Fiber optical package interconnect

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9207461-B2
Application number	US-201113300294-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2011
Priority date	Nov 18, 2011
Publication date	Dec 8, 2015
Grant date	Dec 8, 2015

Abstract

Optical devices and systems including a polarization maintaining interconnect are disclosed. An optical assembly can include an optical component, a low-birefringence optical fiber and a polarization transformer. The polarization transformer is coupled between the optical component and the optical fiber. The polarization transformer is configured to transform between a substantially circularly-polarized light at the low-birefringence optical fiber and a substantially linearly-polarized light at the optical component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical assembly comprising:
a laser configured to generate light;
a low-birefringence optical fiber, wherein the low-birefringence optical fiber has high intrinsic birefringence and a high spin structure resulting in low effective birefringence; and
a polarization transformer directly coupled to the laser between the laser and the low-birefringence optical fiber, wherein the polarization transformer is configured to transform a substantially linearly-polarized light from the laser to a substantially circularly polarized light.

2. The optical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the low-birefringence optical fiber is a spun fiber.

3. The optical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the low-birefringence optical fiber preserves a state of polarization of an inputted circularly-polarized light.

4. The optical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the polarization transformer is a quarter-wave plate.

5. The optical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the polarization transformer is an in-fiber circular polarizer.

6. The optical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the polarization transformer is integrated into an optical source output waveguide structure.

7. The optical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the low-birefringence optical fiber is mounted in receptacle.

8. The optical assembly of claim 7 , wherein the receptacle is movable and includes a V-groove.

9. The optical assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a lens coupled between the laser and the low-birefringence optical fiber.

10. The optical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the polarization transformer is a polarization splitter.

11. The optical assembly of claim 10 , wherein the polarization splitter is a surface grating waveguide coupler.

12. An apparatus comprising:
means for generating an optical signal;
means for transforming the optical signal to a circularly-polarized light, the transforming means being directly coupled to the generating means; and
a low-birefringence optical fiber configured to propagate the circularly-polarized light while maintaining the circularly-polarized light, wherein the low-birefringence optical fiber has high intrinsic birefringence and a high spin structure resulting in low effective birefringence.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the low-birefringence optical fiber preserves a state of polarization of inputted circularly-polarized light and does not preserve a state of polarization of inputted linearly polarized light.

14. The optical assembly of claim 1 , wherein the low-birefringence optical fiber preserves a state of polarization of inputted circularly-polarized light and does not preserve a state of polarization of inputted linearly polarized light.

Assignees

• Frankel Michael Y
• Grigoryan Vladimir S
• Betty Ian B
• Ciena Corp

Inventors

• Frankel Michael Y
• Grigoryan Vladimir S
• Betty Ian B

Classifications

• G02B27/286 Primary

  for controlling or changing the state of polarisation, e.g. transforming one polarisation state into another (G02B5/3083 takes precedence; light guide coupling means utilising polarising elements G02B6/34) · CPC title