Rapidly Tunable Integrated Laser

This invention relates to optical communications systems. More particularly, this invention relates to lasers used in optical communications systems.

The capacity and speed of communications systems may be increased by transmitting information in optical form over networks composed of optically transmissive nodes, fibers, waveguides, and the like. High capacity optical communications systems require that many optical signals be frequency division multiplexed in the components of an optical network. This requires that there be a way of conveniently producing electromagnetic energy at many different frequencies. An ideal device for producing optical energy useful in an optical communications system is a laser. Until now, there has been no convenient approach to creating a large number of optical frequencies with lasers. The performance of prior lasers have been limited in terms of tuning speed, frequency selectivity, or tuning range. All of these prior devices also have been expensive to implement.

In accordance with this invention, a rapidly tunable laser has been developed which provides a well-defined set of frequencies. This laser may be based upon photonic integrated circuitry which has a wide gain bandwidth. Such tunable lasers can be realized at a cost lower than that needed to implement prior lasers used in optical communications systems.

In one example of the invention, Applicants have surprisingly realized that integrated optical multiplexers and demultiplexers may be used to create a tunable laser. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,002,350 and 5,136,671. They may be used to create a monolithic laser rapidly tunable over a wide frequency range. In specific terms, one example of the invention comprises an N.times.N frequency routing device formed on a semiconductive wafer between two reflective faces. Waveguides associated with the device, which are disposed on a common side of the device, each contain an integrated optical amplifier selectively acting as a gate preventing the flow of optical energy through a respective waveguide or as a gain providing element which amplifies optical energy flowing through a respective waveguide. Selective ones of the optical amplifiers may be activated with bias current so that lasing action occurs in a predetermined path between the reflective faces. This path is such that lasing action is supported at a particular selected frequency. The laser is rapidly tunable to any of N frequencies equal to the number of input or output waveguides associated with the frequency routing device.

This is only an example of the invention. The full scope of the invention entitled to an exclusionary right is set forth in the claims at the end of this application.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a tunable laser in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the details of the frequency routing device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example of a tunable laser with only one amplifier disposed in each frequency selective pathway in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a laser which is rapidly tunable over a wide frequency range. It is composed of a frequency routing device for providing frequency selectivity, a number of waveguides for carrying optical signals, and a number of optically active sections for providing optical amplification and lasing behavior. These structures may be monolithically integrated on a semiconductive wafer. They may be created by means of known photolithographic techniques.

FIG. 1 illustrates a wafer 10 made of a semiconductive material such as an indium phosphide based material such as InGaAsP. An N.times.N frequency routing device 12 is defined on the wafer 10. A first plurality of waveguides 14.sub.1, 14.sub.2, . . . , 14.sub.N is connected to one end of the frequency routing device 12. A second plurality of waveguides 16.sub.1, 16.sub.2 . . . ,16.sub.N is connected to another end of the frequency routing device 12. A first plurality of optical amplifiers 18.sub.1, 18.sub.2, . . . , 18.sub.N connects respective ones of the first plurality of waveguides to a cleaved face 20 formed in the semiconductive wafer 10. A second plurality of optical amplifiers 22.sub.1, 22.sub.2, 22.sub.N connects respective ones of the second plurality of waveguides to a second cleaved face 24 formed in the wafer 10. The two cleaved faces 20 and 24 comprise reflective mirrors defining a tuned cavity in which lasing action can be supported. A gate control circuit 25 selectively provides bias current to predetermined ones of the optical amplifiers to produce laser light at one of N discrete frequencies as indicated at reference numeral 11 in FIG. 1.

Each optical amplifier comprises a doped section of waveguide with controllable optical transmissivity. The doping may be such that an appropriately configured semiconductor junction is defined in each optical amplifier. These sections are optically active in that application of electrical energy to those sections will cause them to become transmissive to the flow of optical energy and will even provide some degree of gain to optical signals flowing through them. When electrical bias current above a lasing threshold is applied, laser action begins. These doped sections of waveguide are substantially opaque to the transmission of light when there is no applied electrical stimulation. The specially doped sections thus may be considered to be gates or optical amplifiers depending upon whether or not they are excited with electrical energy. The details of creating such sections in a wafer such as the wafer 10 shown in FIG. 1 are generally known, are not a part of this invention, and thus are not described here.

