US5019787A — Optical amplifier

Claim 1

Independent Claim 139 words

An optical amplifier comprising: a body of a semiconductor material; a grating on said body for receiving a beam of light and directing the beam along the path through said body; a gain section in said body along said path through which the beam passes, said gain section being capable of amplifying the beam; and a grating on said body for receiving the amplified beam of light from the gain section and directing the amplified beam out of the body; each of the gratings having a period such that only the first grating order of the light is coupled out of the amplifier and the second grating order is not coupled into the fundamental mode of the waveguide so that self-oscillation of the light in the waveguide does not occur so as to provide only a single pass gain.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 139 words

An optical amplifier comprising: a body of a semiconductor material; a grating on said body for receiving a beam of light and directing the beam along the path through said body; a gain section in said body along said path through which the beam passes, said gain section being capable of amplifying the beam; and a grating on said body for receiving the amplified beam of light from the gain section and directing the amplified beam out of the body; each of the gratings having a period such that only the first grating order of the light is coupled out of the amplifier and the second grating order is not coupled into the fundamental mode of the waveguide so that self-oscillation of the light in the waveguide does not occur so as to provide only a single pass gain.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 28 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 1 wherein the body has a waveguide therein extending along said path for guiding the beam of light through the body.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 35 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 2 wherein the gain section includes means for generating light in the waveguide when a voltage is applied across the gain section to amplify the beam of light.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 72 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 3 in which the waveguide includes an intermediate layer of a semiconductor material having a separate clad layer of a semiconductor material on each side of the intermediate layer, the clad layers are of a material which forms a heterojunction with the material of the intermediate layer and one of the clad layers is of a conductivity type opposite that of the other clad layer.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 18 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 4 in which the intermediate layer is a quantum well region.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 18 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 4 in which the intermediate layer is a multi-quantum well region.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 38 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 5 wherein the gain section includes a pair of contacts on the body at opposite sides of the intermediate layer to allow a voltage to be applied across the gain section.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 33 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 7 in which light is directed into and out of the amplifier through the surface of the body opposite that on which the grating is formed.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 39 words

An optical waveguide in accordance with claim 1 including a plurality of gain sections in said semiconductor body and a grating across said body at each end of each gain section optically coupling said gain sections together in series.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 229 words

An optical amplifier comprising: a substrate to a semiconductor material having a pair of opposed surfaces; a body of a semiconductor material on one of said surfaces of the substrate; an optical waveguide extending through said body and adapted to guide a beam of light through said body; a gain section in said body along said waveguide, said gain section adapted to generate light in said waveguide when a voltage is applied across the gain section so as to amplify a beam of light passing along said waveguide; a light input section along said waveguide at one end of said gain section, said light input section including a grating extending across said body adapted to direct a beam of light into said body and along said waveguide; and a light output section along said waveguide at the other end of the gain section, said light output section including a grating extending across said body adapted to direct the amplified beam of light from the gain section out of the body; each of said gratings having a period such that only the first grating order of the light is coupled out of the amplifier and the second grating orders are not coupled into the fundamental mode of the waveguide so that self-oscillation of the light in the waveguide does not occur so as to provide only a single pass gain.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 229 words

An optical amplifier comprising: a substrate to a semiconductor material having a pair of opposed surfaces; a body of a semiconductor material on one of said surfaces of the substrate; an optical waveguide extending through said body and adapted to guide a beam of light through said body; a gain section in said body along said waveguide, said gain section adapted to generate light in said waveguide when a voltage is applied across the gain section so as to amplify a beam of light passing along said waveguide; a light input section along said waveguide at one end of said gain section, said light input section including a grating extending across said body adapted to direct a beam of light into said body and along said waveguide; and a light output section along said waveguide at the other end of the gain section, said light output section including a grating extending across said body adapted to direct the amplified beam of light from the gain section out of the body; each of said gratings having a period such that only the first grating order of the light is coupled out of the amplifier and the second grating orders are not coupled into the fundamental mode of the waveguide so that self-oscillation of the light in the waveguide does not occur so as to provide only a single pass gain.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 71 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 10 in which the waveguide includes an intermediate layer of semiconductor material having a separate clad layer of a semiconductor material on each side of the intermediate layer, the clad layers are of a material which forms a heterojunction with the material of the intermediate layer and one of the clad layer is of a conductivity type opposite that of the other clad layer.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 18 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 11 in which the intermediate layer is a quantum well region.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 18 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 11 in which the intermediate layer is a multi-quantum well region.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 35 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 11 wherein the gain section includes a pair of contacts at opposite sides of the intermediate layer to allow a voltage to be applied across the gain section.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 43 words

An optical amplifier in accordance with claim 10 including a plurality of gain sections in said body spaced along the waveguide and a grating across said body at each end of each gain section to optically couple the gain section together in series.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 269 words

In an optical communication system which includes means for generating a modulated beam of light and directing said beam along a path, an optical amplifier along said path for amplifying the beam of light and means for receiving the amplified beam of light and converting the beam into a modulated electrical signal, said optical amplifier comprising: a body of a semiconductor material having an optical waveguide extending therethrough to guide the beam of light through the body; a gain section in said body along the waveguide, said gain section being capable of generating light in the waveguide when a voltage is applied across the gain section so as to amplify the beam of light passing through the gain section; a light input section along the waveguide at one end of the gain section, said light input section including a grating extending across said body adapted to receive the beam of light from along the path and direct it into and along the waveguide; and a light output section along the waveguide at the other end of the gain section, said light output section including a grating extending across said body adapted to direct the amplified beam of light from the gain section out of the body and along said path; each of the gratings having a period such that only the first grating order of the light is coupled out of the amplifier and the second grating order is not coupled into the fundamental mode of the waveguide so that self-oscillation of the light in the waveguide does not occur so as to provide only a single pass gain.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 269 words

In an optical communication system which includes means for generating a modulated beam of light and directing said beam along a path, an optical amplifier along said path for amplifying the beam of light and means for receiving the amplified beam of light and converting the beam into a modulated electrical signal, said optical amplifier comprising: a body of a semiconductor material having an optical waveguide extending therethrough to guide the beam of light through the body; a gain section in said body along the waveguide, said gain section being capable of generating light in the waveguide when a voltage is applied across the gain section so as to amplify the beam of light passing through the gain section; a light input section along the waveguide at one end of the gain section, said light input section including a grating extending across said body adapted to receive the beam of light from along the path and direct it into and along the waveguide; and a light output section along the waveguide at the other end of the gain section, said light output section including a grating extending across said body adapted to direct the amplified beam of light from the gain section out of the body and along said path; each of the gratings having a period such that only the first grating order of the light is coupled out of the amplifier and the second grating order is not coupled into the fundamental mode of the waveguide so that self-oscillation of the light in the waveguide does not occur so as to provide only a single pass gain.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 76 words

An optical communication system in accordance with claim 16 in which the waveguide of the optical amplifier includes an intermediate layer of semiconductor material having a separate clad layer of a semiconductor material on each side of the intermediate layer, the clad layers are of a material which forms a heterojunction with the material of the intermediate layer and one of the clad layers is of a conductivity type opposite that of the other clad layer.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 22 words

An optical communication system in accordance with claim 16 in which the intermediate layer of the waveguide is a quantum well region.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1994-05-27	1994-11-26	1995-05-28	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1998-05-27	1998-11-26	1999-05-28	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2002-05-27	2002-11-26	2003-05-28	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Optical amplifier

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