Patents Assigned to Avanex Corporation
  • Patent number: 6885821
    Abstract: The present invention provides an improved full-duplex optical communications system. The system includes: at least one office, where the at least one office provides a plurality of channels, the plurality of channels comprising a plurality of signal channels and a plurality of continuous wave (CW) channels; at least one optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM) optically coupled to the at least one office; and a subscriber premises optically coupled to the at least one OADM, where at least one of the plurality of signal channels and at least one of the plurality of CW channels are dropped from the plurality of channels to the subscriber premises by the at least one OADM, where the subscriber premises modulates the dropped at least one of the plurality of CW channels, where the modulated at least one of the plurality of CW channels is added to the plurality of channels by the at least one OADM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas F. Cooney, Simon Xiaofan Cao
  • Patent number: 6882775
    Abstract: An optical multiplexing/demultiplexing apparatus includes: an optical fiber; a collimator optically coupled to the optical fiber; at least one anamorphic pair of prisms optically coupled to the collimator at a side opposite to the optical fiber; a diffraction grating optically coupled to the at least one anamorphic pair of prisms at a side opposite to the collimator; a focusing lens optically coupled to the at least one anamorphic pair of prisms; and a plurality of optical devices optically coupled to the focusing lens at a side opposite to the at least one anamorphic pair of prisms. The at least one anamorphic pair of prisms permits the beam incident upon the diffraction grating to be relatively narrow in a dimension perpendicular to the dispersive direction of the grating so that the grating can produce high spectral resolution while preserving compact system size and simplicity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventor: Song Peng
  • Patent number: 6879422
    Abstract: Electro-optical modulator (100), comprising at least one electrical port (918, 919) and an input circuit (915, 916, 917) for the application of a modulating electrical signal to the said at least one electrical port. The said modulator also comprises a linear processing circuit (250) capable of generating a compensation signal. This linear processing circuit comprises a first terminal connected to the input circuit for taking a fraction of the said modulating electrical signal, at least one filtering element (2, 3) for eliminating predetermined spectral components from the said fraction of the modulating electrical signal, and at least one phase-shifting element (4, 6) for inverting the phase of the said fraction of the modulating electrical signal. The said linear processing circuit also comprises a second terminal capable of being connected to the said at least one electrical port for applying the compensation signal to the said electro-optical modulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Massimo Notargiacomo, Giuseppe Ravasio, Paolo Brambilla
  • Patent number: 6879621
    Abstract: A spherical lens (K) for an optoelectronic module has a plane surface that is provided with a solderable metal coating (M). The spherical lens (K) is soldered by means of its plane, metallized surface (M) onto a solder pad (P) applied to the substrate (T).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Wolfgang Heck, Walter Joerg
  • Publication number: 20050074219
    Abstract: An optical module box made of aluminum that has a reworkable glass-sealed fiber feedthru is disclosed. A fiber is inserted through a glass seal and a C-seal for hermetically sealing an opening in the optical module box. In a first embodiment, a module box employing a single-fiber fiber feedthru is described. In a second embodiment, a module box employing a 2-fiber feedthru is described. In a third embodiment, a module box employing a ribbon fiber feedthru is described. A module box having an opening with a single-fiber feedthru, comprising a C-seal; a glass sealed feedthru having a front tube and a back tube, the back tube of the glass sealed feedthru extending through the. C-seal; and a fiber passing through the glass sealed feedthru and the C-seal, thereby hermetically sealed into the opening of the module box.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2003
    Publication date: April 7, 2005
    Applicant: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Herbert Dela Rosa, Giovanni Barbarossa, William Guan, Weidong Zhu, Khanh Ly, Ching-Lin Chang
  • Patent number: 6876795
    Abstract: An optical module (1) which contains at least one optical component (2) whose one optical input/output is directed towards an optical fibre (4) to which it is to be coupled. At least one additional optical waveguide (6) is arranged between this optical component (2) and the optical fibre (4). The optical component (2) is provided with an optical waveguide (3) whose end (5), facing towards the optical fibre (4), is tapered or widened for a modal field adaptation. Additionally the end of each interposed optical waveguide (6) facing towards the optical fibre (4) is also tapered or widened for a modal field adaptation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Anton Ambrosy, Alexis Lestra
  • Publication number: 20050067176