Selectively applying bias current to predetermined ones of the optical amplifiers in FIG. 1 will create certain frequency selective optical pathways between the cleaved faces 20 and 24 due to the behavior of the frequency routing device 12. Application of a certain amount of bias current above a lasing threshold to the selected ones of the optical amplifiers will cause lasing action at a frequency supported in the frequency selective optical pathways. Those optical amplifiers which are not given any bias current remain opaque to the transmission of optical energy through them.

The frequency routing device 12 is such that an optical signal having a frequency F.sub.1 appearing on the waveguide 14.sub.1 and flowing toward the device 12 will be directed to the waveguide 16.sub.1. An optical signal having a frequency F.sub.1 directed toward the frequency routing device 12 on waveguide 16.sub.1 will be directed to the waveguide 14.sub.1. An optical signal having a frequency F.sub.2 appearing on waveguide 14.sub.1 and flowing toward the device 12 will be directed to the waveguide 16.sub.2. An optical signal having a frequency F.sub.2 directed toward the frequency routing device 12 on waveguide 16.sub.2 will be directed toward waveguide 14.sub.1. In general, an optical signal having a frequency F.sub.i appearing on waveguide 14.sub.1 and flowing toward the device 12 will be directed to a waveguide 16.sub.i by the frequency routing device. Similarly, an optical signal having a frequency F.sub.i appearing on a waveguide 16.sub.i and flowing toward the frequency routing device 12 will be directed to waveguide 14.sub.1.

The edges of the wafer at the ends of the two sets of optical amplifiers are cleaved to form reflective mirrors with a tunable cavity between them. The amplifiers on one side of the frequency routing device 12 are used as gates opened by the bias current. When these gates are biased by a current of 10 to 20 mA, for example, these gates become optically transparent with perhaps some gain depending on the level of the bias current. They are highly optically lossy at a zero bias current. One of these optical amplifiers on one side of the wafer 10 is biased so that it is optically transmissive. The other optical amplifiers on the same side are unbiased. On the other side of the frequency routing device 12, one of the optical amplifiers is biased above a lasing threshold. The remaining amplifiers are unbiased to absorb any light reaching them. Application of bias current to the optical amplifiers in this manner determines a transparent route between the mirrors for lasing action. Along this route, stationary waves can be sustained for frequencies within a passband associated with this route. Frequencies outside this passband are suppressed by the lossy unbiased optical amplifiers. Lasing occurs at the Fabry-Perot mode whose frequency is nearest the passband maximum. Adjacent Fabry-Perot modes are suppressed by passband selectivity which can be adjusted by appropriate circuit design. There are N passbands .DELTA.F wide repeated periodically with a free spectral range (FSR) period N.DELTA.F. Assuming that the gain of the active semiconductive medium peaks sufficiently over one of these FSRs, N lasing frequencies can be obtained in this FSR by appropriate activation of selected optical amplifiers in the wafer 10. Frequencies outside this FSR are suppressed by gain discrimination. Tuning can thus be achieved at discrete frequencies separated by intervals .DELTA.F over a tuning range N.DELTA.F. In addition, combinations of lasing frequencies can be obtained by activating more than one amplifier section on one side of the device 12. Furthermore, amplifier sections can be modulated in order to send information.

