U.S. patent application number 16/872703 was filed with the patent office on 2020-08-27 for wavelength locker.
The applicant listed for this patent is Elenion Technologies, LLC. Invention is credited to Thomas Wetteland Baehr-Jones, Ran Ding, Saeed Fathololoumi, Yang Liu, Yangjin Ma, Kishore Padmaraju.
Application Number | 20200272019 16/872703 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004816527 |
Filed Date | 2020-08-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200272019 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Liu; Yang ; et al. |
August 27, 2020 |
WAVELENGTH LOCKER
Abstract
Conventionally, wavelength locking and monitoring has been
achieved used various components, including calibrated etalon
filters, gratings, and arrays of color filters, which offer fairly
bulky solutions that require complicated controls. An improved
on-chip wavelength monitor comprises: a combination comb filter
comprising a plurality of comb filters, each for receiving a test
beams, and each comb filter including a substantially different
FSR, e.g. 10.times. to 20.times. the next closest FSR. A controller
dithers a phase tuning section of each comb filter to generate a
maximum or minimum output in a corresponding photodetector
indicative of the wavelength of the test signal.
Inventors: |
Liu; Yang; (Elmhurst,
NY) ; Ma; Yangjin; (Brooklyn, NY) ; Ding;
Ran; (New York, NY) ; Baehr-Jones; Thomas
Wetteland; (Arcadia, CA) ; Fathololoumi; Saeed;
(San Gabriel, CA) ; Padmaraju; Kishore; (New York,
NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Elenion Technologies, LLC |
New York |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004816527 |
Appl. No.: |
16/872703 |
Filed: |
May 12, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15855242 |
Dec 27, 2017 |
10670939 |
|
|
16872703 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01J 3/45 20130101; G02F
1/225 20130101; H04B 10/07 20130101; G01J 3/26 20130101; G02F
2001/212 20130101; G01J 2003/1239 20130101; G02F 2203/18 20130101;
G02F 2203/50 20130101; G01J 2003/1247 20130101; G02F 1/0136
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G02F 1/225 20060101
G02F001/225; H04B 10/07 20060101 H04B010/07; G02F 1/01 20060101
G02F001/01; G01J 3/26 20060101 G01J003/26; G01J 3/45 20060101
G01J003/45 |
Claims
1. An apparatus, comprising a laser source to generate a laser
signal and a wavelength monitor, wherein the wavelength monitor
comprises: a tap for tapping a portion of the laser signal from the
laser source to form a test signal; a splitter for splitting the
test signal into a plurality of test beams; a combination comb
filter comprising a plurality of comb filters, each one of the
plurality of comb filters connected to receive a respective one of
the test beams, each comb filter having a different FSR; a
plurality of photodetectors, each one of the photodetectors
configured for measuring light output from a respective one of the
plurality of comb filters; a plurality of phase tuning sections,
each of the plurality of phase tuning sections for tuning a
corresponding one of the comb filters; and a controller to control
the plurality of phase tuning sections to determine a wavelength of
the test signal by generating a maximum output or a minimum output
in some of the plurality of photodetectors, and configured to tune
the laser source based on the determined wavelength of the test
signal.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is
configured to determine the wavelength of the test signal based on
values of pre-calibration values of electrical signals for
controlling the some of the phase tuning sections to tune
corresponding ones of the plurality of comb filters.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller is
configured to dither the some of the plurality of phase tuning
sections such that some of the test beams are locked to a peak or a
null point of the corresponding ones of the plurality of comb
filters.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of
comb filters comprises at least a first of the comb filters and a
second of the comb filters; and wherein the FSR of the second of
the comb filters is at least 10 times larger than the FSR of the
first of the comb filters.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of
comb filters further comprises a third of the comb filters; wherein
the FSR of the third of the comb filters is at least 10 times
larger than the FSR of the second of the comb filters.
6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the FSR of the first
of the comb filters is between 10 GHz to 40 GHz; wherein the FSR of
the second of the comb filters is between 100 GHz to 800 GHz; and
wherein the FSR of the third of the comb filters is between 2000
GHz to 16000 GHz.
7. The wavelength monitor according to claim 5, wherein each of the
plurality of phase tuning sections are configured to provide
wavelength accuracy of at least 10 to 30 times finer than the first
FSR, the second FSR and the third FSR.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each one of the
plurality of comb filters comprises a ring resonator.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the
ring resonators comprises waveguides with positive and negative
thermal coefficients on each side thereof to minimize temperature
sensitivity between each side.