    Abstract: The invention describes a fiber optic module package which uses a metal-to-metal contact seal between a lid and a module housing. The metal-to-metal contact seal provides a sealing mechanism between the lid and the module housing. The module housing has a knife-shaped edge that can bite into a bottom surface of the lid when pressure is exerted on the lid. In a first embodiment, the module housing has a side slot in which an outer wall of the lid can enter which serves as a holding mechanism between the lid and the module housing. In a second embodiment, the module housing has an interior wall which can be pressed into a curved surface of the lid that serves as a holding mechanism between the lid and the module housing. In a third embodiment, multiple screws are inserted through multiple holes on the lid and into the module housing which serve as a holding mechanism between the lid and the module housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Publication date: March 31, 2005
    Applicant: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: William Guan, Giovanni Barbarossa
  • Patent number: 6873765
    Abstract: A tuneable optical fibre comprising a long-period Bragg grating (5) written in a portion of an optical waveguide (10) comprising a core and an optical cladding (11), characterised in that the portion of the waveguide comprising the grating (5) is at least partially immersed in an external environment consisting of two distinct sections, a first section (1) whose refractive index is higher than that of the optical cladding (11) and a second section (2) whose refractive index is lower than that of the optical cladding (11), the long-period grating being at least partially immersed in one of the said sections so as to almost independently tune the wavelength and/or the contrast of the spectral response of the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Hedi Labidi, Carlos De Barros, Hervé Loury, Xavier Bonnet, Isabelle Riant, Jean-Jacques Guerin
  • Patent number: 6872253
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of forming a semiconductor component comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate, forming a pattern of pores in the semiconductor substrate, the pores having a first depth, photoassisted wet etching of the substrate for etching of the pores to a second depth, the second depth being substantially greater than the first depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Georg Bastian, Roland Münzner
  • Patent number: 6870977
    Abstract: A monolithic integrated optical component includes a control transistor connected to an electro-optical component including an active waveguide and at least one input waveguide and one output waveguide. The transistor is a heterojunction bipolar transistor including at least one sub-collector layer that is common to a confinement layer of the electro-optical component. The active waveguide of the electro-optical component includes a widened structure under a contact area of the heterojunction bipolar transistor and having substantially the same surface area as the transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Fabrice Devaux, Sylvain Blayac, Philippe Andre
  • Patent number: 6867868
    Abstract: An air-density-tuned interferometer includes: a hermetically sealed enclosure; a front window coupled to the hermetically sealed enclosure; an interferometer residing within the hermetically sealed enclosure; and a pressure changing device coupled to the hermetically sealed enclosure. The interferometer within the enclosure includes: a first glass plate optically coupled to the front window; a first reflective coating coupled to the first glass plate; a second reflective coating optically coupled to the first reflective coating; a second glass plate coupled to the second reflective coating; and a plurality of spacers coupled to the first and second glass plates, forming an optical interometric cavity therein. The pressure changing device manipulates the gas pressure within the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventor: Giovanni Barbarossa
  • Patent number: 6867911
    Abstract: The invention relates to an optical amplifier device including a semiconductor optical amplifier component (1) including a guide active structure (12), characterized in that the guide active structure (12) is subjected to a stress external to said component (1) coming from integrating said component (1) in said device, and in that said component (1) has a controlled sensitivity to the state of polarization of the light to be amplified in order to render the gain of said optical amplifier device insensitive to the polarization of said light to be amplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: François Dorgeuille, Stéphane Rabaron, Frédéric Pommereail, Claude Artigue, Philippe Brosson
  • Patent number: 6865195
    Abstract: The invention concerns a tunable edge-emitting semiconductor laser (10) including a resonant cavity delimited by two reflectors (15, 20), one of which is a fixed reflector (15) and the other of which is a mobile reflector (20), and including an active section (1) with gain of length L1 and a tunable section (2) of length L2, characterized in that the total length of the cavity L=L1+L2 is less than or equal to 20 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventor: Joël Jacquet
  • Patent number: 6865303
    Abstract: An optical apparatus comprises a dispersion compensating optical waveguide, and an optical pump that pumps the dispersion compensating optical waveguide with light. The light from the pump provides suitable selective gain to a fundamental mode of the dispersion compensating optical waveguide that multi-path interference is substantially reduced. A method of reducing multi-path interference comprises pumping a dispersion compensating optical waveguide with light to provide suitable selective gain to a fundamental mode of the dispersion compensating optical waveguide so that MPI from said dispersion compensating optical waveguide is significantly reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Eric J. Mozdy, William A. Wood
