Patents Assigned to Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.
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Patent number: 9684141Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for filling gaps formed between a press-fit component and an optical subassembly housing to introduce a seal or barrier that can prevent or otherwise mitigate the ingress of contaminants. In an embodiment, a layer of sealant material is applied to one or more surfaces of an optical component prior to press-fitting the component into an optical subassembly housing. Alternatively, or in addition to applying sealant to one or more surfaces of an optical component, a layer of sealant material may be disposed on an interface formed between an outer surface of the optical subassembly housing and the optical component press-fit into the same. Techniques disclosed herein are particularly well suited for small form-factor optical subassemblies that include one or more optical components press-fit into openings of a subassembly housing during manufacturing.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2016Date of Patent: June 20, 2017Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: I-Lung Ho, Hao-Hsiang Liao, Justin Lii
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Patent number: 9685757Abstract: A dual testing system and method is used to perform both optical power and wavelength measurements on laser light emitted from a laser diode, such as a chip-on-submount (COS) laser diode or a laser diode in a bar laser. A testing fixture may be used to facilitate both measurements by simultaneously detecting the light for performing a first test including the optical power measurement(s) and reflecting the light for performing a second test including the wavelength measurement(s). The testing fixture may include an angled photodetector and an optical coupling system such as a collimating lens, a focal lens and an optical waveguide. The testing fixture may be electrically connected to an optical power testing module, such as a light-current-voltage (LIV) testing module, for performing the optical power measurement(s) and may be optically coupled to a wavelength measurement module, such as an optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) for performing the wavelength measurement(s).Type: GrantFiled: January 2, 2015Date of Patent: June 20, 2017Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Guipeng Luo, Klaus Alexander Anselm, Hung-Lun Chang
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Patent number: 9671582Abstract: A pluggable optical transceiver module for being plugged in a housing is provided. The housing has a cover and an elastic piece, and the cover has an accommodating space. One end of the elastic piece is connected to the cover while the other end has a first fastening portion. The first fastening portion is located on one side of the accommodating space. The pluggable optical transceiver module comprises a base and a sliding member. The base comprises a base body and a second fastening portion. The base body has a guide surface, and the second fastening portion is next to the guide surface. The base is for being plugged in the accommodating space, and the second fastening portion is fastened with the first fastening portion. The sliding member comprises a body section and a push section connected to each other. The body section is slidably disposed on the base.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2014Date of Patent: June 6, 2017Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Che-Shou Yeh, Chao-Hung Tsai, Chien-Te Lin
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Patent number: 9614620Abstract: A coaxial transmitter optical subassembly (TOSA) including a cuboid type TO laser package may be used in an optical transceiver for transmitting an optical signal at a channel wavelength. The cuboid type TO laser package is made of a thermally conductive material and has substantially flat outer surfaces that may be thermally coupled to substantially flat outer surfaces on a transceiver housing and/or on other cuboid type TO laser packages. An optical transceiver may include multiple coaxial TOSAs with the cuboid type TO laser packages stacked in the transceiver housing. The cuboid type TO laser package may thus provide improved thermal characteristics and a reduced size within the optical transceiver.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2015Date of Patent: April 4, 2017Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: I-Lung Ho, Chong Wang, Justin Lii, Zhengyu Miao
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Patent number: 9606145Abstract: A test fixture generally includes a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) configured to regulate the temperature of a device under test (DUT). The test fixture may further include a device carrier configured to secure the DUT in a desired position relative to the TEC and a spring-operated pin configured to generate a desired contact pressure between the DUT and the TEC. The desired contact pressure may be selected to achieve a thermal coupling between the DUT and the TEC that maintains the temperature of the DUT at a desired operation level.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2014Date of Patent: March 28, 2017Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Luohan Peng, Darren Tucker, Justin Lii, David Hendricks
