Waveguide Optical Amplifier

Abstract

The application provides a waveguide optical amplifier, which comprises a gain waveguide assembly and a pump waveguide. The gain waveguide assembly comprises a first gain waveguide and a second gain waveguide connected by a bend, at least part of the first gain waveguide is close to at least part of the second gain waveguide, so that the transmission direction of the signal in the first gain waveguide is opposite to the transmission direction of the signal in the second gain waveguide. The pump waveguide covers at least part of the gain waveguide assembly, and at least part of the pump waveguide covers the first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide close to each other. The application uses the pump waveguide to cover the first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide close to each other, which can reduce the length of the pump waveguide, the number of the space between the adjacent pump waveguides, and the space between the gain waveguides covered together, thereby reducing the size of the waveguide optical amplifier. Since the pump waveguide covers the gain waveguides with opposite transmission directions, a single pump light source can realize bidirectional pumping, thereby reducing the size of the optical amplifier.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of optical amplifiers, and particularly relates to a waveguide optical amplifier. BACKGROUND

[0002] An optical amplifier is a basic optical device and one of important optical devices for miniaturization and integration of future optical devices, and is widely applied to optical device interconnection and optical communication networks. However, the mainstream optical amplifier has a large size at present, and cannot meet the market demand and technical trend of miniaturization and integration of optical amplifiers. SUMMARY

[0003] In view of this, the application provides a waveguide optical amplifier, which comprises:

[0004] A gain waveguide assembly, which comprises a first gain waveguide and a second gain waveguide connected by bending, the first gain waveguide has an incident end, the second gain waveguide has an emission end, and at least part of the first gain waveguide is close to at least part of the second gain waveguide, so that the transmission direction of a signal in the first gain waveguide is opposite to the transmission direction of the signal in the second gain waveguide.

[0005] A pump waveguide, which covers at least part of the gain waveguide assembly, and at least part of the pump waveguide covers the first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide close to each other at the same time.

[0006] The application firstly divides the gain waveguide assembly into the first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide connected by bending, and at the same time, at least part of the first gain waveguide is close to at least part of the second gain waveguide, that is, a longer gain waveguide is bent into two or more gain waveguides, so that the size occupied by the gain waveguide assembly is reduced. And after being arranged in this way, the transmission direction of a signal in the first gain waveguide is opposite to the transmission direction of the signal in the second gain waveguide.

[0007] In addition, the application covers the gain waveguide assembly with a pump waveguide, and at least part of the pump waveguide covers the first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide close to each other. The prior art only covers one gain waveguide with a pump waveguide, and in order to prevent the coupling crosstalk phenomenon when the adjacent waveguides are in contact, there is a spacing between the adjacent pump waveguides. The application covers the first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide close to each other with a pump waveguide, that is, the pump waveguide covers two or more gain waveguides at the same time, so as to reduce the length of the pump waveguide and the number of spacing between adjacent pump waveguides, and also reduce the spacing between the gain waveguides covered together, thereby reducing the size of the waveguide optical amplifier, and finally reducing the size of the chip; since the pump waveguide covers the gain waveguides in opposite directions at the same time, a single pump light source can also realize bidirectional pumping, further reducing the size of the optical amplifier and meeting the needs of users.

[0008] The pump waveguide comprises a first part and a second part connected to each other, the first part covers the first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide close to each other at the same time, and the second part covers the remaining first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide respectively.

[0009] The first part covers one first gain waveguide and one second gain waveguide at the same time.

[0010] The first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide are arranged in a spiral shape, and at least part of the second gain waveguide is arranged between adjacent first gain waveguides, and the incident end and the emitting end can be located on the same side or different sides of the spiral arrangement.

[0011] The second gain waveguide is provided with a first gain waveguide M and a first gain waveguide N on opposite sides, the second gain waveguide and the first gain waveguide M are arranged in the same pump waveguide, and the second gain waveguide and the first gain waveguide N are arranged in adjacent pump waveguides; the distance between the second gain waveguide and the first gain waveguide M is smaller than the distance between the second gain waveguide and the first gain waveguide N.