  • Patent number: 6865024
    Abstract: The present invention provides a multi-functional separator which may be used as a demultiplexer or as a multiplexer in wavelength division multiplexed optical communication systems. The preferred embodiment of the multi-functional separator includes a first polarization beam splitter, a non-reciprocal rotator; a reciprocal rotator, a second polarization beam splitter, and a non-linear interferometer. Each of the polarizing input and polarizing output ports includes an optical fiber, a collimator, a birefringent walk-off plate and a non-reciprocal optical rotator. The multi-functional separator is easily aligned by adjusting the positions of each of the polarizing input and output port. Further embodiments of the present invention provide additional optical isolation, optical circulation, optical comb filtering and/or two-stage channel separation capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventor: Simon X. F. Cao
  • Patent number: 6862135
    Abstract: An optical link comprises a first optical amplifier having a first gain spectrum with a first gain ripple and a second optical amplifier having a second gain spectrum with a second gain ripple. A combined gain spectrum of the first and second gain spectra is substantially flat and has a gain ripple that is substantially less than either the first gain ripple or the second gain ripple over a particular wavelength range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Alan F. Evans, Stuart Gray, George Wildeman
  • Patent number: 6853488
    Abstract: The present invention provides a reflection-type improved optical circulator. The reflection-type optical circulator includes at least one birefringent plate for receiving at least one signal light ray from a first port; and a mirror optically coupled to the at least one birefringent plate, where the mirror and the at least one birefringent plate causes the at least one signal light ray to be folded back upon itself, where the at least one signal light ray is directed to a second port. The optical circulator in accordance with the present invention is a reflection-type optical circulator, in which the paths of throughgoing light rays are folded back upon themselves. This minimizes the number of required optical elements and the resultant device size by using each optical element two times for each light ray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventor: Simon X. F. Cao
  • Patent number: 6853073
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a microwave electronic device (1) comprising a metal enclosure (2) having a bottom (21) and a lid (23) and containing an electronic circuit board (3) disposed substantially parallel to said bottom and to said lid, said circuit board having: conductive bottom and top grounding layers (41, 42) respectively disposed on bottom and top faces (31, 32) of the circuit board, and perforations (7a) transverse to said faces of the circuit board and delimited by conductive walls (71) for electrically interconnecting said layers (41, 42). At least some of said walls (71) are electrically connected to the lid of the enclosure by conductive grounding members (8a). Each conductive member (8a) has a metal blade covered with a material (13, 13?) for absorbing microwaves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Didier Pillet, Benjamin Thon, Dominique Baillargeat, Serge Verdeyme
  • Patent number: 6853487
    Abstract: An optical device includes: a first polarization beam splitter (PBS); a first set of optical rotators optically coupled to the first PBS; a second PBS optically coupled to the first set of optical rotators; a first reflection interferometer (RI) optically coupled to the second PBS; a second RI optically coupled to the first PBS; a second set of optical rotators optically coupled to the second PBS; a third PBS optically coupled to the second set of optical rotators; and a third RI optically coupled to the third PBS. Preferably, the optical device is an Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer and may further comprise an Input Port optically coupled to the first PBS, an Output Port optically coupled to the second PBS, and an Add Port optically coupled to the third PBS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Shudong Wu, Simon Xiaofan Cao
  • Patent number: 6850669
    Abstract: An optical assembly includes a lens unit having a first lens and a second lens arranged on a common optical path with substantially coincident optical axes. Each lens has a transmission region through which light passes from a first side to a second side of the lens, and a first and a second table region on the periphery of the transmission region. The table regions are flat surfaces positioned on the first and second sides of each lens. An optical element holding tube is butt-coupled to the first table region of the first lens. An optical element, such as a filter, is supported on the first element holding tube. A second lens support tube holds the first lens and the second lens at opposite ends, with the first element holding tube therebetween. The first and second lenses and the optical element are passively aligned and then fixed in place with optical adhesive at the butt joints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Avanex Corporation
    Inventors: Scott M. Hellman, Paul A. Townley-Smith, Michael Ushinsky