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Publication number: 20160377822Abstract: The temperature at different locations along a multiplexed laser array may be monitored by sensing temperature at two locations within a transmitter optical subassembly (TOSA) package housing the laser array. The temperature at the two locations is used to determine a temperature tilt across the laser array. Estimated temperatures may then be determined at one or more other locations along the laser array from the temperature tilt. The estimated temperature(s) may then be used to adjust the temperature proximate the other locations, for example, for purposes of tuning lasers at those locations along the laser array to emit a desired channel wavelength. The TOSA package may be used in an optical transceiver in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical system, for example, in an optical line terminal (OLT) in a WDM passive optical network (PON).Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2014Publication date: December 29, 2016Applicant: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Jun Zheng, Yi Wang, I-Lung Ho, Chong Wang
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Patent number: 9531155Abstract: A tunable laser with multiple in-line sections generally includes a semiconductor laser body with a plurality of in-line laser sections each configured to be driven independently to generate laser light at a wavelength within a different respective wavelength range. The wavelength of the light generated in each of the laser sections may be tuned, in response to a temperature change, to a channel wavelength within the respective wavelength range. A switch module may be configured to couple a signal from a laser driver to a selected one of the plurality of in-line laser sections, wherein the signal modulates the laser light generated by the in-line laser section. The selected in-line section may be DC biased to a lasing state and the non-selected in-line sections may be DC biased to a non-lasing or transparent state.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2014Date of Patent: December 27, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Yi Wang, Jun Zheng, Yanyan Zhang
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Patent number: 9523826Abstract: A pluggable optical transceiver module for inserted into plugging slot includes main body and sliding component. The main body has opposite two side surfaces and two sliding slots. The two sliding slots are located at the two side surfaces. The sliding component includes linkage arm and two extending arms. The two extending arms are connected to the linkage arm. Each extending arm has a second fastening part. The main body is between the two extending arms. The two extending arms are disposed on the two sliding slots to have fastening position and releasing position. Two first fastening parts are fastened to the two second fastening parts when the two extending arms are located at fastening position. The two second fastening parts press the two first fastening parts, respectively, for the two first fastening parts being farther from each other when the two extending arms are located at releasing position.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2014Date of Patent: December 20, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Chao-Hung Tsai, Chien-Te Lin, Che-Shou Yeh
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Patent number: 9509433Abstract: A multi-channel receiver optical subassembly (ROSA) such as an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG), with outputs directly optically coupled to respective photodetectors such as photodiodes. In one embodiment, an AWG may be configured such that optical components of the AWG do not interfere with direct optical coupling, and the wire bonding points on the photodiodes may also be configured such that wire bonding does not interfere with direct optical coupling. The photodetectors may also be mounted on a photodetector mounting bar with a pitch sufficiently spaced to allow connection to floating grounds. A passive alignment technique may be used to determine the mounting locations on the photodetector mounting bar such that the photodetectors are aligned with the optical outputs.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2013Date of Patent: November 29, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: I-Lung Ho, Luohan Peng, Joyce Li
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Patent number: 9502858Abstract: A laser array mux assembly generally includes an array of laser emitters coupled to an optical multiplexer, such as an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG), with an external partial reflector after the multiplexer. Each of the laser emitters may include a gain region that emits light across a range of wavelengths including, for example, channel wavelengths in an optical communication system. The AWG filters the emitted light from each of the laser emitters at different channel wavelengths associated with each of the laser emitters. The reflector reflects at least a portion of the filtered light such that lasing occurs at the channel wavelengths of the reflected light. The laser array mux assembly may be used to generate an optical signal at a selected channel wavelength or to generate and combine optical signals at multiple channel wavelengths.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2012Date of Patent: November 22, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Jun Zheng, Stefan J. Murry