10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each ring resonator
comprises a drop port and a through port; and wherein one of the
plurality of photodetectors is coupled to each drop port.
11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the
plurality of comb filters comprises a Mach-Zehnder filter.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein at least one of
the Mach-Zehnder filters comprises a first arm and a second arm;
and wherein the first arm includes a first polarization rotator for
rotating a polarization of light in the first arm, and a second
polarization rotator for rotating back the polarization of light in
the first arm.
13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first arm
comprises Silicon and the second arm comprises Silicon Nitride.
14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first arm
comprises a strip waveguide, and the second arm comprises a rib
waveguide.
15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first arm
includes a width that is different than a width of the second
arm.
16. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a
temperature sensor; wherein the temperature sensor comprises at
least three temperature sensors; and wherein a heat source is
placed outside an area defined by the at least three sensors.
17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein each of the at
least three temperature sensors comprises two diodes with different
lengths.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of and claims priority to
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/855,242, filed Dec. 27, 2017,
now allowed, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in
its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a wavelength locker, and in
particular to an integrated wavelength monitor and locker for use
with photonic integrated circuits.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Accurately determining the absolute wavelength of a single
mode laser signal has many potential applications in many fields,
including spectroscopy, communication system, and wavelength
tunable lasers. Conventionally, wavelength locking and monitoring
has been achieved used various components, including calibrated
etalon filters, gratings, and arrays of color filters.
Unfortunately, all of the conventional systems offer fairly bulky
solutions that require complicated controls and assembly.
Furthermore, some of these devices reflect a significant amount of
light back to the light source that can potentially disturb laser
sources, which further necessitates the use of bulky isolators.
Conventional wavelength lockers and monitors that provide fine
resolutions, e.g. 1 GHz or 10 pm of accuracy, typically require
large footprints.
[0004] An object of the present invention is to overcome the
shortcomings of the prior art by providing an integrated wavelength
locker with low reflectivity and high resolution.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Accordingly, the present invention relates to a wavelength
monitor and measurement system comprising:
[0006] a splitter for splitting a test signal into a plurality of
test beams;
[0007] a combination comb filter comprising a plurality of comb
filters, each for receiving a respective one of the test beams,
each comb filter including a different FSR;
[0008] at least one photodetector for measuring output from each
comb filter;
[0009] a phase tuning section for each comb filter for tuning a
resonance of each of the plurality of comb filters; and
[0010] a controller for controlling the phase tuning section of
each comb filter to generate a maximum or minimum output in the
corresponding photodetector indicative of the wavelength of the
test signal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will be described in greater detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings which represent preferred
embodiments thereof, wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is an schematic diagram of a wavelength
locker/monitor in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a plot of the response vs wavelength of the
combined comb filter device of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a comb
filter of the device of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a comb
filter of the device of FIG. 1;
[0016] FIG. 5A a plot of the response vs wavelength of the device
of FIG. 3 for various phase shifts;
[0017] FIG. 5B a plot of the response vs wavelength of the device
of FIG. 4 for various phase shifts.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] While the present teachings are described in conjunction
with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the
present teachings be limited to such embodiments. On the contrary,
the present teachings encompass various alternatives and
equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the
art.
[0019] An embodiment of the present invention, relates to a novel
compact on-chip wavelength locker (WLL) 1 based on integrated
components to determine absolute wavelength of incoming light from
a laser source 2 with minimum back reflection, high accuracy and
stable temperature performance. The purpose of the WLL 1 is
specifically to monitor and identify, with great accuracy, the
wavelength of an incoming laser signal 7. One possible use for the
WLL system 1 is to enable the laser source 2 to be tuned by control
system 3 to a very precise wavelength, since now there is a means
of seeing the current wavelength of the laser 2. The WLL 1 would be
most suitable for different classes of tunable lasers 2, including
integrated InP based photonic integrated circuits, hybrid III/V,
and Silicon Photonic devices.
[0020] With reference to FIG. 1, the WLL 1 may use integrated
components on a device layer of an independent photonic integrated
circuit (PIC), an existing PIC including the laser source 2 or an
independent PIC connected to a separate chip including the laser
source 2. The WLL 1 may comprise a tunable, periodic,
high-fineness, combination comb filter 5 in wavelength space, which
may include a plurality of separate comb filters 4.sub.1 to
4.sub.n, each with a different free spectral range (FSR). A tap 6
may be used to tap off a small portion, e.g. less than 5%,
typically 1% to 5%, of the light 7 from the laser source 2 forming
a test signal 7' to be fed to the WLL 1. A splitter 8 divides the
test signal 7' into individual test beams 7''.sub.1 to 7''.sub.n,
each for transmission to a respective one of the comb filters
4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n.
