Optical amplifier, optical module, and optical repeating device
By combining beam splitting and combining wavelength routers with a gain feedback module, the problem of limited wavelength amplification range of single-waveguide optical amplifiers is solved, achieving wide-band optical amplification and improving the gain accuracy of optical amplifiers.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ZTE CORP
- Filing Date
- 2022-12-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-19
AI Technical Summary
Single-waveguide optical amplifiers have a limited wavelength amplification range and cannot meet the needs of wide-band optical amplification.
A beam splitting wavelength router is used to split the input target signal light into multiple signal beams according to wavelength, and then input them into the corresponding optical gain area modules for power amplification. The amplified signal beams are combined by a beam combining wavelength router, and the gain value of each optical gain area module is dynamically adjusted by a gain feedback module to achieve broadband optical amplification.
It enables separate amplification of signal light in different bands, improving the gain accuracy of the optical amplifier and the effect of wide-band optical amplification.
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Figure CN118282515B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application belongs to the field of communication technology, specifically relating to an optical amplifier, an optical module, and an optical repeater device. Background Technology
[0002] Currently, optical amplifiers can be broadly categorized into fiber optic amplifiers and waveguide optical amplifiers. Fiber optic amplifiers are widely used commercially, but they require an additional optical pump source and a relatively long working fiber. Waveguide optical amplifiers, on the other hand, can be directly electrically or optically pumped. By utilizing structures such as doping and quantum wells, the performance of a single waveguide optical amplifier can be optimized. However, their wavelength amplification range is limited, and they cannot meet the needs of wide-band optical amplification. Summary of the Invention
[0003] This application provides an optical amplifier, an optical module, and an optical repeater device, which can solve the problem that the wavelength amplification range of a single waveguide optical amplifier is limited and cannot meet the needs of wide-band optical amplification.
[0004] In a first aspect, an optical amplifier is provided, comprising: a beam splitting wavelength router for splitting an input target signal light into multiple signal beams according to wavelength, and inputting each signal beam into an optical gain region module corresponding to the wavelength of the signal beam; multiple optical gain region modules for amplifying the power of the input signal beams according to the gain value of the optical gain region modules, and inputting the amplified signal beams into a beam combining wavelength router; the beam combining wavelength router for combining the signal beams output from the multiple optical gain region modules and outputting the combined signal light; and multiple gain feedback modules for sending feedback signals to each of the optical gain region modules according to the signal power of the signal light output from the beam combining wavelength router, the feedback signals being used to adjust the gain value of each of the optical gain region modules, wherein the gain values adjusted by the feedback signals sent to each of the optical gain region modules are not exactly the same.
[0005] In a second aspect, an optical module is provided, including the optical amplifier described in the first aspect.
[0006] Thirdly, an optical repeater device is provided, including the optical amplifier described in the first aspect.
[0007] In this embodiment, the beam splitting wavelength router splits the input target signal light into multiple signal beams according to wavelength, and inputs each signal beam into an optical gain region module corresponding to its wavelength. The multiple optical gain region modules amplify the power of the input signal beams according to their gain values, and then input the amplified signal beams into the beam combining wavelength router. The beam combining wavelength router then combines the signal beams output from the multiple optical gain region modules and outputs the combined signal light. Multiple gain feedback modules then send feedback signals to each optical gain region module according to the signal power of the signal light output from the beam combining wavelength router, in order to adjust the gain value of each optical gain region module. By amplifying signal light of different wavelength bands separately, a wide-band optical amplification effect is achieved. At the same time, the gain feedback modules can dynamically adjust to improve the accuracy of the gain. Attached Figure Description
[0008] Figure 1 This illustration shows a structural schematic diagram of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0009] Figure 2 This illustration shows another structural schematic diagram of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0010] Figure 3 This illustration shows another structural schematic diagram of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0011] Figure 4a This illustration shows another structural schematic diagram of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0012] Figure 4b This illustration shows another structural schematic diagram of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0013] Figure 4c This illustration shows another structural schematic diagram of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0014] Figure 5a This illustration shows a schematic diagram of a wavelength division multiplexer provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0015] Figure 5b This illustration shows a schematic diagram of a cascaded micro-ring structure wavelength router provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0016] Figure 5c This illustration shows a structural schematic diagram of a microring filter provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0017] Figure 5d This illustration shows another structural schematic diagram of a microring filter provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0018] Figure 5e This illustration shows a schematic diagram of a Mach-Zehnder wavelength router according to an embodiment of this application.