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Patent number: 9479259Abstract: A multi-channel optical transceiver includes a transmitter optical subassembly (TOSA) with a thermal arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) for multiplexing optical signals and a receiver optical subassembly (ROSA) with an athermal AWG for demultiplexing optical signals. The TOSA may also include a laser array optically coupled to the thermal AWG and a temperature control system thermally coupled to the laser array and the thermal AWG to control temperature for wavelength tuning. The temperature control system in the TOSA may include a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) that cools both the laser array and the thermal AWG. Because the athermal AWG in the ROSA is temperature independent, the ROSA does not include a TEC, thereby reducing power consumption and conserving space. The optical transceiver may be used in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical system, for example, in an optical line terminal (OLT) in a WDM passive optical network (PON).Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2014Date of Patent: October 25, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: I-Lung Ho, Stefan J. Murry, Jun Zheng
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Patent number: 9479280Abstract: An extended cavity Fabry-Perot laser assembly provides relatively narrow mode spacing while allowing relatively high speed optical modulation. The extended cavity Fabry-Perot laser assembly generally includes an exit reflector physically separated from a laser emitter (e.g., a gain chip) to extend the lasing cavity and narrow the mode spacing while maintaining a relatively small gain region in the laser emitter capable of higher speed optical modulation. The extended cavity Fabry-Perot laser assembly may be used in a multi-channel transmitter in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical system that selects a channel wavelength for the transmitter from among multiple channel wavelengths emitted by the laser assembly. The narrow mode spacing may be less than a WDM channel width, and more specifically, may be less than a channel passband of an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) or other filter used to select the channel wavelength.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 2012Date of Patent: October 25, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Jun Zheng, Stefan J. Murry
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Patent number: 9455782Abstract: Individual channels of a multiplexed laser array in a multi-channel optical transmitter are monitored at an output of an optical multiplexer. The monitoring may be used to confirm proper operation of each of the channels in the multiplexed laser array and/or to perform wavelength locking on each of the channels. Monitoring at the output of the optical multiplexer avoids the use of multiple photodetectors coupled directly to multiple lasers in the multiplexed laser array. The multiplexed laser array generally includes a plurality of laser emitters optically coupled to an optical multiplexer such as an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG). An optical transmitter with a monitored multiplexed laser array may be used, for example, in an optical line terminal (OLT) in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) passive optical network (PON) or in any other type of WDM optical communication system capable of transmitting optical signals on multiple channel wavelengths.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2014Date of Patent: September 27, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Jun Zheng, Yi Wang, I-Lung Ho, Klaus Alexander Anselm, Huanlin Zhang
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Patent number: 9448367Abstract: A multi-channel optical transceiver includes a multi-channel transmitter optical subassembly (TOSA), a multi-channel receiver optical subassembly (ROSA), and a dual fiber type direct link adapter directly linked to the multi-channel TOSA and the multi-channel ROSA with optical fibers. The dual fiber type direct link adapter is also configured to receive pluggable optical connectors, such as LC connectors, mounted at the end of fiber-optic cables including optical fibers for carrying optical signals to and from the transceiver. The dual fiber type direct link adapter thus provides the optical input and output to the transceiver for the optical signals received by the ROSA and transmitted by the TOSA. The multi-channel optical transceiver may be used in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical system, for example, in an optical line terminal (OLT) in a WDM passive optical network (PON).Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2015Date of Patent: September 20, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: I-Lung Ho, Stefan J. Murry, Che-Shou (Richard) Yeh
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Patent number: 9448372Abstract: An optical coupling element, for coupling a light emitting element to a light transmission element, includes a light guide element. The light guide element has a light incident part, a total reflection surface and a light output part. The light incident path is formed at the light incident part corresponding to the light emitting element. The light reflection path is formed at the light output part corresponding to the light transmission element. The first included angle ?1 is formed between the light incident path and the total reflection surface and is not equal to 45 degrees. The light emitting element is adapted to emit a beam toward the total reflection surface along the light incident path by passing through the light guide element from the light incident part. Moreover, the beam is reflected by the total reflection surface and is outputted toward the light transmission element.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2014Date of Patent: September 20, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Chao-Hung Tsai, Jian-Hong Luo, Li-Chieh Su, Chang-Sheng Lin
