Abstract: The invention is related to an optical device having a housing (1) with a defined gas atmosphere. The housing includes a wavelength monitor, for monitoring an optical signal The wavelength monitor includes an etalon (2) with a gap between two etalon plates. The optical device also has a laser diode and means for influencing the temperature (3) of the laser diode. The optical device further includes special means to influence the gas density in the gap between the etalon plates.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for making n different types of optical amplifiers on one manufacturing line, n being equal to 2 or more. The method includes providing a supply of at least four functional groups of subunits for each of the circuits which comprise each of the optical amplifiers to be made, where at least one functional group contains at least n different types of sub-units, and where each of the sub-units in three of the functional groups includes a pluggable optical connector half and where each of the sub-units of the fourth of the functional groups includes three pluggable optical connector halves. The method further includes selecting a specific sub-unit from each of the four functional groups and plugging together each of the selected subunits to form an optical amplifier having the desired specification.

Abstract: An amplifier characterized by gain and output power comprises: (i) at least one gain medium; (ii) at least one pump supplying optical power into the gain medium; and (iii) a controller controlling the gain and the output power of the amplifier. The controller includes a signal compression circuit to cover a wide dynamic range for optical input and output signals, so that resolution for low optical signals is better than resolution for high optical signals.

Abstract: An optical coupling device for injecting light between two optical waveguide end faces, it being possible to vary the geometrical position of one optical waveguide end face with respect to the other optical waveguide end face with the aid of a variable-length element. The element bears one of the two optical waveguides, and is fixed to the other optical waveguide via holding blocks. The variable-length element or the holding device is held by a spring element, which is supported directly or indirectly on at least one of the holding blocks and permits movement of the variable-length element or the holding element in the longitudinal direction of the variable-length element in which the variable-length element extends or shortens, and suppresses movement of the variable-length element perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the variable-length element, the fiber being held on the other optical waveguide by the spring element close to the fixing of the holding blocks.

Abstract: An optical signal amplification device (200) comprises an optical amplifier (210) having a wavelength-dependent gain and an equalization device (100) optically coupled in series to the optical amplifier and having a wavelength-dependent transmission function that substantially equalize the gain of the optical amplifier, the equalization device comprising a waveguide Bragg grating having a substantially constant refractive index envelope and a chirp rate that varies in such a way as to obtain the wavelength-dependent transmission function.

Abstract: Techniques for reducing waveguide birefringence in an integrated planar lightwave circuit chip incorporating a plurality of different optical devices are described and claimed. Each optical device includes waveguides in which the waveguide cores are each disposed on a respective mesa formation formed in a lower cladding layer. In one method, during fabrication of the waveguides, waveguides cores in different devices on the chip are etched to a different depth in a waveguide lower cladding layer, whereby the height of the mesa formation is different in different devices. The different depths are selected to achieve a desired level of waveguide birefringence, preferably minimum waveguide birefringence, in each device. In another technique dummy waveguides are included in one or more devices on the chip in order to optimize the waveguide birefringence in one or more devices for predetermined mesa height(s) used in the chip, or for different mesa heights in the chip.

Abstract: A wavelength-tunable laser consists of a resonant semiconductor cavity coupled to a sampled Bragg reflector grating having reflectivity peaks for N optical frequencies. The resonant cavity is formed of two opposite reflector members that are not wavelength selective and delimit an amplifier section coupled to a phase tuning section. The optical length of the cavity is adjustable electro-optically as a function of a control voltage applied to it. The laser can be tuned quickly over a wide band.

Abstract: The present invention seeks to provide a GFF with a technique amenable to manufacturing in large volume and having a filter with a more precise control of the spectral response.

Abstract: 1. Multi-mode Interferometric coupler comprising: a first amplifying part (2), a second transparent part (4) to guide radiation previously amplified in the first part.

Abstract: An optical component comprising an optical waveguide and adjacent to it at least one grating array adapted to reflect stray light away from said optical waveguide. The use of a grating array with a plurality of structures like polygons or stripes gives the possibility to define a multiple of reflection directions. This is obtained by using polygons layed out in different orientations up to a random one or a Bragg grating preferably defined with a non-uniform period (chirped). Such grating arrays are usually structured within the same layer as the optical waveguide core layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical waveguide phase shifter that comprises a planar silicon-dioxide-containing optical glass waveguide whose core contains glass, and also a planar optical polymer waveguide whose core contains a polymer and/or a mixture of polymers, furthermore means that effect the change in the temperature of the planar optical polymer waveguide and wherein the refractive index of the planar optical polymer waveguide is greater than the refractive index of the planar silicon-dioxide-containing optical waveguide. The refractive indices of the planar optical polymer waveguide and of the silicon-dioxide-containing optical glass waveguide can consequently be matched even by a small increase in the temperature of the planar optical polymer waveguide. In addition, only the propagation constant of the optical field in a silicon-dioxide-containing optical waveguide according to the invention is influenced by the coupling mode between silicon-dioxide waveguide and polymer waveguide.

