Spectrally beam-combined, fiber-based multi-wavelength receiver/transceiver

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11683098-B2
Application number	US-202016929056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2020
Priority date	Jul 14, 2020
Publication date	Jun 20, 2023
Grant date	Jun 20, 2023

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing spectrally beam-combined fiber-based transmitters and/or receivers for laser communications, LiDAR, and similar devices. A transmitter can include a launch array configured to spatially position each output beam of pulsed lasers, a transform optical component to correct deflection of the output beams of the pulsed lasers from the launch array, and a dispersive optical element to combine beams from the transform optical element and generate a spectrally combined beam. A receiver can include spectral comb filters to spectrally discriminate multi-wavelength detected signals from background illumination.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transmitter, comprising:
a plurality of pulsed lasers having respective output beam;
a launch array configured to spatially position each output beam of the pulsed lasers, wherein the launch array comprises a mechanical structure;
a transform optical component to correct deflection of the output beams of the pulsed lasers from the launch array; and
an omnidirectional spectral comb filter to combine the output beams from the transform optical element and generate a spectrally combined beam.

2. The transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein the omnidirectional spectral comb filter comprises a diffraction grating.

3. The transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein the transform optical component comprises a lens.

4. The transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein the pulsed lasers comprise pulsed fiber lasers (PFLs).

5. The transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein each of the pulsed lasers is configured to output a distinct pulse sequence for wavelength-division multiplexing.

6. The transmitter according to claim 5 , wherein each of the pulsed laser output beams are spatially overlapped to propagate as the spectrally combined beam, and wherein each wavelength of the pulsed laser output beams carries a different data stream.

7. The transmitter according to claim 1 , wherein the pulsed laser comprises a pulsed fiber laser having:
a master oscillator;
a light amplitude modulator; and
an optical phase modulator.

8. The transmitter according to claim 7 , wherein the master oscillator comprises a single-frequency laser source.

9. The transmitter according to claim 7 , wherein the light amplitude modulator comprises a Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

10. The transmitter according to claim 7 , wherein the optical phase modulator is configured to encode data streams.

11. The transmitter according to claim 7 , wherein the pulsed fiber laser further comprises:
a fiber-based pre-amplifier coupled to the optical phase modulator; and
a fiber-based power amplifier; and
a filter between the pre-amplifier and the power amplifier,
wherein the power amplifier provides a respective one of the output beams of the pulsed lasers.

12. The transmitter according to claim 11 , wherein the fiber-based pre-amplifier comprises a fiber-coupled diode laser.

13. The transmitter according to claim 11 , wherein the power amplifier is configured to output a Gaussian output signal.

14. A receiver to detect light from a spectrally combined beam (SBC) transmitter, comprising:
an optical element to focus the detected light;
an omnidirectional spectral comb filter to filter the focused light from the optical element, wherein the omnidirectional spectral comb filter includes a plurality of windows each having a respective pass band; and
a photon detector to process received data from the optical element and discriminate the light from the SBC transmitter from spectrally broadband illumination.

15. The receiver according to claim 14 , wherein the omnidirectional spectral comb filter is insensitive to angle of incidence.

16. The receiver according to claim 14 , wherein the photon detector comprises a photomultiplier.

17. The receiver according to claim 14 , wherein the photon detector comprises a focal plane array (FPA).

18. The receiver according to claim 14 , wherein the omnidirectional spectral comb filter comprises an optically transmissive substrate surface coated with a multi-layer dielectric coating.

19. The receiver according to claim 14 , wherein the spectrally broadband illumination includes solar stray light.

Assignees

• Raytheon Co

Inventors

• Di Teodoro Fabio

Classifications

• H04B10/572

  Wavelength control · CPC title

• H01S3/06725

  Fibre characterized by a specific dispersion, e.g. for pulse shaping in soliton lasers or for dispersion compensating [DCF] · CPC title

• H04B10/5053 Primary

  using a parallel, i.e. shunt, combination of modulators · CPC title

• G02B6/2938

  for multiplexing or demultiplexing, i.e. combining or separating wavelengths, e.g. 1xN, NxM · CPC title

• H04B10/5057

  using a feedback signal generated by analysing the optical output · CPC title