Claims
- 1. A system for use in locking a transmission wavelength of a laser beam to a selected wavelength comprising:
a laser wavelength detector, positioned along an optical path of the laser beam, for capturing a first portion of the laser beam to detect the power of the laser; an etalon positioned along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the laser wavelength detector for simultaneously receiving a second portion of the laser beam and for splitting the second portion into a series of transmission lines; and an etalon wavelength detector, positioned along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the etalon wavelength detector, for detecting the etalon transmission lines; and wherein the laser wavelength detector and etalon wavelength detector are both offset from one another and from a central axis of the laser beam and collectively provide a combined detection area smaller than a beam width of the laser beam.
- 2. The system of claim 1 further including:
a laser for providing the laser beam; and a control unit for setting the transmission wavelength of the laser to a selected wavelength and also for tuning the etalon to align a selected one of the etalon transmission lines to the selected wavelength, the control unit thereafter detecting any drift of the transmission wavelength of the laser from the selected etalon transmission line and adjusting the laser to compensate for any drift such that the output beam of the laser is locked to the selected transmission wavelength so long as the selected etalon transmission line remains at the selected wavelength.
- 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the laser wavelength detector and the etalon wavelength detector are circular detectors having center points diametrically opposite from one another on opposing sides of the central axis of the laser beam.
- 4. The system of claim 3 wherein outer perimeter edges of the laser wavelength detector and the etalon wavelength detector lie within a central cross-sectional portion of the laser beam.
- 5. The system of claim 4 wherein outer perimeter edges of the laser wavelength detector and the etalon wavelength detector are aligned with an outer perimeter of the central cross-sectional portion of the laser beam.
- 6. The system of claim 5 wherein the intensity of the laser beam diminishes off-axis and wherein the outer perimeter of the central cross-sectional portion of the laser beam is defined as the point where the intensity of the beam diminishes to 1/e2 of an on-axis beam intensity.
- 7. The system of claim 3 wherein the laser wavelength detector and the etalon wavelength detector are mounted perpendicular to a central axis of the laser beam, the central cross-sectional portion of the laser beam has a diameter of at least 450 microns, the laser wavelength detector has a diameter of about 150 microns, and the etalon wavelength detector has a diameter of about 300 microns.
- 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the etalon detector and the laser wavelength detector are sized relative to one another so as to capture an amount of light from the laser beam in the ratio of about 7/3.
- 9. The system of claim 1 wherein the laser wavelength detector and the etalon wavelength detector are mounted perpendicular to the central axis of the laser beam and a ratio of a surface area of the etalon wavelength detector to a surface area of the laser wavelength detector is about {square root}{square root over (7/3)}.
- 10. The system of claim 1 further including a collimator mounted along the laser beam between a source of the laser beam and the laser wavelength detector.
- 11. The system of claim 10 wherein the collimator is a ball lens.
- 12. The system of claim 1 further including an optical bench and wherein the laser wavelength detector, the etalon, and the etalon wavelength detector are all mounted to the optical bench.
- 13. The system of claim 12 wherein the laser wavelength detector, the etalon, and the etalon wavelength detector are all mounted to the optical bench via eutectic coupling.
- 14. The system of claim 12 wherein the laser beam is provided by an optic fiber and wherein an end of the optic fiber is also mounted to the optical bench.
- 15. The system of claim 14 further including a ball lens mounted between the optic fiber and the laser wavelength detector and wherein ball lens is also mounted to the optical bench.
- 16. The system of claim 15 wherein the optical bench is formed with slots sized to receive portions of the laser wavelength detector, the etalon, the etalon wavelength detector, the lens and the end of the optic fiber for mounting.
- 17. The system of claim 12 wherein the optical bench is mounted to a base with a heating element mounted therebetween.
- 18. The system of claim 17 wherein the base is formed of FR4 or polyimide.
