Apparatus and method for tuning optical components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9703048-B2
Application number	US-201514793210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2015
Priority date	Jul 7, 2015
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus and method for tuning optical components are provided. The apparatus and method may be used for wavelength selection in the context of optical communication. An example apparatus may include a plurality of tunable components, each having an optical output. The apparatus may also include a switch that during each period of a plurality of periods has a switch output that contains a selected one of the optical outputs. The apparatus may operate such that during each period of the plurality of periods, at least one of the tunable components other than the tunable component having the selected optical output is available for tuning.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a first optical path having a first tunable component and a second optical path having a second tunable component;
a switch for selectively connecting the first optical path or the second optical path to an output;
a controller that controls the switch to select which optical path is connected to the output and controls tuning of the tunable component in the optical path that is not connected to the output.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each tunable component is tunable in frequency.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each tunable component is a tunable laser.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each tunable component is a tunable filter.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein:
each tunable component comprises a respective plurality of tunable filters.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising a multi-wavelength source having an output coupled to the tunable components.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
an optical splitter that couples the output of the multi-wavelength source to each tunable component.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein:
the optical splitter is a variable power optical splitter; and
the variable power optical splitter directs a first portion of light to the selected tunable component and directs a second smaller portion of light to the tunable component that is not the selected tunable component.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each tunable filter is tunable to pass a selected wavelength or band of wavelengths of the multi-wavelength source.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the controller alternates between selecting the first tunable component and selecting the second tunable component.

11. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein each tunable filter comprises a micro-ring resonator or a cavity resonator.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the switch is a silicon photonic switch or an electro-optic switch.

13. An apparatus comprising:
a plurality of wavelength selector modules connected together in sequence, each wavelength selector module comprising:
a first tunable component having a through port and an optical output;
a second tunable component having a through port and an optical output; and
a switch for selectively connecting an optical path between a selected one of the tunable components and an output of the wavelength selector module;

a multi-wavelength source coupled to the first tunable component and the second tunable component of a first wavelength selector module of the plurality of wavelength selector modules;
a controller that controls the switch in each wavelength selector module, and controls tuning of the tunable component in each wavelength selector module that is not the selected tunable component of that wavelength selector module.

14. A method comprising:
connecting a first optical path having a first tunable component to an output;
transmitting a signal from the first tunable component to the output;
while the first optical path is connected to the output, tuning a second tunable component;
after tuning the second tunable component, connecting a second optical path having the second tunable component to the output; and
transmitting a signal from the second tunable component to the output.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
tuning the second tunable component comprises tuning a frequency of the second tunable component.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
splitting a signal from a multi-wavelength source into a first part and a second part; and
providing the first part as input to the first tunable component and providing the second part as input to the second tunable component.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein each tunable component is a tunable laser.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein each tunable component is a tunable filter.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:
coupling an output of a multi-wavelength source to the first tunable component and the second tunable component.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein coupling an output of a multi-wavelength source to the first tunable component and the second tunable component comprises coupling substantially equal portions of light output by the multi-wavelength source to the first tunable component and the second tunable component.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein coupling an output of multi-wavelength source to the first tunable component and the second tunable component comprises coupling a first larger portion of light output by the multi-wavelength source to the first tunable component and coupling a second smaller portion of light to the second tunable component.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein tuning the second tunable component comprises tuning the second tunable filter to pass a selected wavelength or band of wavelengths of the multi-wavelength source.

23. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
while the second optical path is connected to the output, tuning the first tunable component.

Assignees

• Jiang Zhiping
• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jiang Zhiping

Classifications

• G02B6/29335

  Evanescent coupling to a resonator cavity, i.e. between a waveguide mode and a resonant mode of the cavity (wavelength selective means based on resonator cavity coupled non-evanescently G02B6/29356, G02B6/29358) · CPC title

• G02B6/35 Primary

  having switching means (by changing the optical properties of the medium G02F1/00) · CPC title

• G02B6/29395 Primary

  configurable, e.g. tunable or reconfigurable (switching G02B6/35) · CPC title

• H01S3/0078

  Frequency filtering · CPC title

• H01S3/0085

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