Optical paired channel transceiver and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9924247-B2
Application number	US-201715420645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2017
Priority date	Aug 21, 2014
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

An optical paired channel transceiver component comprises an optical channel interface to concurrently receive an inbound optical signal at a designated receiver frequency, and output an outbound optical signal at a designated transmitter frequency distinct from the receiver frequency; a receiver operable to process the inbound optical signal at the receiver frequency; a laser input interface to receive a laser input at the transmitter frequency to produce the outbound optical signal; and a resonant optical structure optically coupling each of the laser input interface and the receiver to the optical channel interface via respective optical paths, and having a resonance corresponding to one of the transmitter frequency and the receiver frequency such that a resonant one of the inbound signal and the outbound signal is resonantly redirected by the resonant optical structure along a resonant one of the respective paths.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical transceiver comprising:
an optical channel interface for receiving an inbound optical signal at a receiver frequency, and output an outbound optical signal at a transmitter frequency distinct from said receiver frequency;
a receiver operable to process said inbound optical signal at said receiver frequency;
a light source for generating said outbound optical signal; and
a tunable wavelength router optically coupling each of said light source and said receiver to said optical channel interface via first and second optical paths;
wherein one of said inbound signal and said outbound signal is transmitted by said tunable wavelength router to the first optical path, whereas the other one of said inbound signal and said output signal is directed by said tunable wavelength router along said second path; and
wherein the tunable wavelength router is dynamically adjustable to maximize transmission intensity of one of the inbound and the outbound signal along the first optical path.

2. The transceiver of claim 1 , wherein said tunable wavelength router transmits said inbound optical signal towards said receiver such that said tunable wavelength router is tunable to maximize transmission intensity of the inbound optical signal, whereas said outbound optical signal is directed by said tunable wavelength router toward said channel interface along the second optical path.

3. The transceiver of claim 2 , further comprising a photodetector operable to detect an optical intensity in said first optical path, wherein said tunable wavelength router is dynamically tunable responsive to said optical intensity to optimize said transmission intensity of the inbound signal.

4. The transceiver of claim 2 , wherein the receiver comprises a coherent heterodyne receiver;
wherein the laser provides a local oscillator for said receiver; and
wherein the tunable wavelength router is operable to maintain a constant frequency difference between a local oscillator and said receiver frequency.

5. The transceiver of claim 2 , wherein said tunable wavelength router comprises a tunable resonant optical structure, capable of dynamic adjustment to optimize said receiver frequency.

6. The transceiver of claim 1 , wherein said tunable wavelength router transmits said outbound optical signal to said interface, such that said tunable wavelength router is tunable to maximize transmission intensity of the outbound optical signal, whereas said inbound optical signal is directed by said tunable wavelength filter toward said receiver along the second optical path.

7. The transceiver of claim 6 , further comprising a photodetector operable to detect an optical intensity in said first optical path, wherein said tunable wavelength router is dynamically tunable responsive to said optical intensity to optimize said transmission intensity of the outbound signal.

8. The transceiver of claim 7 , wherein said tunable wavelength router comprises a tunable resonant optical structure, dynamically adjustable to optimize transmission intensity at said receiver frequency.

9. The transceiver of claim 8 , wherein said tunable resonant optical structure concurrently filters out unwanted spectral components of said resonant one of said inbound signal and said outbound signal as a result of being resonantly redirected by said resonant optical structure along said first optical path.

10. The transceiver of claim 8 , wherein said tunable resonant optical structure, said receiver, and said laser are integrated on a semiconductor substrate.

11. The transceiver of claim 1 , wherein said laser comprises a tunable laser for tuning the transmitter frequency; and wherein the tunable wavelength router dynamically adjusts to the transmitter frequency to maximize output.

12. The transceiver of claim 1 , further comprising a polarization rotator optically coupled between said interface and said tunable wavelength router to rotate an inbound polarization of said inbound optical signal to correspond with an outbound polarization of said outbound optical signal such that both said inbound optical signal and said outbound optical signal interact with said tunable wavelength router at a substantially same polarization.

13. The transceiver of claim 12 , further comprising a polarization beam splitting component aligned with said outbound polarization and disposed to redirect a perpendicularly polarized portion of said inbound optical signal to a photodetector, wherein a photodetector output is used to control said polarization rotator in optimizing a rotated polarization of said inbound signal to minimize said photodetector output.

14. The transceiver of claim 1 , further comprising:
a polarization beam splitting component splitting said inbound optical signal into first and second polarization-dependent inbound components so to have substantially parallel and perpendicular polarizations to an outbound polarization of said outbound signal, respectively;
a polarization rotator rotating said second inbound component prior to input to align said perpendicular polarization with said outbound polarization such that both said second inbound component and a component of said outbound optical signal interact with said tunable wavelength router at a substantially same polarization;
wherein said receiver comprises first and second coherent heterodyne receivers respectively operable to coherently process respective ones of said first and second inbound components; and
wherein said tunable wavelength router comprises first and second resonant optical structures to interface with respective ones of said first and second inbound components in relaying them to said first and second receivers, respectively.

15. The transceiver of claim 1 , further comprising:
a polarization beam splitting component splitting said inbound optical signal into a first and a second polarization-dependent inbound component having a first and a second polarization, respectively, wherein said first polarization is substantially parallel to an outbound polarization of said outbound signal;
a polarization rotator rotating said second polarization-dependent inbound component so to align said first and said second polarization;
a polarization combiner combining said first and said second inbound component prior to their combined optical coupling into said tunable wavelength router.

16. The transceiver of claim 1 , further comprising at least one polarization splitting and rotating component such that both said inbound optical signal and said outbound optical signal interact with said tunable wavelength router at a substantially same polarization.

Assignees

• Elenion Tech Llc

Inventors

• Hochberg Michael
• Rohde Bernd-Harald Horst Jurgen

Classifications

• H04Q2011/0016

  using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0035

  using miscellaneous components, e.g. circulator, polarisation, acousto/thermo optical · CPC title

• H04J14/06

  Polarisation multiplex systems · CPC title

• H04Q11/0005 Primary

  Switch and router aspects · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0018

  using tunable transmitters or receivers · CPC title