[0019] Figure 5f This illustration shows a schematic diagram of a wavelength router with a mid-step grating structure according to an embodiment of this application.
[0020] Figure 6 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical pump amplifier provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0021] Figure 7 This illustration shows a side view of a light propagation path provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0022] Figure 8 This is a top view of a light propagation path provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0023] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0024] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be used interchangeably where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first" and "second" are generally of the same class, not limited in number; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.
[0025] The optical amplifier provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through some embodiments and application scenarios.
[0026] Figure 1 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical amplifier provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application, including a beam-splitting wavelength router 11, multiple optical gain region modules 12, a beam-combining wavelength router 13, and multiple gain feedback modules 14.
[0027] The beam splitting wavelength router 11 is used to split the input target signal light into multiple signal beams according to the wavelength, and input each signal beam into the optical gain region module 12 corresponding to the wavelength of the signal beam.
[0028] Multiple optical gain region modules 12 are used to amplify the power of the input signal beam according to the gain value of the optical gain region module 12, and input the amplified signal beam to the beam combining wavelength router 13.
[0029] The beam combining wavelength router 13 is used to combine the signal beams output from the multiple optical gain region modules 12 and output the combined signal light.
[0030] Multiple gain feedback modules 14 are used to send feedback signals to each of the optical gain region modules 12 according to the signal power of the signal light output by the beam combining wavelength router 13. The feedback signals are used to adjust the gain value of each of the optical gain region modules 12. The gain values adjusted by the feedback signals sent to each of the optical gain region modules 12 are not exactly the same.
[0031] It is understandable that the output end of the beam splitting wavelength router 11 is connected to the input end of the optical gain area module 12. That is, each signal beam output by the beam splitting wavelength router 11 is connected to the corresponding optical gain area module 12. After receiving the target signal light, the beam splitting wavelength router 11 splits the target signal light into multiple signal beams according to the wavelength, and then inputs each signal beam into the corresponding optical gain area module 12.
[0032] The gain values of each optical gain zone module 12 are not exactly the same. Therefore, the beam splitting wavelength router 11 needs to input each signal beam into the corresponding optical gain zone module 12 according to its wavelength. The beam splitting wavelength router 11 can group the signals according to the wavelength based on the actual wavelength range, the wavelength coverage range of each optical gain zone module 12, and the inherent properties of the beam splitting wavelength router 11. As shown in Table 1, the wavelength divisions for each band are as follows:
[0033] Table 1 Band Division
[0034]
[0035]
[0036] After each optical gain region module 12 amplifies each signal beam, the signal beams are input to the beam combining wavelength router 13. The beam combining wavelength router 13, which is connected to multiple optical gain region modules 12, combines the amplified signal beams. Multiple gain feedback modules 14, which are connected to the beam combining wavelength router 13, obtain the signal power of the signal light output by the beam combining wavelength router 13, and send feedback signals to each optical gain region module 12 according to the signal power to instruct the adjustment of the gain value of each optical gain region module 12.
[0037] Optionally, if the embodiments of this application are applied inside an optical module, they can be used as a single-wavelength optical amplifier; if applied in an optical communication network, they can be used as a multi-wavelength optical amplifier.
[0038] In this embodiment, the beam splitting wavelength router 11 splits the input target signal light into multiple signal beams according to wavelength, and inputs each signal beam into an optical gain region module 12 corresponding to the wavelength of the signal beam. The multiple optical gain region modules 12 amplify the power of the input signal beams according to their gain values, and input the amplified signal beams into a beam combining wavelength router 13. The beam combining wavelength router 13 then combines the signal beams output from the multiple optical gain region modules 12 and outputs the combined signal light. The multiple gain feedback modules 14 then send feedback signals to each optical gain region module 12 according to the signal power of the signal light output from the beam combining wavelength router 13, in order to adjust the gain value of each optical gain region module 12. By amplifying the signal light of different wavelength bands separately, a wide-band optical amplification effect is achieved. At the same time, the gain feedback modules 14 can dynamically adjust and improve the accuracy of the gain.