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Patent number: 9432122Abstract: A bidirectional optical subassembly (BOSA) optical networking unit (ONU) generally includes a BOSA housing. A tunable laser is located in the BOSA housing and is configured to generate a first optical signal for transmission at a first selected wavelength based on temperature control. The tunable laser is a distributed feedback (DFB) laser diode. A thermal management device is also located in the BOSA housing and is configured to provide the temperature control. A photo diode is further located in the BOSA housing and is configured to receive a second optical signal at a second selected wavelength. The BOSA housing comprises an alloy of stainless steel or an alloy of Kovar.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2014Date of Patent: August 30, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: I-Lung Ho, Jun Zheng, Hung-Lun Chang
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Patent number: 9356422Abstract: An improved scribe etch process for semiconductor laser chip manufacturing is provided. A method to etch a scribe line on a semiconductor wafer generally includes: applying a mask layer to a surface of the wafer; photolithographically opening a window in the mask layer along the scribe line; etching a trench in the wafer using a chemical etchant that operates on the wafer through the window opening, wherein the chemical etchant selectively etches through crystal planes of the wafer to generate a V-groove profile associated with the trench; and cleaving the wafer along the etched trench associated with the scribe line through application of a force to one or more regions of the wafer.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2014Date of Patent: May 31, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Klaus Alexander Anselm, Rajesh Bikky, Stephen Hu, Greg Pickrell, Nahid Sultana, Jae Yoon Um, Chia Chen David Wong
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Patent number: 9343870Abstract: A semiconductor laser diode with integrated heating generally includes a lasing region and a heating region integrated into the same semiconductor structure or chip. The lasing region and the heating region include first and second portions, respectively, of the semiconductor layers forming the semiconductor structure and include first and second portions, respectively, of the active regions formed by the semiconductor layers. Separate laser and heater electrodes are electrically connected to the respective lasing and heating regions for driving the respective lasing and heating regions with drive currents. The heating region may thus be driven independently from the lasing region, and heat may be conducted through the semiconductor layers from the heating region to the lasing region allowing the temperature to be controlled more efficiently.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2014Date of Patent: May 17, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Jun Zheng, Klaus Alexander Anselm, Huanlin Zhang, Hung-Lun Chang
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Patent number: 9341774Abstract: A laser array optical coupling assembly may be used to couple a laser array to an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG), for example, in an optical transmitter in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical communication system. The laser array optical coupling assembly may include an optical fiber tip array with polished optical fiber tips providing a reduced mode field diameter to improve coupling efficiency with the laser array. The laser array optical coupling assembly may also include a direct coupling of the laser array to the AWG with modified AWG inputs reducing the mode field diameter to improve coupling efficiency with the laser array. The laser array optical coupling assembly may be used, for example, in an optical line terminal (OLT) in a WDM passive optical network (PON) or in other transmitters or transceivers in a WDM system capable of transmitting and receiving optical signals on multiple channel wavelengths.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2012Date of Patent: May 17, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: Jun Zheng, I-Lung Ho, Hung-Lun Chang
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Patent number: 9306671Abstract: A thermally isolated multi-channel transmitter optical subassembly (TOSA) may be used in a multi-channel optical transceiver. The multi-channel TOSA generally includes an array of lasers optically coupled to an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) to combine multiple optical signals at different channel wavelengths. The lasers, and possibly other components, are wire bonded to a thermal isolation bar. The thermal isolation bar provides an electrical connection to external circuitry and is thermally coupled to a temperature control device, such as a thermoelectric cooler (TEC). Thus, the thermal isolation bar electrically connects the lasers to the circuitry while preventing external heat from being conducted to the lasers from outside the TOSA. The optical transceiver may be used in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical system, for example, in an optical line terminal (OLT) in a WDM passive optical network (PON).Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2012Date of Patent: April 5, 2016Assignee: Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.Inventors: I-Lung Ho, Jun Zheng, Chong Wang