- 19. A system for use in locking a transmission wavelength of a laser beam to a selected wavelength comprising:
means, positioned along an optical path of the laser beam, for capturing a first portion of the laser beam to detect the power of the laser; means, positioned along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the laser wavelength detector, for simultaneously receiving a second portion of the laser beam and for splitting the second portion into a series of transmission lines; and means, positioned along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the etalon wavelength detector, for detecting the etalon transmission lines; and wherein the means for capturing a first portion of the laser beam and the means for detecting the etalon transmission lines are both offset from one another and from a central axis of the laser beam and collectively provide a combined detection area smaller than a beam width of the laser beam.
- 20. A method for fabricating a wavelength locker for use in locking a transmission wavelength of a laser beam to a selected wavelength, the method comprising the steps of:
mounting a laser wavelength detector along an optical path of the laser beam for use in capturing a first portion of the laser beam so as to detect the power of the laser, the laser wavelength detector being mounted offset from a central axis of the laser beam and sized to capture about 30% of the central portion of the laser beam; mounting an etalon along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the laser wavelength detector for use in simultaneously receiving a second portion of the laser beam and for splitting the second portion into a series of transmission lines; and mounting an etalon wavelength detector along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the etalon wavelength detector for use in detecting the etalon transmission lines, the etalon wavelength detector being mounted offset from the central axis of the laser beam and sized to capture about 70% of the central portion of the laser beam.
- 21. A system for use in locking a transmission wavelength of a laser beam to a selected wavelength comprising:
an optical bench; a laser wavelength detector, mounted on the optical bench along an optical path of the laser beam, for capturing a first portion of the laser beam to detect the power of the laser; an etalon, mounted on the optical bench along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the laser wavelength detector, for simultaneously receiving a second portion of the laser beam and for splitting the second portion into a series of transmission lines; and an etalon wavelength detector, mounted on the optical bench along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the etalon wavelength detector, for detecting the etalon transmission lines.
- 22. The system of claim 21 further including:
a laser for providing the laser beam; and a control unit for setting the transmission wavelength of the laser to a selected wavelength and also for tuning the etalon to align a selected one of the etalon transmission lines to the selected wavelength, the control unit thereafter detecting any drift of the transmission wavelength of the laser from the selected etalon transmission line and adjusting the laser to compensate for any drift such that the output beam of the laser is locked to the selected transmission wavelength so long as the selected etalon transmission line remains at the selected wavelength.
- 23. The system of claim 21 wherein the laser wavelength detector, the etalon, and the etalon wavelength detector are all mounted to the optical bench via eutectic coupling.
- 24. The system of claim 21 wherein the laser beam is provided by an optic fiber and wherein an end of the optic fiber is also mounted to the optical bench.
- 25. The system of claim 24 further including a lens mounted between the optic fiber and the laser wavelength detector and wherein lens is also mounted to the optical bench.
- 26. The system of claim 25 wherein the optical bench is formed with slots sized to receive portions of the laser wavelength detector, the etalon, the etalon wavelength detector, the lens and the end of the optic fiber for mounting.
- 27. The system of claim 21 wherein the optical bench is mounted to a base with a heating element mounted therebetween.
- 28. The system of claim 27 wherein the base is formed of FR4 or polyimide.
- 29. The system of claim 21 wherein the laser wavelength detector and etalon wavelength detector are both offset from one another and from a central axis of the laser beam and collectively provide a combined detection area smaller than a beam width of the laser beam.
- 30. The system of claim 29 wherein the laser wavelength detector and the etalon wavelength detector are circular detectors having center points diametrically opposite from one another on opposing sides of the central axis of the laser beam.
- 31. The system of claim 30 wherein outer perimeter edges of the laser wavelength detector and the etalon wavelength detector lie within a central cross-sectional portion of the laser beam.
- 32. The system of claim 31 wherein outer perimeter edges of the laser wavelength detector and the etalon wavelength detector are aligned with an outer perimeter of the central cross-sectional portion of the laser beam.