[0021] During operation, the control system 3 tunes each comb
filter 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n by dithering a phase shifter, and locking
each individual test beam 7''.sub.1 to 7''.sub.n to a high fineness
peak or a null point of the respective comb filter 4.sub.1 to
4.sub.n. Once the comb filter 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n is locked, the
value of a pre-calibrated electrical signal used to tune the comb
filters 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n is used by the controller 3 to determine
the absolute wavelength of the test signal 7'.
[0022] To lock each comb filter 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n, the control
system 3 tunes the phase of each comb filter 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n
using control signals 9.sub.1 to 9.sub.n to maximize or minimize a
current generated in a corresponding photodetector 11.sub.1 to
11.sub.n depending on whether a null point or a peak point of the
comb filter 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n is found, i.e. maximum transmission
or minimum transmission of light through the comb filter 4.sub.1 to
4.sub.n.
[0023] In the example plot illustrated in FIG. 2, three comb
filters are utilized, i.e. a first comb filter 4.sub.1 with a first
fine FSR1, e.g. 10 GHz to 40 GHz, ideally 20 GHz, an second comb
filter 4.sub.2 with a second intermediate FSR2, e.g. 100 GHz to 800
GHz, ideally 400 GHz, and a third comb filter 4.sub.3 with a third
coarse FSR3, e.g. 2000 GHz to 16000 GHz, ideally 8000 GHz.
Additional comb filters with additional intermediate FSR's may be
used. For this example, the WLL 1 is tuned whereby all of the combs
align at a null point to the incoming light wavelength.
Accordingly, the wavelength range of the comb filter 5 is defined
as the FSR of the coarsest comb FSR3.
[0024] Based on this method and depending on the accuracy of
electronics, wavelength accuracy as small as a fraction of the
smallest FSR may be achieved. The fraction is as many phase levels
as the electronics can detect within each a range. Hence each phase
section needs to be tuned for a full 2.pi.. Obviously electronics
with lower phase noise will be able to detect finer phases. For
instance, it is possible to achieve wavelength accuracy at least 10
to 30 times, preferably 20 times, finer than the FSR, e.g.
achieving 18.degree. phase accuracy.
[0025] In order to maximize the wavelength range of WLL 1, the
illustrated embodiment uses multiple filters, e.g. 4.sub.1 to
4.sub.3, with different values of FSRs, e.g. FSR1, FSR2 and FSR3,
respectively. The finest filter 4.sub.1 detects as many wavelength
values within one FSR as phase levels, e.g. 20 times in the example
mentioned above. The second filter 4.sub.2 may consequently have an
FSR that is equal to or larger than fine filter 4.sub.1 by as much
as the detectable phase levels. For the quoted example, the second
FSR2 may be 10 to 30 times, preferably 20 times, larger than the
fine FSR1, resulting in a detection wavelength range as large as
400 times the wavelength resolution. This scheme may be repeated as
many time as possible with as many comb filters 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n
as possible to cover the wavelength range of interest. The final WL
range will be the FSR FSRn of the coarsest comb filter 4.sub.n.
[0026] The controller 3 may actuate and control the combined comb
filter 5 continuously throughout the life of the device, i.e.
analog control, utilizing some form of feedback loop.
Alternatively, the controller 3 may actuate and control the
combined filter 5 whenever a wavelength enquiry is made, e.g.
according to a predetermined timing protocol, such as upon start
up, and/or at predetermined time periods
[0027] During use, the controller 3 may actuate and control all of
the filters 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n simultaneously. For example, each
filter will determine the wavelength of the test beam
7'.sub.1-7'.sub.n within the filters given accuracy and resolution.
Then based on phase bias (electrical) readings of each filter
4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n, the controller 3 calculates the precise
wavelength of the test signal 7'. Alternatively, the controller 3
may tune the coarsest filter 4.sub.n, e.g. FSR3, first to determine
the wavelength of the test beam 7'.sub.n within a first broad
range, e.g. 400 GHz for an FSR3 of 8000 GHz and 20 phase levels.
