Patents Assigned to Agility Communications, Inc.
  • Patent number: 6658035
    Abstract: A laser assembly includes an epitaxial structure formed on a substrate. A separately controllable tunable laser resonator and external optical amplifier are formed in the epitaxial structure. At least a portion of the laser and amplifier share a common waveguide, which may have non-uniform optical or geometrical properties along the waveguide centerline or across a normal to the centerline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Beck Mason, Gregory Fish, Larry Coldren
  • Patent number: 6654400
    Abstract: A method of making a diode laser assembly provides a substrate. An epitaxial structure is formed on the substrate. Different areas of the epitaxial structure have different optical properties. A laser, a modulator and a coupler are formed in the epitaxial structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Beck Mason, Gregory Fish, Larry Coldren
  • Patent number: 6628690
    Abstract: A laser assembly includes an epitaxial structure formed on a substrate. A laser resonator, a modulator and a coupler are formed in the epitaxial structure. The coupler is positioned to receive and adjust an output received from the modulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Fish, Larry Coldren
  • Patent number: 6624000
    Abstract: A method of making a wavelength converter assembly forms an epitaxial structure on a substrate. Different areas of the epitaxial structure have different optical properties. A laser is formed in the epitaxial structure. A photodetector is formed in the epitaxial structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignee: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Larry Coldren
  • Patent number: 6614819
    Abstract: A method of converting an optical wavelength includes providing a wavelength converter assembly with a photodetector and a laser with a common epitaxial structure. The expitaxial structure has areas of differing bandgap. An optical input having a first wavelength at the wavelength converter assembly is absorbed. A first electrical signal is generated from the photodetector in response to the optical input. The first electrical signal is conditioned to produce a conditioned first electrical signal. A second electrical signal is generated from the conditioned first electrical signal. A laser output is generated from a gain medium of the laser at a second wavelength in response to the second electrical signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Fish, Larry Coldren
  • Patent number: 6590924
    Abstract: A tunable laser comprised of a gain section for creating a light beam by spontaneous emission over a bandwidth, a phase section for controlling the light beam around a center frequency of the bandwidth, a cavity for guiding and reflecting the light beam, a front mirror bounding an end of the cavity, and a back mirror bounding an opposite end of the cavity. The back mirror has a &kgr;effB approximately equal to &agr;Tune, where &kgr;effB is an effective coupling constant and &agr;Tune is the maximum amount of propagation loss anticipated for an amount of peak tuning required, and a length of the back mirror is made to produce greater than approximately 80% reflectivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory A. Fish, Larry A. Coldren
  • Patent number: 6580739
    Abstract: A wavelength converter assembly includes a substrate. An epitaxial structure is formed on the substrate with areas of different optical properties. A laser and a photodetector are formed in the epitaxial structure. The photodetector generates a first electrical signal in response to an optical signal. A conditioning circuit is coupled to the laser and the photodetector. The conditioning circuit receives the first electrical signal and provides a second electrical signal to the laser to modulate its optical output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Larry Coldren
  • Patent number: 6574259
    Abstract: A method of making a diode laser assembly includes providing a substrate. An epitaxial structure is formed on the substrate. Different areas of the epitaxial structure have different optical properties. A laser, a modulator and a coupler are formed in the epitaxial structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Fish, Larry Coldren
  • Publication number: 20030086452
    Abstract: An anamorphic prism wavelength locker for a laser output beam, wherein the anamorphic prisms perform beam splitting for wavelength and power monitoring for the output beam, magnification of the output beam, and circularization of an elliptical output beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Publication date: May 8, 2003
    Applicant: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Bradley W. Short
  • Publication number: 20030081637
    Abstract: A partially mirrored beam tap for use in wavelength and power monitoring, wherein the partially mirrored beam tap splits off at least two beams from an elliptical Gaussian output beam, wherein a first split-off beam is transmitted to an etalon and one or more first photo-detectors for wavelength monitoring, while a second split-off beam is transmitted to one or more second photo-detectors as a reference and for power monitoring. The partially mirrored beam tap splits off the first and second split-off beams from upper and lower tails of the output beam, wherein upper and lower portions of the partially mirrored beam tap comprise mirrored surfaces that reflect tails of the output beam and a center portion of the partially mirrored beam tap comprises a clear rectangular aperture that passes the output beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Publication date: May 1, 2003
    Applicant: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Bradley W. Short
  • Patent number: 6556752
    Abstract: An optoelectronic device comprising a laser and a lens for generating collimated light, a locker including an etalon for wavelength locking the collimated light, a first thermoelectric cooler coupled to the laser, and a second thermoelectric cooler coupled to the locker, wherein the first and second thermo-electric coolers arc independently controlled and the second thermo-electric cooler provides for temperature tuning of the etalon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Lu Fang, Joseph Edward Riska, John W. Herman, Timothy Butrie, Rory Keene Schlenker
  • Publication number: 20020105990
    Abstract: A tunable laser comprised of a gain section for creating a light beam by spontaneous emission over a bandwidth, a phase section for controlling the light beam around a center frequency of the bandwidth, a cavity for guiding and reflecting the light beam, a front mirror bounding an end of the cavity, and a back mirror bounding an opposite end of the cavity. The back mirror has a &kgr;effB approximately equal to &agr;Tune,where &kgr;effB is an effective coupling constant and &agr;Tune is the maximum amount of propagation loss anticipated for an amount of peak tuning required, and a length of the back mirror is made to produce greater than approximately 80% reflectivity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2001
    Publication date: August 8, 2002
    Applicant: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory A. Fish, Larry A. Coldren
  • Patent number: 6349106
    Abstract: A method of converting an optical wavelength includes providing a wavelength converter assembly with a photodetector and a laser that have a common epitaxial structure with areas of differing bandgap. The laser including a laser resonator. An optical input with a first wavelength is absorbed at the wavelength converter assembly. A first electrical signal is generated from the photodetector in response to the optical input. The first electrical signal is conditioned and produces a conditioned first electrical signal. A second electrical signal is generated from the conditioned first electrical signal. A laser output is generated from a gain medium of the laser at a second wavelength in response to the second electrical signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2002
    Assignee: Agility Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Larry Coldren