plurality of band combiners is configured to operate within a wavelength range of 100 nm.

Assignees

• Rockley Photonics Ltd

Inventors

• Abediasl Hooman
• Nagra Amit Singh
• Rickman Andrew George
• Schrans Thomas Pierre
• Srinivasan Pradeep
• Trita Andrea
• Zilkie Aaron John

Classifications

• G01J3/10

  Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry · CPC title

• G01J3/08

  Beam switching arrangements · CPC title

• G02F1/01

  for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  (G02F1/29, G02F1/35 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B27/00

  Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00 · CPC title

• H01S5/0085

  for modulating the output, i.e. the laser beam is modulated outside the laser cavity · CPC title