Then, knowing the first broad range, the controller 3 many tune one
or more intermediate filters 4.sub.2 to determine the wavelength of
the test beam 7'2 within a second intermediate range within the
first broad range, e.g. 20 GHz for an FSR2 of 400 GHz and 20 phase
levels. Finally, knowing the intermediate range, the controller 3,
tunes the finest filter 4.sub.1 to determine the wavelength of the
test beam 7'.sub.1 to within a fine range within the intermediate
range, e.g. 1 GHz for an FSR3 of 20 GHz and 20 phase levels.
[0028] The on-chip comb filters 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n may be
implemented using, inter alia, unbalanced Mach-Zehnders (MZ) filter
30 (FIG. 3), and/or coiled racetrack resonators 51 (FIG. 4).
[0029] With reference to FIG. 3, a MZ filter 30, comprised of a
first arm 31 and a second arm 32, with an arm length imbalance,
e.g. the longer arm may be 10%-90%, 20%-80%, 30%-50% longer or any
suitable imbalance, and a small loss imbalance, may provide high
fineness combs 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n. The wavelength of the test
signals 7''.sub.1 to 7''.sub.n may be determined at the null or max
points of the MZ filter 30. The phase of the MZ filter 30 may be
tuned by the control system 3 by including a phase tuning section
33, e.g. a thermal phase tuner, on either of the arms 31 and 32. In
an illustrated example, an FSR of 16 GHz is provided, and 16
distinct phase levels may be identified within each FSR. Hence a
wavelength resolution of 1 GHz is achieved.
[0030] In order to actively balance the losses between each of the
first and second arms 31 and 32, a variable optical attenuator 35
may be provide in one or both of the first and second arms 31 and
32. In order to more passively balance losses between each of the
first and second arms, due to components found in either of the
first and second arms 31 and 32, a balancing element may be
provided in each arm 31 and 32 of the MZ filter 30. For example, a
balancing element 34 may be provided on the first arm 31 for tuning
the loss of arm 31 by including similar components, e.g.
transitions between different waveguide materials, that are found
in the second arm 32. Moreover, a second variable optical
attenuator (VOA) 36 may be provided on the first arm 32 to balance
the losses caused by the first VOA 34 in the first arm 31. The test
signal 7''.sub.n enters the input port 37 from the splitter 8, and
exits the output port 38 to the corresponding photodetector
11.sub.n.
[0031] The MZ filter 30 may be constructed to have minimum thermal
cross talk between the phase tuning section 33 and the rest of the
MZ waveguides 31 and 32. Accordingly, the first and second arms 31
and 32 may each include a coiled section, disposed as far away,
e.g. >500 .mu.m, from any heat source, e.g. the phase tuning
section 33, as possible, to minimize the thermal gradient across
each arm. The biggest advantage of MZ filters 30 is that they are
not reflective by nature and hence no isolator will be needed for
the integrated tunable laser 2. The type of waveguide, e.g. shape
and/or material, on each arm may be constructed to reduce
temperature sensitivity of the filter response and device back
reflection. In order to have smaller temperature sensitivity,
waveguides with different properties and/or types may be used for
the first and second arms 31 and 32 in the same MZ filter 30 that
further boosts the sensitivity.
[0032] The following equation (1) may be used to calculate the FSR
of each MZ filter 30, and the following equation (2) may be used to
calculate the temperature sensitivity .DELTA..lamda./.DELTA.T, i.e.
change in wavelength per change in temperature for the MZ filter
30, wherein n.sub.g is the group index, n.sub.1 and n.sub.2 are the
index of refraction for the first and second arms 31 and 32,
respectively, and L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 are the lengths of the first
and second arms 31 and 32, respectively.
FSR = .lamda. 2 n g 1 L 1 - n g 2 L 2 ( 1 ) .DELTA..lamda. .DELTA.