[0039] Furthermore, Figure 2 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of another optical amplifier structure provided by an exemplary embodiment of this application. The beam-splitting wavelength router includes: a first wavelength router 211 and a second wavelength router 212; the plurality of optical gain region modules include: N first optical gain region modules 221 and N second optical gain region modules 222; the target signal light includes first signal light 201 and second signal light 202; wherein,
[0040] The first wavelength router 211 is used to divide the input first signal light 201 into N first signal beams according to the wavelength, and input each first signal beam into the first optical gain region module 221 corresponding to the wavelength of the first signal beam;
[0041] The second wavelength router 212 is used to divide the input second signal light 202 into N second signal beams according to the wavelength, and input each second signal beam into the second optical gain region module 222 corresponding to the wavelength of the second signal beam;
[0042] N first optical gain region modules 221 are used to amplify the power of the input first signal beam according to the gain value of the first optical gain region module 221, and output the amplified first signal beam.
[0043] N second optical gain region modules 222 are used to amplify the power of the input second signal beam according to the gain value of the second optical gain region module 222, and output the amplified second signal beam.
[0044] Where N is an integer greater than 1.
[0045] It is understandable that, since the target signal light can include signal light of multiple wavelengths, the beam splitting wavelength router can be divided into a first wavelength router 211 and a second wavelength router 212 according to the wavelength of the signal light. The first wavelength router 211 inputs the signal light of the corresponding wavelength, which can be the first signal light 201; the second wavelength router 212 inputs the signal light of the corresponding wavelength, which can be the second signal light 202.
[0046] The first wavelength router 211 and the second wavelength router 212 each have multiple optical gain region modules. The first wavelength router 211 is connected to N first optical gain region modules 221. The first wavelength router 211 divides the input first signal light 201 into N first signal beams and inputs each first signal beam into the first optical gain region module 221 corresponding to the wavelength of the first signal beam. The N first optical gain region modules 221 amplify the power of each input first signal beam according to their respective gain values and output the amplified first signal beam. The second wavelength router 212 is connected to N second optical gain region modules 222. The second wavelength router 212 divides the input second signal light 202 into N second signal beams and inputs each second signal beam into the second optical gain region module 222 corresponding to the wavelength of the first signal beam. The N second optical gain region modules 222 amplify the power of each input second signal beam according to their respective gain values and output the amplified second signal beam.
[0047] In this implementation, the target signal light is grouped twice before power amplification. First, according to the wavelengths of the first signal light 201 and the second signal light 202, the two signal lights are input to their respective wavelength routers. Second, the first wavelength router 211 further divides the first signal light 201 into multiple signal beams according to their wavelengths. N first optical gain region modules 221 are connected to the first wavelength router 211, and the same applies to the second wavelength router 212. This reduces the number of times each signal beam searches for its corresponding optical gain region module, allowing each signal beam to be quickly input to its corresponding optical gain region module.
[0048] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, Figure 2The optical amplifier shown also includes: a coupling polarization conversion beam splitting module 31, used to perform fiber-waveguide mode matching and optical coupling on the signal light input through the optical fiber, split the coupled signal light into a first signal light 201 of a first mode and a second signal light 202 of a second mode, and convert the second signal light 202 of the second mode into a second signal light 202 of the first mode; input the first signal light 201 to a first wavelength router 211, and input the second signal light 202, after converting it into a signal light of the first mode, to a second wavelength router 212; wherein, the first mode is one of a transverse electric wave mode and a transverse magnetic wave mode, and the second mode is the other of the transverse electric wave mode and the transverse magnetic wave mode.