[0012] The incident end and / or the emitting end protrude from the pump waveguide.

[0013] The pump waveguide has an incident end and a reflecting end arranged oppositely, and the waveguide optical amplifier further comprises a reflecting member arranged on the reflecting end for reflecting the pump light reaching here.

[0014] The waveguide optical amplifier further comprises a coupler connected to the first gain waveguide, the second gain waveguide and the pump waveguide respectively or at the same time.

[0015] The pump waveguide has an input end, and the waveguide optical amplifier further comprises a pump light source, the pump light source is close to the input end, and pump light rays of the pump light source enter the pump waveguide from the coupler of the input end.

[0016] The waveguide optical amplifier further comprises a substrate, the gain waveguide assembly and the pump waveguide are arranged on the substrate, and the pump waveguide is arranged between the gain waveguide assembly and the substrate.

[0017] The substrate and the pump waveguide are in an integrated structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the present application will be described below.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Figure 9 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Figure 11A schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Explanation of reference numerals:

[0033] Waveguide optical amplifier-1, gain waveguide assembly-10, first gain waveguide-11, first gain waveguide M-111, first gain waveguide N-112, second gain waveguide-12, incident end-13, outgoing end-14, pump waveguide-20, first part-21, second part-22, light entry end-23, reflecting end-24, coupler-30, reflecting member-40, pump light source-50, substrate-60. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following is a preferred embodiment of the present application, it should be noted that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the principles of the present application, can make several improvements and refinements, these improvements and refinements are also considered to be within the scope of the present application.

[0035] Before introducing the technical solutions of the present application, the technical problems in the related art will be introduced in detail.

[0036] Optical amplifier is a key device in high-speed optical communication system, and is also one of the important optical devices for miniaturization and integration of future optical devices. Optical amplifier includes fiber amplifier, waveguide optical amplifier and other types of optical amplifier. Among them, the fiber amplifier uses rare earth doped optical fiber as the carrier of the amplification medium. However, due to the large size and volume of optical fiber and discrete optical devices, it is difficult to meet the demand of optical module miniaturization and integration, and can only be used as an independent subsystem. The waveguide optical amplifier, which can be used to replace the fiber amplifier, has the characteristics of miniaturization and can be integrated on a chip, and has attracted more and more attention and research from scholars.

[0037] In addition, the waveguide optical amplifier can be divided into forward pumping, backward pumping and bidirectional pumping according to the difference between the pumping light and the signal light transmission direction. Among them, the forward pumping refers to the same direction of the pumping light and the signal light, that is, the transmission direction is the same, the backward pumping refers to the opposite direction of the pumping light and the signal light, that is, the transmission direction is opposite. And the bidirectional pumping is to punch in a beam of pumping light from the forward and backward, so that part of the signal light and the pumping light have the same transmission direction, and part of the signal light and the pumping light have opposite transmission direction. Moreover, the noise figure of the forward pumping is small, but the saturation power is low, which is not conducive to the application of high output power. The noise figure of the backward pumping is large, but the saturation power is high. The bidirectional pumping can have the advantages of both, that is, the noise figure is small and the saturation power is high.

[0038] The waveguide optical amplifier can be divided into core layer and cladding layer surrounding the core layer from the structure. Usually the signal light mainly propagates in the core layer, and the waveguide used as the optical amplifier can be divided into core layer pumping and cladding layer pumping according to the position of the pumping light. Among them, the cladding layer pumping can accommodate more pumping light, so it has higher pumping coupling efficiency.

[0039] Because the adjacent waveguides will have coupling crosstalk when they are in contact, the adjacent waveguides must be separated by a certain distance to ensure that they do not affect each other. Because the cladding waveguide where the pumping light is usually wider, the distance must be larger, resulting in a larger size of the waveguide optical amplifier, which is not conducive to reducing the size of the chip.