T = .differential. n 1 .differential. T L 1 - .differential. n 2
.differential. T L 2 n g 1 L 1 - n g 2 L 2 ( 2 ) ##EQU00001##
[0033] Accordingly, to minimize the temperature sensitivity, the
numerator of equation (2) should be minimized, whereby the change
in index with temperature.times.the length of the first arm 31
should be substantially equal to the change in index with
temperature.times.the length of the second arm 32. There are
several different ways in which to balance this equation, including
but not limited to, fabricating the first and second arms 31 and 32
out of different materials, e.g. Silicon (Si) and Silicon Nitride
(SiN). The shape, i.e. cross-section, of the first and second arms
31 and 32 may also be different to provide a different change in
index with temperature, and therefore minimal temperature
sensitivity. For example: one of the first and second arms 31 and
31 may comprise a rectangular or ridge cross-section with first
height and width dimensions, while the other arm may comprise a
rectangular or ridge cross-section with at least one of second
different height and a second different width. In another example
the cross-section of the first and second arms 31 and 32 may have
different shapes, e.g. one of the first and second arms 31 and 32
may include a rectangular cross section (strip), while the other
includes a ridge or rib waveguide cross-section, comprising a
stepped or inverted T structure, with a slab portion and a ridge
portion. In another possible embodiment, the light in one of the
first and second arms 31 and 32 may be rotated from the usual mode,
e.g. TE, to the orthogonal mode, e.g. TM, using a first
polarization rotator 39a at the beginning of the first arm, and
then rotated back to the original polarization, e.g. TE, by a
second polarization rotator 39b, at the end of the first arm 31
Different modes may be used because the derivative of n.sub.eff
with respect to temperature is significantly different for the TM
mode as compared to the TE mode.
[0034] In an example embodiment, a first comb filter 4.sub.1
comprises an FSR.sub.1 of 16 GHz at 1545 nm, and a length L.sub.1
of a first TE0 waveguide 31 of 27.137 mm and a length L.sub.2 of a
second TM0 waveguide 32 of 38.103 mm. A second comb filter 4.sub.2
comprises an FSR.sub.2 of 160 GHz at 1545 nm, and a length L.sub.1
of a first TE0 waveguide 31 of 2.7137 mm and a length L.sub.2 of a
second TM0 waveguide 32 of 3.8103 mm. The plot below of d.lamda./dT
in .mu.m/K vs Wavelength in .mu.m illustrates that a typical MZ
filter 30 with similar first and second waveguides 31 and 32 has a
consistently large change in wavelength per change in temperature,
whereas a thermally balanced MZ filter 30 has a much smaller
temperature sensitivity, especially in the C-band (1.53 .mu.m-1.565
.mu.m), hence it requires looser temperature control.
[0035] Alternatively, or in combination with the aforementioned
thermally balanced waveguides, in order to more accurately
compensate for thermal effects on the MZ filter 30, a plurality of
temperature sensors 41, e.g. two to four, ideally three, may be
used to map the temperature of the WLL 1. In order to make
interpolation within the sensors 41 more accurate, the heat source,
e.g. phase section 33, is placed outside of the area defined by the
sensors 41, e.g. three sensors 41 define a triangle, four sensors
41 define a quadrilateral. Each temperature sensor 41 may comprise
two diodes, each with a different length in order to make
differential detection and achieve higher reading accuracy. Further
accuracy is achieved by using four-point-detection scheme on each
diode. From the temperature readings of the plurality of sensors
41, a temperature profile of the MZ filter 30 may be determined by
the control system 3. Based on the temperature profile, the control
system 3 may then compensate for the thermal effects by adjusting
the peaks of the comb filters 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n, i.e. the ultimate
wavelength reading of the test signals 7''.sub.1 to 7''.sub.n.
[0036] With reference to FIG. 4, a ring resonator 51 may also be
used to achieve the high fineness spectral response required for
the comb filters 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n in the WLL 1. Conventional ring
or multi-ring resonators may be used, but the illustrated
embodiment includes a coiled racetrack resonator 51, to minimize
area and thermal effects. The coiled racetrack resonator 51
includes an input waveguide 52 with an input port 53 and a through
port 54. At least one closed loop waveguide 56 is coupled to the
input waveguide 52. An output waveguide 57 is coupled to an
opposite side of the loop waveguide 56, and includes drop port 58,
which is optically coupled to one of the photodetectors 11.sub.1 to
11.sub.n. When light of the resonant wavelength is passed through
the loop waveguide 56 from the input waveguide 52, it builds up in
intensity over multiple round-trips due to constructive
interference and is output to the output waveguide 57, which serves
as a detector waveguide. Because only a select few wavelengths will
be at resonance within the loop waveguide 56, the optical ring
resonator 51 functions as a filter.
[0037] For resonance to take place in the ring resonator 51, the
following resonant condition must be satisfied:
.lamda..sub.m=2.pi.r n.sub.eff/m
[0038] Wherein r is the radius of the ring resonator and n.sub.eff
is the effective index of refraction of the waveguide material
making up the ring resonator 51.