[0049] Understandably, the function of the coupled polarization conversion beam splitter module 31 is to split and convert the transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) wave modes while maintaining the original polarization state of the target signal light. Specifically, through fiber-waveguide mode matching and optical coupling, the polarization state of the output signal light undergoes orthogonal polarization rotation, that is, the coupled signal light is split into a first signal light 201 of the first mode and a second signal light 202 of the second mode, and the second signal light 202 of the second mode is converted into a second signal light 202 of the first mode; the first signal light 201 is input to the first wavelength router 211, and the second signal light 202 is converted into a signal light of the first mode and then input to the second wavelength router 212. Among them, the TE mode is parallel to the waveguide cross-section in the direction of the electric field vector, and the TM mode is parallel to the waveguide cross-section in the direction of the magnetic field vector.
[0050] In this implementation, low insertion loss transmission of the target signal light between the optical fiber and the optical amplifier is achieved through fiber-waveguide mode matching and optical coupling.
[0051] Further, see also Figure 2 ,like Figure 2 The beam combining wavelength router shown includes: a third wavelength router 231 and a fourth wavelength router 232; the gain feedback module includes: a first beam splitter 241 and a second beam splitter 242; wherein,
[0052] The third wavelength router 231 is connected to the output terminals of N first optical gain region modules 221, and is used to combine the input N first signal beams and output the combined third signal light.
[0053] The fourth wavelength router 232 is connected to the output terminals of N second optical gain region modules 222, and is used to combine the input N second signal beams and output the combined fourth signal beam.
[0054] The first beam splitter 241 is used to detect the signal power of the third signal light output by the third wavelength router 231. Based on the detection result, it sends a first feedback signal to N first optical gain region modules 221. The first feedback signal is used to adjust the gain value of the N first optical gain region modules 221.
[0055] The second beam splitter 242 is used to detect the signal power of the fourth signal light output by the fourth wavelength router 232. Based on the detection result, it sends a second feedback signal to N second optical gain region modules 222. The second feedback signal is used to adjust the gain value of the N second optical gain region modules 222.
[0056] It is understood that the output terminals of the N first optical gain region modules 221 are connected to the input terminal of the third wavelength router 231. The third wavelength router 231 combines the input N first signal beams to obtain a third signal beam, and outputs the third signal beam to the first beam splitter 241 connected to the third wavelength router 231. The first beam splitter 241 corresponds to the N first optical gain region modules 221 because the first beam splitter 241 detects the signal power of the third signal beam and sends a first feedback signal to the N first optical gain region modules 221 according to the detection result. The first feedback signal is used to indicate the adjustment of the gain value of the N first optical gain regions. The fourth wavelength router 232 is similar to the third wavelength router 231, and the second beam splitter 242 is similar to the first beam splitter 241.
[0057] In this implementation, two photodetectors are used to detect according to wavelength and provide two detection results. The gain value of the corresponding optical gain zone module can be adjusted separately. This allows for targeted adjustment of each optical gain zone module, thus avoiding the problem of uniformly adjusting the gain value of the optical gain zone module due to ignoring the wavelength of each signal light.
[0058] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, Figure 2 The optical amplifier shown also includes a coupled polarization beam combiner module 32, which is connected to the output terminals of the third wavelength router 231 and the fourth wavelength router 232, for converting the fourth signal light input to the fourth wavelength router 232 into a second-mode signal light, and then coupling the converted fourth signal light with the third signal light input to the third wavelength router 231 before outputting it to an optical fiber.
[0059] In this implementation, the function of the coupled polarization beam combining module 32 is to combine the converted fourth and third signal light and input them into the optical fiber, thereby increasing the saturation power of the optical amplifier and reducing the polarization sensitivity of the amplifier.
[0060] In one implementation, the coupled polarization beam splitter module includes one of the following:
[0061] On-chip integrated end-face coupling structure and polarization conversion beam splitter;
[0062] On-chip integrated two-dimensional grating structure;
[0063] Discrete optical elements with coupling and polarization conversion / beam splitting functions.
[0064] It is understood that the coupled polarization beam splitter module can be completed by two structures or by one structure, including but not limited to on-chip integrated end-face coupling structure and polarization conversion beam splitter, on-chip integrated two-dimensional grating structure, or discrete optical elements with coupling function and polarization conversion beam splitting function.