- 33. The system of claim 32 wherein the intensity of the laser beam diminishes off-axis and wherein the outer perimeter of the central cross-sectional portion of the laser beam is defined as the point where the intensity of the beam diminishes to 1/e2 of an on-axis beam intensity.
- 34. The system of claim 30 wherein the laser wavelength detector and the etalon wavelength detector are mounted perpendicular to a central axis of the laser beam, the central cross-sectional portion of the laser beam has a diameter of at least 450 microns, the laser wavelength detector has a diameter of about 150 microns, and the etalon wavelength detector has a diameter of about 300 microns.
- 35. The system of claim 24 wherein the etalon detector and the laser wavelength detector are sized relative to one another so as to capture an amount of light from the laser beam in the ratio of about 7/3.
- 36. The system of claim 24 wherein the laser wavelength detector and the etalon wavelength detector are mounted perpendicular to a central axis of the laser beam and a ratio of a surface area of the etalon wavelength detector to a surface area of the laser wavelength detector is about {square root}{square root over (7/3)}.
- 37. The system of claim 24 further including a collimator mounted along the laser beam between a source of the laser beam and the laser wavelength detector.
- 38. The system of claim 31 wherein the collimator is a ball lens.
- 39. A system for use in locking a transmission wavelength of a laser beam to a selected wavelength comprising:
an optical bench; means, positioned along an optical path of the laser beam, for capturing a first portion of the laser beam to detect the power of the laser; means, positioned along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the laser wavelength detector, for simultaneously receiving a second portion of the laser beam and for splitting the second portion into a series of transmission lines; and means, positioned along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the etalon wavelength detector, for detecting the etalon transmission lines; and wherein the means for capturing a first portion of the laser beam, the means for splitting the second portion into a series of transmission lines, and the means for detecting the etalon transmission lines are all mounted to the optical bench.
- 40. A method for fabricating a wavelength locker for use in locking a transmission wavelength of a laser beam to a selected wavelength, the method comprising the steps of:
mounting a laser wavelength detector to an optical bench along an optical path of the laser beam for use in capturing a first portion of the laser beam so as to detect the power of the laser, the laser wavelength detector mounted so as to capture about 30% of the central portion of the laser beam; mounting an etalon to the optical bench along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the laser wavelength detector for use in simultaneously receiving a second portion of the laser beam and for splitting the second portion into a series of transmission lines; and mounting an etalon wavelength detector to the optical bench along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the etalon wavelength detector for use in detecting the etalon transmission lines, the etalon wavelength detector mounted so as to capture about 70% of the central portion of the laser beam.
- 41. The system of claim 12 wherein the optical bench is made from silicon.
- 42. The system of claim 12 wherein the optical bench is made from aluminum nitride.
- 43. A laser system comprising:
a laser for generating a laser beam; a laser wavelength detector, positioned along an optical path of the laser beam, for capturing a first portion of the laser beam to detect a transmission wavelength of the laser; an etalon positioned along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the laser wavelength detector for simultaneously receiving a second portion of the laser beam and for splitting the second portion into a series of transmission lines; an etalon wavelength detector, positioned along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the etalon wavelength detector, for detecting the etalon transmission lines; and a control unit for setting the transmission wavelength of the laser to a selected wavelength and also for tuning the etalon to align a selected one of the etalon transmission lines to the selected wavelength, the control unit thereafter detecting any drift of the transmission wavelength of the laser from the selected etalon transmission line and adjusting the laser to compensate for any drift; and wherein the laser wavelength detector and etalon wavelength detector are both offset from one another and from a central axis of the laser beam and collectively provide a combined detection area smaller than a beam width of the laser beam.