[0039] Where .lamda..sub.m is the resonant wavelength, and m is the
mode number of the ring resonator 51. Accordingly, in order for
light to interfere constructively inside the ring resonator 51, the
circumference of the closed loop 56 must be an integer multiple of
the wavelength of the light. As such, the mode number must be a
positive integer for resonance to take place. As a result, when the
incident light contains multiple wavelengths, only the resonant
wavelengths will be able to pass through the ring resonator 51
fully. As a result, when the wavelength of the test beam 7n''
matches the resonant wavelength of the ring resonator 51, a maximum
transmission measurement will be detected by the photodetector 11n,
whereby the value of a pre-calibrated electrical signal used to
tune the ring resonator 51 is used by the controller 3 to determine
the absolute wavelength of the test signal 7''.sub.n.
[0040] Similar to the MZ filter 20 above, the ring resonator 51
includes at least one phase tuning section 61, e.g. thermo-optic or
electro-optic, within the closed loop 56 to enable the
aforementioned tunability. The phase tuning section 61 also should
include waveguides with low back reflection and small thermal
coefficient. The ring resonator 51 may also be comprised of
waveguides 52, 56 and 57 that result in minimal thermal effects.
For example: if combination of positive and negative thermal
coefficient waveguides are used. One advantage of the ring
resonator devices 51 over the MZ filter 20 based devices is that
the resonator device 51 may be accessed both via the through port
54 and the drop port 58, which provides different signal amplitudes
at high fineness section. For example, providing the photodetector
11.sub.n or an additional photodetector optically coupled to the
through port 54 may provide an indication of when light from the
test signal 7''.sub.n at the resonant wavelength of the ring
resonator 51 is minimized or null at the through port 54, and
therefore fully passed to the drop port 58. Accordingly, the
through port 54 may provide an alternative location for the
photodetector 11.sub.n or a secondary location for an additional
photodetector providing a secondary or confirmation measurement
that the ring resonator 51 is locked to the wavelength of the laser
signal 7.
[0041] As mentioned above with reference to the MZ filter 20, the
ring resonator device 51 may also be temperature sensitive. Despite
constructing the waveguides 52, 56 and 57, of materials to minimize
thermal effects, the absolute wavelength of the high fineness point
may slightly change with temperature, resulting in reading error.
Accordingly, as with the MZ filter 20, a few on-chip temperature
sensing devices 62 may be used around each ring resonator 51 to
closely monitor and control its temperature. The polygon formed by
temperature sensing devices 62 should contain no heat sources to
allow for thermal interpolation anywhere inside such shape. Each
temperature sensor 62 may comprise two diodes, each with a
different length in order to make differential detection and
achieve higher reading accuracy. Further accuracy is achieved by
using four-point-detection scheme on each diode. From the
temperature readings of the plurality of sensors 62, a temperature
profile of the ring resonator filter 51 may be determined by the
control system 3. Based on the temperature profile, the control
system 3 may then compensate for the thermal effects by adjusting
the peaks of the comb filters 4.sub.1 to 4.sub.n, i.e. the ultimate
wavelength reading of the test signals 7''.sub.1 to 7''.sub.n.
[0042] Each filter device, e.g. MZ filter 30 or ring resonator 51,
requires calibration to define the precise location of comb filter
lines depending on the measured temperatures, as well as the
applied current to the phase tuning section 33 or 61. This
calibration data is used to calculate the absolute wavelength based
on the phase shifter bias and temperature for which the filter,
e.g. MZ filter 30 or ring resonator 51, is locked to the test
signal 7''.sub.1 to 7''.sub.n.
[0043] FIG. 5A is an example of a fine comb filter response for
different phase shifts based on the MZ filter 40, and FIG. 5B is an
example of a fine comb filter response for different phase shifts
based on the coiled racetrack resonator 51. As the phase tuning
section 33 or 61 is adjusted by the controller 3, the null point
(or peak point) of the response shifts. The control system 3
determines the wavelength of the test signal 7', and may lock the
WLL 1 to either peak or null points on both designs. The control
system 3 may then send laser control signals back to the laser
source 2 to provide adjustments to the wavelength, i.e. control the
wavelength of the tunable laser 2.
[0044] The foregoing description of one or more embodiments of the
invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and
description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and
variations are possible in light of the above teaching. It is
intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this
detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.
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