[0065] For example, such as Figure 4a The diagram shows a schematic of an optical amplifier using an on-chip integrated end-face coupling structure and a polarization conversion beam splitter. The coupled polarization beam splitter module consists of an on-chip integrated end-face coupling structure 41 and a polarization conversion beam splitter 42.
[0066] like Figure 4b The diagram shows a schematic of an optical amplifier using an on-chip integrated two-dimensional grating structure. The coupled polarization beam splitter module is composed of an on-chip integrated two-dimensional grating structure 43.
[0067] like Figure 4c The diagram shows a schematic of an optical amplifier using discrete optical elements with coupling and polarization conversion beam splitting functions. The coupling polarization beam splitting module is composed of discrete optical elements 44 with coupling and polarization conversion beam splitting functions.
[0068] In one implementation, the first wavelength router, the second wavelength router, the third wavelength router, and the fourth wavelength router each include one of the following structures:
[0069] Wavelength division multiplexer structure;
[0070] Cascaded microring structure;
[0071] Mach-Zehnder structure;
[0072] Etch grating structure.
[0073] It is understood that the aforementioned wavelength routers include, but are not limited to, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) structures, cascaded micro-ring structures, Mach-Zehnder (MZ) structures, or Echelle grating structures. The combination of the first and second wavelength routers can be based on the same wavelength router structure or a combination of two structures, such as WDM, cascaded micro-ring, MZ, or Echelle gratings.
[0074] For example, such as Figure 5a The diagram shows a schematic of a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM). A WDM includes a demultiplexer and a multiplexer. The demultiplexer breaks down the signal in the optical fiber into signals of different wavelengths, and the multiplexer couples optical signals of different wavelengths into the same optical fiber for transmission. The number of output beams N can be set according to actual conditions, and the number of beams M in the WDM structure can also be set according to actual conditions.
[0075] like Figure 5b The diagram shows a schematic of a cascaded microring structure, which consists of multiple microring filters A connected in parallel. The number N of microring filters A and the number M of series microrings in each microring filter can be set reasonably according to the actual situation. Figure 5b One structure of the micro-loop filter A is as follows: Figure 5c As shown, it can be completed by connecting M rings in series. Figure 5b Another structure of meso-microrings is as follows Figure 5d As shown, the microring can be designed as an electrode structure, and the refractive index of the waveguide can be adjusted by utilizing the thermo-optical effect or the plasma dispersion effect, thereby adjusting the center wavelength of the microring filter.
[0076] like Figure 5e The diagram shows a schematic of a Mach-Zehnder (MZ) structure. The MZ structure consists of M filters connected in series, with N output branches. M and N can be set according to actual conditions, and this embodiment does not impose specific limitations on them. Optionally, the filters in the MZ structure can be electrode structures, which allows for adjustment of the waveguide refractive index using thermo-optical effects or plasma dispersion effects, thereby fine-tuning the center wavelength of the MZ structure.
[0077] like Figure 5f The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of a medium-elliptic grating structure. The medium-elliptic grating achieves high resolution and high dispersion by increasing the blaze angle (high spectral order and increasing the grating area). Wavelength routers made using medium-elliptic gratings have the characteristics of small size, high dispersion, and high resolution.
[0078] It should be noted that, depending on the specific implementation structure and characteristics of the wavelength router, it is suitable for different scenarios. For example, within an optical module, where single-wavelength amplification is required, a cascaded micro-ring structure is suitable for situations with fine band division and a relatively small number of bands, while a Mach-Zehnder (MZ) structure is suitable for wide band division. As for optical repeater amplifiers, wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) structures and Echelle grating structures are more suitable for this multi-channel scenario. Furthermore, wavelength division multiplexers (WDM) can be used in DWDM systems, while Echelle grating structures are more suitable for CWDM systems.
[0079] Furthermore, such as Figure 6 As shown, the optical amplifier can be an optical pump amplifier, and the optical amplifier further includes:
[0080] Pump laser 61 is used to generate pump light; coupler 62 is used to couple the pump light into the waveguide and input the coupled pump light into the plurality of optical gain region modules.
[0081] Among them, optical pumping refers to the need to insert the coupler into the waveguide to achieve population inversion, thereby amplifying the signal.