[0040] In view of this, in order to solve the above problems, the application provides a new type of waveguide optical amplifier. Please refer to Figures 1-4 , Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the waveguide optical amplifier in an embodiment of the application. Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the waveguide optical amplifier in an embodiment of the application. Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the waveguide optical amplifier in an embodiment of the application. Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the application. Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the application. The embodiment provides a waveguide optical amplifier 1, which specifically comprises a gain waveguide assembly 10 and a pumping waveguide 20. The gain waveguide assembly 10 comprises a first gain waveguide 11 and a second gain waveguide 12 connected by bending, the first gain waveguide 11 has an incident end 13, the second gain waveguide 12 has an emission end 14, at least part of the first gain waveguide 11 is close to at least part of the second gain waveguide 12, so that the transmission direction of the signal in the first gain waveguide 11 is opposite to the transmission direction of the signal in the second gain waveguide 12. The pumping waveguide 20 covers at least part of the gain waveguide assembly 10, and at least part of the pumping waveguide 20 covers the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 close to each other at the same time.

[0041] The waveguide optical amplifier 1 provided by the embodiment comprises a gain waveguide assembly 10, wherein the gain waveguide assembly 10 is used for transmitting signals, i.e., the gain waveguide assembly 10 can also be regarded as a core layer. The gain waveguide assembly 10 is not composed of one gain waveguide, but is composed of at least two gain waveguides, i.e., the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 connected by bending. Alternatively, the gain waveguide assembly 10 can also be regarded as one gain waveguide, but the waveguide is artificially named and distinguished according to the different functions of the waveguide from the bending position. For example, the transmission direction of the signal in the first gain waveguide 11 is opposite to the transmission direction of the signal in the second gain waveguide 12, so that the gain waveguides are distinguished according to the same or different directions of signal propagation. That is, the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 are integrated.

[0042] The embodiment divides the gain waveguide assembly 10 into the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 connected by bending, and at least part of the first gain waveguide 11 is close to at least part of the second gain waveguide 12, i.e., one longer gain waveguide is bent into two gain waveguides, so as to reduce the size of the gain waveguide assembly 10. After being bent, the transmission direction of the signal in the first gain waveguide 11 is opposite to the transmission direction of the signal in the second gain waveguide 12 (as shown by the direction D1 in FIG. 1), which lays a foundation for the subsequent arrangement of the pump waveguide 20 and the pump light. Figure 1

[0043] The waveguide optical amplifier 1 provided by the embodiment further comprises a pump waveguide 20, and the pump waveguide 20 covers the gain waveguide assembly 10. The pump waveguide 20 is used for covering and protecting the gain waveguide assembly 10, so that the pump waveguide 20 can be regarded as a cladding layer. The pump waveguide 20 is also used for transmitting pump light, i.e., the signal light is transmitted in the gain waveguide assembly 10, and the pump light is transmitted in the pump waveguide 20, so that the waveguide optical amplifier 1 provided by the embodiment can be regarded as cladding pumping. The pump light is used for providing additional energy for the signal light in the gain waveguide assembly 10, so that the signal light can be amplified.

[0044] ​In addition, the embodiment can also make at least part of the pump waveguide 20 cover the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 close to each other. In the prior art, the pump waveguide 20 only covers one gain waveguide (the first gain waveguide 11 or the second gain waveguide 12), and in order to prevent the coupling crosstalk phenomenon when the adjacent waveguides are in contact, there will be a spacing between the adjacent pump waveguides 20. The application uses the pump waveguide 20 to cover the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 close to each other, that is, the pump waveguide 20 covers two or more gain waveguides at the same time, so as to reduce the length of the pump waveguide 20, and also reduce the number of spacing between adjacent pump waveguides 20 and the spacing between the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 covered in the pump waveguide at the same time, thereby reducing the size of the waveguide optical amplifier 1, and finally reducing the size of the chip. Since the pump waveguide 20 covers the gain waveguides in opposite directions at the same time, a single pump light source can also realize bidirectional pumping, further reducing the size of the optical amplifier 1, and meeting the user's needs. The embodiment uses all pump waveguides 20 to cover the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 close to each other.

