Abstract: The apparatus and method according to the present invention includes a semiconductor laser-modulator which is used to simultaneously generate optical pulses and encode data. The optical data output from the laser-modulator are soliton pulses in RZ format suitable for transmission in long distance optical communications.

Abstract: Stimulated Brillouin scattering has been effectively suppressed and the effect of residual amplitude modulation has been mitigated in a dithered optical transmitter by injecting the dithered optical signal into an optical device, such as a highly saturated amplifier, whose small-signal intensity response at the dither frequency dampens the residual amplitude modulation thereby decreasing the eye closure (alternatively, increasing the eye pattern opening). The optical device (e.g., the highly saturated amplifier) exhibits a low frequency cutoff (-3 dB) at a frequency greater than or equal to the inverse of the round trip time for a fiber span with the effective optical transmission length into which the optical signal power is launched. The dither rate is generally in the neighborhood of or below the low cutoff frequency.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed for suppressing stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) of the output light from a laser such as a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) semiconductor laser using a tuner which responds to a dither signal to continuously tune the semiconductor laser to reduce stimulated Brillouin scattering therefrom. The tuner responds to a continuously applied sinusoidal current as the dither signal to tune the semiconductor laser by controlling the lasing wavelength thereof. The tuner includes an input region for receiving the dither signal. In a first embodiment, the tuner includes a resistor thermally connected to a passive waveguide of the semiconductor laser, with the resistor responding to the dither signal for continuously heating the passive waveguide to control the tuning of the semiconductor laser. In a second embodiment, the tuner responds to the dither signal to continuously bias the passive waveguide of the semiconductor laser to control the tuning of the semiconductor laser.

Abstract: In this invention, an optical beam is multiplexed with two independently generated electrical pulse signals applied simultaneously to an interferometer having at least two branches to perform electrical-to-optical operations, such as logic, encryption or multiplexing operations. A Y junction interferometer which is coupled to receive a CW or periodic occurring optical beam has at least one set of individually addressable contacts. A first pair of individually addressable contacts is coupled to receive a first independently generated electrical pulse signal of a given frequency and amplitude, and a second pair of individually addressable contacts coupled to the same or another branch of the Y is coupled to receive a second independently generated electrical pulse signal of a given frequency and amplitude which is other than substantially identical to and other than substantially in-phase inverse with the first signal.

Abstract: An improved semiconductor optical amplifier with shortened gain-recovery time is disclosed. In the inventive device a carrier-storage region is placed adjacent to the gain region of the amplifier. Passage of carriers from the storage region to the gain region rapidly replenishes the carrier population within the gain region, thereby permitting rapid recovery of the amplifier gain.