[0082] In one implementation, the optical pump amplifier further includes:
[0083] Beam splitter 63 is used to divide the coupled pump light into equal power segments and input each pump light segment into the plurality of optical gain region modules.
[0084] Continue to refer to Figure 5d The echelle grating structure can be used to construct a broadband waveguide amplifier for optical pumping. The pump light is divided into equal power using the echelle grating structure and then enters each gain region.
[0085] In another implementation, the optical pump amplifier further includes a router 64 for outputting the coupled pump light to a target optical gain region module, wherein the target optical gain region module includes at least one of the plurality of optical gain region modules.
[0086] It is understandable that a routing structure is used, with an external control scheme controlling the output port of the pump light to bring it into a specific gain region.
[0087] In one implementation, the first wavelength router, the N first optical gain region modules, and the third wavelength router are respectively located in different parts of the same chip; and / or, the second wavelength router, the N second optical gain region modules, and the fourth wavelength router are respectively located in different parts of the same chip.
[0088] In one implementation, the N first optical gain region modules are monolithically integrated waveguide optical amplifiers; and / or,
[0089] The N second optical gain region modules are monolithically integrated waveguide optical amplifiers.
[0090] Optionally, the N first optical gain region modules and N second optical gain region modules can be waveguide optical amplifiers with hybrid integrated gain regions. That is, the gain region and the wavelength router implement their respective functions on different chip parts_A and part_B, and the gain region and the wavelength router are effectively bonded through a hybrid integration method, so that the signal light is coupled into the gain region for power amplification after passing through the wavelength router X, and then coupled into part_A and into the wavelength router Y. Figure 7 and Figure 8 The diagram shown illustrates the gain region and wavelength router principle in a hybrid integrated waveguide optical amplifier. Figure 7 This is a side view of the light propagation path. Figure 8 This is a top view of the light propagation path.
[0091] It should be noted that the wavelength router and each gain zone module are mainly designed for TE mode, but the wavelength router and gain zone can also be modified to adapt to TM mode depending on the actual situation.
[0092] This application also provides an optical module that can implement the processes of the above embodiments and achieve the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.
[0093] For example, in a coherent optical module, the continuous light emitted by the tunable laser in the above embodiments serves as a carrier and is loaded with a signal in the modulator, becoming signal light. If the signal light does not meet the output power specifications, it needs to pass through a broadband semiconductor optical amplifier before being output from the module. Alternatively, in an optical fiber transmission network, the power of the signal light decreases with increasing transmission distance due to fiber line loss. Furthermore, due to factors such as transmit power and receiver sensitivity, the signal light has a maximum transmission distance. The optical amplifier can perform signal light power compensation before the maximum transmission distance, thereby extending the transmission distance.
[0094] This application also provides an optical repeater device that can implement the processes of the above embodiments and achieve the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.
[0095] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.
[0096] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a computer software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.
[0097] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.
Claims
1. An optical amplifier characterized by, include: A beam splitting wavelength router is used to split the input target signal light into multiple signal beams according to the wavelength, and input each signal beam into the optical gain region module corresponding to the wavelength of the signal beam. Multiple optical gain zone modules are used to amplify the power of the input signal beam according to the gain value of the optical gain zone modules, and input the amplified signal beam to the beam combining wavelength router. The beam combining wavelength router is used to combine the signal beams output from multiple optical gain region modules and output the combined signal light. Multiple gain feedback modules are used to send feedback signals to each of the optical gain region modules according to the signal power of the signal light output by the beam combining wavelength router. The feedback signals are used to adjust the gain value of each of the optical gain region modules, wherein the gain values adjusted by the feedback signals sent to each of the optical gain region modules are not exactly the same.
2. The optical amplifier of claim 1, wherein, The beam-splitting wavelength router includes: a first wavelength router and a second wavelength router; the plurality of optical gain region modules include: N first optical gain region modules and N second optical gain region modules; the target signal light includes first signal light and second signal light; wherein... The first wavelength router is used to divide the input first signal light into N first signal beams according to the wavelength, and input each first signal beam into a first optical gain region module corresponding to the wavelength of the first signal beam; The second wavelength router is used to divide the input second signal light into N second signal beams according to the wavelength, and input each second signal beam into a second optical gain region module corresponding to the wavelength of the second signal beam; N first optical gain region modules are used to amplify the power of the input first signal beam according to the gain value of the first optical gain region module, and output the amplified first signal beam. N second optical gain region modules are used to amplify the power of the input second signal beam according to the gain value of the second optical gain region module, and output the amplified second signal beam. Where N is an integer greater than 1.