Described here are a couple of examples illustrating how the laser of FIG. 1 may be tuned to a plurality of discrete optical frequencies. If it is desired that the laser of FIG. 1 produce optical energy at a frequency F.sub.1, bias current is applied to optical amplifier 18.sub.1 and optical amplifier 22.sub.1. The bias current applied to the optical amplifier 22.sub.1 is above the lasing threshold for the semiconductor material. An optically transmissive path is thereby defined between the reflective faces 20 and 24 comprising the optical amplifier 18.sub.1, the waveguide 14.sub.1, the frequency routing device 12, the waveguide 16.sub.1, and the optical amplifier 22.sub.1. An optical standing wave is created between the faces 20 and 24 at the frequency F.sub.1 and laser light at that frequency is output by the device of FIG. 1 as shown by reference numeral 11. In this case, face 20 may be partially transmissive and face 24 may be totally reflective. Similarly, if it is desired that tee laser of FIG. 1 produce optical energy at a frequency F.sub.2, bias current is applied to the optical amplifier 18.sub.1 and the optical amplifier 22.sub.2. The bias current applied to the optical amplifier 22.sub.2 is above the lasing threshold for the semiconductor material. An optically transmissive path is thereby defined between the faces 22 and 24 comprising the optical amplifier 18.sub.1, the waveguide 14.sub.1, the frequency routing device 12, the waveguide 16.sub.2 and the optical amplifier 22.sub.2. An optical standing wave is created between the faces 20 and 24 at the frequency F.sub.2 and laser light at that frequency is output by the device of FIG. 1 as shown by reference numeral 11. Optical energy at frequencies F.sub.3 to F.sub.N may be produced by activating optical amplifiers 22.sub.3 to 23.sub.N, respectively, instead of activating the optical amplifiers 22.sub.1 or 22.sub.2. The output frequency produced by the laser in FIG. 1 may rapidly be changed by changing which optical amplifiers receive bias current.

FIG. 2 shows the pertinent details of an example of a routing device 12 shown in FIG. 1. The frequency routing device contains a plurality of input waveguides 26 connected to a free space region 28. A plurality of output waveguides 30 extends from the free space region 28 and is connected to an optical grating 32. The optical grating 32 comprises a plurality of unequal length waveguides which provides a predetermined amount of path length difference between the output waveguides 30 and a corresponding plurality of input waveguides 34 connected to another free space region 36. The free space region 36 is connected to a plurality of output waveguides 38. These frequency routing devices operate as multiplexers and demultiplexers of optical frequencies. The details of their construction and operation are more fully described in the U.S. patents referred to above, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference into this application. In the case of the frequency routing device 12 in FIG. 1, the input waveguides 26 may be connected to the waveguides 14.sub.1, 14.sub.2, . . . , 14.sub.N, respectively. The plurality of output waveguides 38 are connected to the waveguides 16.sub.1, 16.sub.2, . . . , 16.sub.N in the device of FIG. 1.

The laser of FIG. 1 may be tuned to a large number of different optical frequencies used in high speed, high capacity optical communications networks. For example, frequency routing devices with N up to 32 or more may be conveniently fabricated on a single semiconductive wafer. This results in a tunable laser which can be tuned to any of up to 32 or more optical frequencies. For example, a laser using a 32.times.32 frequency routing device providing passbands spaced by 50 GHz will yield 32 potential frequencies of operation distributed regularly at 50 GHz intervals over a tuning bandwidth of 1600 GHz. This bandpass is thus 60% larger than that of a conventional DBR laser. The doped sections comprising the optical amplifiers in FIG. 1 may be switched on or off at up to nanosecond speeds thereby resulting in rapid tuning of the FIG. 1 laser to the desired frequencies. Devices such as the laser in FIG. 1 are attractive for large size optical network applications based on frequency division multiplexing.

In one alternative to the device shown in FIG. 1, a mirror image of the FIG. 1 device could be attached along a plane defined by face 24 in FIG. 1, in which case, high quality laser mirrors are required only adjacent two optical amplifiers, for example, amplifier 18.sub.1 and its mirror image.

While a presently preferred embodiment of the invention employs amplifiers in waveguides on both sides of the resonant cavity, it is contemplated that the router and waveguides can be redesigned to employ amplifiers on a single side of the cavity. For example, amplifiers 18 can be eliminated from the apparatus as shown in FIG. 3 provided that only one waveguide 14 is terminated on the reflective surface. The portion of the cleaved face 20 on which the remaining waveguides 14 terminate may be provided with an antireflective coating. Since the remaining waveguides 14 are not terminated on the reflective surface, they are not capable of providing optical feedback to the cavity. In such a modified laser, it is only necessary to activate one amplifier for generating a laser output beam at a desired wavelength.