- 44. A laser multiplexer system comprising:
a plurality of lasers each operative to generate a respective laser beam; a plurality of wavelength lockers each operative to lock the wavelength of a respective one of the lasers to a respective transmission wavelength; and an optical multiplexer operative to combine the plurality of laser beams into an optic fiber for transmission; and wherein each wavelength locker includes
a laser wavelength detector, positioned along an optical path of the laser beam of the respective laser, for capturing a first portion of the laser beam of the respective laser to detect the power of the respective laser, an etalon positioned along the optical path of the laser beam of the respective laser downstream from the laser wavelength detector for simultaneously receiving a second portion of the laser beam of the respective laser and for splitting the second portion into a series of transmission lines, and an etalon wavelength detector, positioned along the optical path of the laser beam of the respective laser downstream from the etalon, for detecting the intensity of the etalon transmission line, and a control unit for setting the transmission wavelength of the respective laser to the selected wavelength and also for tuning the etalon to align a selected one of the etalon transmission lines to the selected wavelength, the control unit thereafter detecting any drift of the transmission wavelength of the respective laser from the selected etalon transmission line and adjusting the respective laser to compensate for any drift, and wherein the laser wavelength detector and etalon wavelength detector are both offset from one another and from a central axis of the laser beam of the respective laser and collectively provide a combined detection area smaller than a beam width of the laser beam.
- 45. A laser system comprising:
a laser for generating a laser beam; an optical bench; a laser wavelength detector, mounted on the optical bench along an optical path of the laser beam, for capturing a first portion of the laser beam to detect the power of the laser; an etalon, mounted on the silicon optical bench along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the laser wavelength detector, for simultaneously receiving a second portion of the laser beam and for splitting the second portion into a series of transmission lines; an etalon wavelength detector, mounted on the silicon optical bench along the optical path of the laser beam downstream from the etalon, for detecting the power of the etalon transmission line; and a control unit for setting the transmission wavelength of the laser to a selected wavelength and also for tuning the etalon to align a selected one of the etalon transmission lines to the selected wavelength, the control unit thereafter detecting any drift of the transmission wavelength of the laser from the selected etalon transmission line and adjusting the laser to compensate for any drift.
- 46. A laser multiplexer system comprising:
a plurality of lasers each operative to generate a respective laser beam; a plurality of wavelength lockers each operative to lock the wavelength of a respective one of the lasers to a respective transmission wavelength; and an optical multiplexer operative to combine the plurality of laser beams into an optic fiber for transmission; and wherein each wavelength locker includes
a silicon optical bench; a laser wavelength detector, mounted on the silicon optical bench along an optical path of the laser beam of the respective laser, for capturing a first portion of the laser beam to detect the transmission power of the respective laser; an etalon, mounted on the silicon optical bench along the optical path of the laser beam of the respective laser downstream from the laser wavelength detector, for simultaneously receiving a second portion of the laser beam of the respective laser and for splitting the second portion into a series of transmission lines; an etalon wavelength detector, mounted on the silicon optical bench along the optical path of the laser beam of the respective laser downstream from the etalon, for detecting the power of the etalon transmission line; and a control unit for setting the transmission wavelength of the respective laser to the selected wavelength and also for tuning the etalon to align a selected one of the etalon transmission lines to the selected wavelength, the control unit thereafter detecting any drift of the transmission wavelength of the respective laser from the selected etalon transmission line and adjusting the respective laser to compensate for any drift.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/966,152, of Randy May also entitled “Method and System for Locking Transmission Wavelengths for Lasers in a Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexer”, filed Sep. 28, 2001, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/811,090, of Randy May also entitled “Method and System for Locking Transmission Wavelengths for Lasers in a Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexer”, filed Mar. 17, 2001, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/775,772, filed Jan. 31, 2001, which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/685,212, entitled “Method And Apparatus For Determining Transmission Wavelengths For Lasers In A Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexer”, filed Oct. 10, 2000.
Continuation in Parts (4)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09966152 |
Sep 2001 |
US |
Child |
10090936 |
Mar 2002 |
US |
Parent |
09811090 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Child |
09966152 |
Sep 2001 |
US |
Parent |
09775772 |
Jan 2001 |
US |
Child |
09811090 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Parent |
09685212 |
Oct 2000 |
US |
Child |
09775772 |
Jan 2001 |
US |