[0045] Optionally, the material of the pump waveguide 20 includes gallium nitride, and the material of the gain waveguide assembly 10 includes doped gallium nitride.

[0046] Optionally, the embodiment can make the pump waveguide 20 cover all gain waveguide assemblies 10 or part of the gain waveguide assemblies 10. The specific case will be introduced in the following.

[0047] Please refer to Figures 5-6 , Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the application. Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the application. In the embodiment, the pump waveguide 20 includes a first part 21 and a second part 22 connected to each other, the first part 21 covers the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 close to each other at the same time; the second part 22 covers the remaining first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 respectively.

[0048] The above embodiments show that the pump waveguide 20 simultaneously covers all the first gain waveguides 11 and the second gain waveguides 12 close to each other. In the present embodiment, the pump waveguide 20 simultaneously covers the first gain waveguides 11 and the second gain waveguides 12 close to each other in a partial manner. For example, the pump waveguide 20 comprises a first portion 21 and a second portion 22 connected to each other. Only the first portion 21 simultaneously covers the first gain waveguides 11 and the second gain waveguides 12 close to each other. The rest of the first gain waveguides 11 and the second gain waveguides 12 are covered by the second portion 22, i.e. the second portion 22 covers the rest of the first gain waveguides 11 and the second gain waveguides 12 respectively.

[0049] In the present embodiment, the end portions of the first gain waveguides 11 and the second gain waveguides 12 need to be physically connected to other devices, so that the end portions of the gain waveguides cannot be simultaneously covered by the first portion 21 together with the other second gain waveguides 12 or first gain waveguides 11. Therefore, the second portion 22 is used to cover the first gain waveguides 11 and the second gain waveguides 12 respectively in the present embodiment.

[0050] Referring again to Figure 1 , in the present embodiment, the first portion 21 simultaneously covers one first gain waveguide 11 and one second gain waveguide 12.

[0051] In the present embodiment, the pump waveguide 20 (i.e. the first portion 21) simultaneously covering the first gain waveguides 11 and the second gain waveguides 12 close to each other can simultaneously cover one or more first gain waveguides 11 and one or more second gain waveguides 12. In the present embodiment, the first portion 21 simultaneously covering one first gain waveguide 11 and one second gain waveguide 12 can reduce the mutual influence of signals between the first gain waveguides 11 and the second gain waveguides 12.

[0052] Referring again to Figure 7 , Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application. In the present embodiment, the first gain waveguides 11 have incident ends 13, and the second gain waveguides 12 have outgoing ends 14. The incident ends 13 and / or the outgoing ends 14 protrude from the pump waveguide 20.

[0053] From the above, one end of the first gain waveguide 11 and one end of the second gain waveguide 12 can be physically or electrically connected to other components, so that the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 cannot be simultaneously covered by the first part 21. Therefore, in the embodiment, the outer periphery of the gain waveguide can not be covered by the pump waveguide 20, and the incident end 13 of the first gain waveguide 11 and / or the exit end 14 of the second gain waveguide 12 can protrude from the pump waveguide 20, thereby reducing the difficulty of connecting the incident end 13 and / or the exit end 14 to other devices.

[0054] Optionally, the embodiment is illustrated by that the incident end 13 and the exit end 14 both protrude from the pump waveguide 20.

[0055] Please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment, the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 are both arranged in a spiral shape, and at least part of the second gain waveguide 12 is arranged between adjacent first gain waveguides 11. The incident end 13 and the exit end 14 can be located on the same side or different sides of the spiral arrangement.