Abstract: An optical fiber amplifier system includes an optical fiber adapted for use as an optical wave guide amplifier, and at least one optical pump optically coupled into the optical amplifier, wherein the pump receives both a DC electrical input and an AC electrical input, and wherein the pump provides an optical pump power to the optical fiber having both a DC optical power component and an AC optical power component. The optical fiber amplifier system also includes an optical pump power detector optically coupled to the pump, and at least one controller operatively connected to the pump power detector to determine the DC optical power component of the optical pump power, and wherein the controller adjusts the DC electrical input to the pump based on the DC optical power component.

Abstract: A saturable optical absorber component is made of an inhomogeneous absorption material including a plurality of sets of quantum boxes formed in stacked layers. The sizes of the quantum boxes of each set define an absorption wavelength associated with the set.

Abstract: An assembly for providing thermal compensation to a fiber optical device is described. The optical fiber device is secured in a support structure made of a material having a negative coefficient of thermal expansion. The securing means located at on end of the support structure is made of a material having a positive coefficient of thermal expansion. The securing means is also adjustable lengthwise so as to provide longitudinal adjustment to the tension on the optical fiber device. By selecting the appropriate materials and dimensions the assembly can exactly compensate for the thermal dependency of the optical device with an overall length much smaller than assemblies based on materials with dissimilar positive CTEs.

Abstract: The present invention provides a vertical structure semiconductor laser comprising bottom and top cladding layers (1, 2), a light guide (G) superposed on the bottom cladding layer, and a semiconductor active layer (CA). In the invention, the light guide (G) further comprises: a semiconductor bottom guide layer (11) having the following two adjacent bottom parts: an undoped first bottom part (11a) adjacent the central region, and an n-type doped second bottom part (11b) adjacent the bottom cladding layer, a semiconductor top guide layer (12) having the following two adjacent top parts: an undoped first top part (12a) adjacent the central region, and a p-type doped second top part (12b) adjacent the top cladding layer. The first bottom and top parts form a non-doped region (ND) more than 0.5 &mgr;m thick, and the refractive index difference (&Dgr;nopt) between one or each of the cladding layers and the adjacent guide layer is less than 0.02.

Abstract: An optical resonant cavity (50) defined between two mirrors (13′, 40), one of which (40) is a variable pitch Bragg reflector grating, is characterized in that a parameter CS of variation of the Bragg wavelength of the grating is such that the cavity resonates continuously from a first optical frequency to a second optical frequency higher than the first optical frequency. The invention can be used in particular to produce broadband band-pass filters with steep flanks, broadband amplifiers with no gain fluctuation, and continuous emission spectrum lasers and light-emitting diodes.

Abstract: A semiconductor optical component is disclosed which comprises a current injection region and at least one electrically isolated region referred to as a first plateau, each region containing a contact layer of an alloy based on gallium arsenide, GaAs, deposited on a semiconductor material upper confinement layer. The component further comprises in the first plateau a dielectric material isolation layer on top of the contact layer. An attachment layer is disposed between the contact layer and the isolation layer to increase the adhesion of the isolation layer to the contact layer. A method of fabricating the above kind of component is also disclosed.

Abstract: A biasing system for biasing an electronic circuit includes a resistance connected in series with a transmission line which has a characteristic impedance substantially equal to the resistance and comprises a conductive line and a plurality of current sources distributed along the conductive line. The biasing system can be used as a biasing and/or matching supply for any type of broad-band low-noise power application requiring high bias currents.

Abstract: Switchable two-fiber systems to provide a backup fiber link to a signal detector where the backup signal is switched to the signal detector when the primary signal fails.

Abstract: An optical device integrated on a planar substrate is disclosed, comprising a Y-branch attenuator optically coupled to a Mach-Zehnder modulator. The device also comprises means for reducing a crosstalk caused by unguided radiation between the Y-branch attenuator and the Mach-Zehnder modulator. In one embodiment, the reduction of the crosstalk is obtained by connecting the Mach-Zehnder modulator to one arm of the Y-branch attenuator. The invention also comprises a transmitting module including the integrated device.