3. The optical amplifier of claim 2, wherein, Also includes: The coupled polarization conversion beam splitter module is used to perform fiber-waveguide mode matching and optical coupling on the signal light input through the optical fiber, split the coupled signal light into a first mode signal light and a second mode signal light, and convert the second mode signal light into a first mode signal light; input the first signal light to a first wavelength router, and input the second signal light into a second wavelength router after converting it into a first mode signal light; wherein, the first mode is one of a transverse electric wave mode and a transverse magnetic wave mode, and the second mode is the other of the transverse electric wave mode and the transverse magnetic wave mode.
4. The optical amplifier of claim 2, wherein, The beam combining wavelength router includes a third wavelength router and a fourth wavelength router; the gain feedback module includes a first beam splitter and a second beam splitter; wherein... The third wavelength router is connected to the output terminals of N first optical gain region modules, and is used to combine the N input first signal beams and output the combined third signal beam. The fourth wavelength router is connected to the output terminals of N second optical gain region modules, and is used to combine the input N second signal beams and output the combined fourth signal beam. The first beam splitter is used to detect the signal power of the third signal light output by the third wavelength router. Based on the detection result, it sends a first feedback signal to N first optical gain region modules. The first feedback signal is used to adjust the gain value of the N first optical gain region modules. The second beam splitter is used to detect the signal power of the fourth signal light output by the fourth wavelength router. Based on the detection result, it sends a second feedback signal to N second optical gain region modules. The second feedback signal is used to adjust the gain value of the N second optical gain region modules.
5. The optical amplifier of claim 4, wherein, Also includes: A coupled polarization beam combiner module is connected to the output terminals of the third wavelength router and the fourth wavelength router. It is used to convert the fourth signal light input from the fourth wavelength router into a second-mode signal light, and then couple the converted fourth signal light with the third signal light input from the third wavelength router before outputting it to an optical fiber.
6. The optical amplifier according to claim 3, characterized in that, The coupled polarization conversion beam splitter module includes one of the following: On-chip integrated end-face coupling structure and polarization conversion beam splitter; On-chip integrated two-dimensional grating structure; Discrete optical elements with coupling and polarization conversion / beam splitting functions.
7. The optical amplifier according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first wavelength router, the second wavelength router, the third wavelength router, and the fourth wavelength router each include one of the following structures: Wavelength division multiplexer structure; Cascaded microring structure; Mach-Zehnder structure; Etch grating structure.
8. The optical amplifier according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The optical amplifier is an optically pumped optical amplifier, and the optical amplifier further includes: Pump lasers are used to generate pump light; A coupler is used to couple the pump light into the waveguide and input the coupled pump light into the plurality of optical gain region modules.
9. The optical amplifier according to claim 8, characterized in that, Also includes: A beam splitter is used to divide the coupled pump light into equal power segments, and then input each of the divided pump lights into the plurality of optical gain region modules.
10. The optical amplifier according to claim 8, characterized in that, Also includes: A router is used to output coupled pump light to a target optical gain region module, wherein the target optical gain region module includes at least one of the plurality of optical gain region modules.
11. The optical amplifier according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first wavelength router, the N first optical gain region modules, and the third wavelength router are respectively disposed in different parts of the same chip; and / or, The second wavelength router, the N second optical gain region modules, and the fourth wavelength router are respectively located in different parts of the same chip.
12. The optical amplifier according to claim 2, characterized in that, The N first optical gain region modules are monolithically integrated waveguide optical amplifiers; and / or, The N second optical gain region modules are monolithically integrated waveguide optical amplifiers.
13. An optical module, characterized in that, Includes the optical amplifier as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.
14. An optical repeater device, characterized in that, Includes the optical amplifier as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.
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