[0056] In the embodiment, the arrangement shape of the gain waveguide assembly 10 can be limited. For example, the gain waveguide assembly 10 is arranged in a spiral shape, that is, the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 are both arranged in a spiral shape, and at least part of the second gain waveguide 12 is arranged between adjacent first gain waveguides 11. From the above, the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 are actually one waveguide, so the arrangement of the first gain waveguide 11 can be understood as one end being on the outside of the spiral, then spirally arranged inward, and the other end being on the inside of the spiral. From the periphery to the center. And the second gain waveguide 12 is just the opposite, one end of the second gain waveguide 12 is connected to the inside of the first gain waveguide 11, and spirally arranged outward, and at least part of the second gain waveguide 12 is arranged between adjacent first gain waveguides 11, and the other end is finally arranged on the outside of the spiral, from the center to the periphery. In this way, the size of the gain waveguide assembly 10 can be further reduced, and as many waveguides as possible can be placed in the effective area of the chip.

[0057] Optionally, please refer to Figure 8 , in the embodiment, the pump waveguide 20 is also arranged in a spiral shape, and there is a spacing between adjacent pump waveguides 20.

[0058] Optionally, in the embodiment, the incident end 13 and the exit end 14 are located on different sides of the spiral arrangement, as shown in Figure 8As shown, the incident end 13 is arranged at 90° with the exit end 14, so that the incident light is arranged at 90° with the exit light. Of course, in other manners, when the incident end 13 and the exit end 14 are located at different sides of the spiral arrangement, the incident light and the exit light can also be arranged at 180°, 270°, or other angles. The specific angle can be designed according to the needs of the actual product structure. In addition, when the incident end 13 and the exit end 14 are located at the same side of the spiral arrangement, the incident light and the exit light are parallel.

[0059] From the above, since the gain waveguide assembly 10 is arranged in a spiral arrangement, the pump waveguide 20 covering the gain waveguide assembly 10 in the embodiment is also arranged in a spiral arrangement. And the adjacent pump waveguides 20 are spaced apart to prevent mutual coupling crosstalk phenomenon. Since the embodiment uses the pump waveguide 20 to cover the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 close to each other, even if the pump waveguide 20 covers two gain waveguides, the number of pump waveguides 20 can be reduced, and the number of spaces between adjacent pump waveguides 20 can be reduced, thereby reducing the size of the waveguide optical amplifier 1, and ultimately reducing the size of the chip.

[0060] Optionally, the specific spacing between adjacent pump waveguides 20 can be determined according to the size of the waveguide optical amplifier 1, and the related parameters of the signal light and the pump light.

[0061] For reference Figure 9 , Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment, the opposite sides of the second gain waveguide 12 are provided with the first gain waveguide M111 and the first gain waveguide N112, the second gain waveguide 12 and the first gain waveguide M111 are arranged in the same pump waveguide 20, and the second gain waveguide 12 and the first gain waveguide N112 are arranged in adjacent pump waveguides 20; the distance between the second gain waveguide 12 and the first gain waveguide M111 (as shown by L1 in the figure) is less than the distance between the second gain waveguide 12 and the first gain waveguide N112 (as shown by L2 in the figure). Figure 9 Figure 9

[0062] ​​In the embodiment, the second gain waveguide 12 is arranged between two adjacent first gain waveguides 11 (for example, the first gain waveguide M111 and the first gain waveguide N112). However, the second gain waveguide 12 is covered by the pumping waveguide 20 together with the first gain waveguide M111, and the first gain waveguide N112 is covered by another second gain waveguide 12. Therefore, in the embodiment, the distance between the second gain waveguide 12 and the first gain waveguide M111 is smaller than the distance between the second gain waveguide 12 and the first gain waveguide N112, so that the size of the waveguide optical amplifier 1 is further reduced.

[0063] Optionally, the distance between the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 covered by the adjacent pumping waveguide 20 is equal.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 10 , Figure 10 Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier according to another embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment, the waveguide optical amplifier 1 further comprises a coupler 30, which is connected to the first gain waveguide 11, the second gain waveguide 12 and the pumping waveguide 20 respectively or simultaneously.

[0065] In the embodiment, the coupler 30 is further connected to the first gain waveguide 11 and the pumping waveguide 20. As described above, the first gain waveguide 11 has an incident end 13, and the signal light enters the gain waveguide assembly 10 from the incident end 13 of the first gain waveguide 11. Therefore, the coupler 30 of the embodiment can be connected to the first gain waveguide 11, and the signal light entering from the incident end 13 can pass through the coupler 30 without any change and continue to transmit in the first gain waveguide 11.

[0066] In addition, the coupler 30 of the embodiment is also connected to the pumping waveguide 20, so that the pumping light emitted by the pumping light source 50 can be transmitted into the pumping waveguide 20 through the coupler 30, thereby realizing good transmission of the pumping light and the signal.

[0067] Please refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier according to another embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment, the pumping waveguide 20 has an opposite incident end 23 and a reflection end 24, and the waveguide optical amplifier 1 further comprises a reflection member 40 arranged on the reflection end 24 for reflecting the pumping light reaching the reflection end 24.

[0068] In the embodiment, the pump waveguide 20 also has two oppositely arranged ends, for example, the pump waveguide 20 has an entrance end 23 and a reflection end 24 oppositely arranged, wherein the entrance end 23 is an end for the pump light to enter the pump waveguide 20, and the reflection end 24 oppositely arranged is for reflection.

[0069] When the pump light enters the pump waveguide 20 from the entrance end 23, the pump light will be transmitted in the pump waveguide 20 and amplify the signal light in the gain waveguide assembly 10. However, not all pump light will be amplified, so part of the pump light will be transmitted in the pump waveguide 20. When this part of the pump light reaches the reflection end 24, the embodiment can be provided with a reflection member 40 on the reflection end 24, so that this part of the excess pump light is transmitted again from the reflection end 24 to the entrance end 23, so that the pump light reaching this place can be reused, reducing energy loss and improving the amplification effect of the waveguide optical amplifier 1.

[0070] Please refer to Figure 12 , Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the application. In the embodiment, the waveguide optical amplifier 1 further comprises a pump light source 50, the pump light source 50 is close to the entrance end 23, and the light of the pump light source 50 enters the pump waveguide 20 from the coupler 30 of the entrance end 23.

[0071] In the prior art, bidirectional pumping is usually used, that is, a pump light source 50 is arranged at the entrance end 13 of the gain waveguide assembly 10, and another pump light source 50 is arranged at the exit end 14. In this way, the light emitted by the pump light source 50 at the entrance end 13 is transmitted in the pump waveguide 20 in the same direction as the signal light. The light emitted by the pump light source 50 at the exit end 14 is transmitted in the pump waveguide 20 in the opposite direction of the signal light, thereby achieving the purpose of bidirectional waveguide.

[0072] The embodiment also uses bidirectional pumping, but because the embodiment uses a new waveguide optical amplifier 1 and designs a new structure, the embodiment only needs to use a pump light source 50 and place the pump light source 50 close to the light inlet end 23 to achieve bidirectional pumping. The specific principle is as follows: because the pump waveguide 20 in the embodiment simultaneously covers the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 close to each other, and the transmission directions of the signal light in the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 are opposite. Therefore, when the pump light emitted by the pump light source 50 enters the pump waveguide 20 from the light inlet end 23 and propagates, the light is equivalent to passing through the first gain waveguide 11 and the second gain waveguide 12 at the same time. For the first gain waveguide 11, the transmission directions of the signal light and the pump light are the same. For the second gain waveguide 12, the transmission directions of the signal light and the pump light are opposite. Therefore, the embodiment only needs one pump light source 50 to achieve the purpose of bidirectional pumping, reduces the number of pump light sources 50, and reduces the cost and size of the waveguide optical amplifier 1.

[0073] Reference is made to Figure 13 , Figure 13 which is a cross-sectional view of a waveguide optical amplifier in another embodiment of the present application. In the embodiment, the waveguide optical amplifier 1 further includes a substrate 60, and the gain waveguide assembly 10 and the pump waveguide 20 are arranged on the substrate 60, and the pump waveguide 20 is arranged between the gain waveguide assembly 10 and the substrate 60.

[0074] In the embodiment, the gain waveguide assembly 10 and the pump waveguide 20 can be arranged on the substrate 60. The substrate 60 is a component that carries the gain waveguide assembly 10 and the pump waveguide 20. The pump waveguide 20 is arranged between the gain waveguide assembly 10 and the substrate 60, that is, the pump waveguide 20 fully covers the gain waveguide assembly 10.

[0075] Optionally, when the same region on the substrate has other functional devices in addition to the gain waveguide assembly 10 and the pump waveguide 20, the waveguide optical amplifier 1 at this time can be considered as a part of a chip, that is, the waveguide optical amplifier 1 is integrated on the chip, or it can also be understood that a part of the region of the chip is designed as the waveguide optical amplifier 1.

[0076] Optionally, the substrate 60 and the pump waveguide 20 are of an integrated structure. Optionally, the coupler 30 and / or the pump light source 50 are also arranged on the substrate 60.

[0077] The above provides the content of the embodiments of the present application in detail, the principles and embodiments of the present application are described and explained in this paper, and the above description is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present application; at the same time, for the general technical personnel in the art, according to the idea of the present application, the specific embodiments and application range will be changed, and the above description should not be understood as the limitation of the present application.

Claims

1. A waveguide optical amplifier, characterized in that: include: A gain waveguide assembly for transmitting signal light, the gain waveguide assembly comprising a first gain waveguide and a second gain waveguide connected in a zigzag manner, the first gain waveguide having an incident end, the second gain waveguide having an output end, and at least a portion of the first gain waveguide being adjacent to at least a portion of the second gain waveguide so that a transmission direction of the signal in the first gain waveguide is opposite to a transmission direction in the second gain waveguide; A pump waveguide for transmitting pump light, wherein the pump waveguide covers at least a portion of the gain waveguide component, and at least a portion of the pump waveguide simultaneously covers the first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide that are adjacent to each other; The first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide are both arranged in a spiral shape, and at least a portion of the second gain waveguide is arranged between adjacent first gain waveguides, and the incident end and the output end are located on the same side or different sides of the spiral arrangement; A first gain waveguide M and a first gain waveguide N are provided on opposite sides of the second gain waveguide. The second gain waveguide and the first gain waveguide M are provided in the same pump waveguide, and the second gain waveguide and the first gain waveguide N are provided in adjacent pump waveguides. The distance between the second gain waveguide and the first gain waveguide M is smaller than the distance between the second gain waveguide and the first gain waveguide N. The waveguide optical amplifier further includes a coupler, wherein the coupler is connected to the first gain waveguide, the second gain waveguide, and the pump waveguide respectively or simultaneously; The pump waveguide has a light input end, and the waveguide optical amplifier further includes a pump light source. The pump light source is close to the light input end, and pump light of the pump light source enters the pump waveguide from the coupler at the light input end.

2. The waveguide optical amplifier according to claim 1, wherein: The pump waveguide includes a first portion and a second portion connected to each other. The first portion simultaneously covers the first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide that are close to each other; the second portion respectively covers the remaining first gain waveguides and the second gain waveguides.

3. The waveguide optical amplifier according to claim 2, wherein: The first portion covers both the first gain waveguide and the second gain waveguide.

4. The waveguide optical amplifier according to claim 1, wherein: The incident end and / or the output end protrudes from the pump waveguide.

5. The waveguide optical amplifier according to claim 1, wherein: The pump waveguide has a light input end and a reflection end that are arranged opposite to each other. The waveguide optical amplifier further includes a reflection component, which is arranged on the reflection end and is used to reflect the pump light reaching the reflection end.

6. The waveguide optical amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The waveguide optical amplifier further includes a substrate, the gain waveguide component and the pump waveguide are both arranged on the substrate, and the pump waveguide is further arranged between the gain waveguide component and the substrate.

7. The waveguide optical amplifier according to claim 6, wherein: The substrate and the pump waveguide are an integrated structure.

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