Regulation and control system and regulation and control method

Abstract

The invention discloses a regulation and control system and a regulation and control method, which are used for simplifying a working point regulation and control process of a micro-ring device. The system comprises a detector, a micro-ring device and control equipment, wherein the detector can be used for receiving the first light beam and the second light beam, performing photoelectric conversion on the first light beam to obtain a first current signal, and performing photoelectric conversion on the second light beam to obtain a second current signal; determining a differential current signal between the first current signal and the second current signal; wherein the first light beam and the second light beam are obtained according to input light of a regulation and control system; the control device may be configured to receive the differential current signal and determine, based on the differential current signal, a control signal for adjusting an operating point of the micro-ring device to cause the micro-ring device to operate at a target operating point (i.e., an intersection of an optical signal wavelength in the micro-ring device and a spectrum of the micro-ring device).

Description

A control system and a control method Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of optical technology, and in particular to a control system and a control method. Background Art

[0002] Silicon photonics is a large-scale silicon-based optoelectronic integration technology that uses photons and electrons as information carriers. It can significantly improve the performance of integrated chips and is a fundamental supporting technology for emerging industries such as big data, artificial intelligence, and future mobile communications. It has broad application in industries such as big data centers, 5G, and the Internet of Things. Silicon photonics chips are integrated optical circuits that combine silicon photonic materials and devices using standard semiconductor processes. They can integrate multiple optical devices on a single silicon substrate. In the field of optical communications, traditional optical modules are typically implemented using laser chips. However, with the increase in communication bandwidth and capacity, laser chips cannot meet the high-speed and high-capacity requirements of optoelectronic packaging. Silicon photonics, however, can meet these requirements due to their high integration density, leading to their widespread application in the optical communications field. Furthermore, due to their unique advantages in scalability and compatibility, silicon photonics chips are also being used in the field of optical computing.

[0003] As the core component in silicon photonic chips, silicon photonic modulators can be used to modulate optical signals. Currently, most silicon photonic modulators use Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulators, but the size of this modulator is usually around 3mm, the driving voltage is 3-4Vpp, the bandwidth is limited, and the structure is relatively complex, making it difficult to apply to future high-density optical communication engines and high-density large-scale optical computing. The size of the microring modulator is around 10μm, which is 2-3 orders of magnitude smaller than the Mach-Zehnder modulator, and the driving voltage only requires 1.5-2Vpp. It is expected to be directly driven by CMOS electronic chips, and the power consumption is also low. The bandwidth of the microring modulator is higher than that of the Mach-Zehnder modulator, which can meet the communication needs of higher bandwidth. Therefore, microring modulators are also often used as silicon photonic modulators.

[0004] Among them, the micro-ring modulator adopts a micro-ring structure, and its spectral curve is a Lorentz line shape. The linearity of this spectral curve is poor, and the control accuracy of the operating point is high. In addition, the micro-ring modulator is made of silicon material. Due to the high thermo-optical coefficient of silicon material, the operating point of the micro-ring modulator (that is, the position of the wavelength of the optical signal in the micro-ring modulator in the transmission spectrum of the micro-ring modulator) is affected by temperature. For example, when silicon photonic chips are used in the field of optical computing, when the temperature of the silicon photonic chip changes by 0.1°C, the temperature of the micro-ring modulator in the silicon photonic chip will also change by 0.1°C, and the operating point drift of the micro-ring modulator will be about 1dB, which will lead to an increase in the error of the calculation results of optical computing. Therefore, it is necessary to control the operating point of the micro-ring modulator.

[0005] Currently, the industry uses a closed-loop feedback system consisting of a monitoring detector and a microring operating point control device to control the operating point of a microring modulator. For example, this closed-loop feedback system includes two detectors, a signal comparison circuit, a control element, and a control device. One detector monitors one optical signal, and the signal comparison circuit compares the two optical signals detected by the two detectors and inputs the comparison result into the control device. Based on the signal comparison result, the control device controls the control element to adjust the operating point of the microring device. However, the large number of components in this closed-loop feedback system leads to a complex control chain and high control costs.

[0006] Therefore, how to simplify the operating point control method of the micro-ring modulator has high practical value for promoting the commercial application of the micro-ring modulator.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present application provides a control system and a control method for simplifying the operating point control process of a microring device.

[0009] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a control system, which includes a detector, a microring device, and a control device; wherein the detector can be used to receive a first beam of light and a second beam of light and perform photoelectric conversion on the first beam of light to obtain a first current signal, and perform photoelectric conversion on the second beam of light to obtain a second current signal; determine a differential current signal between the first current signal and the second current signal; wherein the first beam of light and the second beam of light are obtained based on the input light of the control system; the control device can be used to receive the differential current signal and determine a control signal based on the differential current signal, the control signal being used to adjust the operating point of the microring device so that the microring device operates at a target operating point; wherein the target operating point is the intersection of the wavelength of the optical signal in the microring device and the spectrum of the microring device.

[0010] It is understandable that the number of micro-ring devices in the embodiment of the present application can be one or more. In other words, the control device in the above control system can realize the control of the working point of one or more micro-ring devices.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, the detector in the control system can receive the first beam of light and the second beam of light, and after performing photoelectric conversion on the first beam of light and the second beam of light, it can also realize the comparison of the first beam of light and the second beam of light. In addition, after the detector compares the first beam of light and the second beam of light, it can also form a differential current signal between the current signals corresponding to the first beam of light and the second beam of light, and then the control device can determine the control signal for adjusting the working point of the micro-ring device based on the differential current signal. In this way, compared with the technical solution of one detector monitoring one optical signal and comparing the two optical signals monitored by the two detectors through a signal comparison circuit to realize the control of the working point of the micro-ring device, in the embodiment of the present application, there is no need to set up an additional signal comparison circuit in the control system, which effectively reduces the circuit complexity of the control system, simplifies the working point control process of the micro-ring device, and also reduces the cost of the control system.

[0012] In the embodiment of the present application, determining the first beam of light and the second beam of light includes but is not limited to the following methods:

[0013] Method 1, the above system also includes a first optical splitter, a second optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, a third optical waveguide and a fourth optical waveguide; the first optical splitter can receive input light and split the input light to obtain a first beam of light and a third beam of light; wherein the first beam of light is input into the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the third beam of light is input into the second optical splitter through the third optical waveguide; the second optical splitter receives the third beam of light and splits the third beam of light to obtain a second beam of light and an output light; wherein the second beam of light is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide, and the output light is output through the third optical waveguide; alternatively, the second optical splitter receives the third beam of light and splits the third beam of light to obtain a second beam of light and a fourth beam of light; wherein the second beam of light is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide; the third beam of light passes through the third optical waveguide, the microring device and the fourth optical waveguide in sequence to obtain the output light, and the output light is output through the download port of the microring device.

[0014] In method 1, the control system is provided with a first spectrometer and a second spectrometer, and the control system input light can be split by the first spectrometer to obtain one input signal of the detector; and the third beam obtained after the first spectrometer is split can be further split by the second spectrometer to obtain another input signal of the detector; in this way, the detector can compare the two input signals and output the comparison result. In addition, the output light can be the light obtained after the second spectrometer splits the third beam, or the output light can be the light obtained by the third beam passing through the third optical waveguide, the microring device and the fourth optical waveguide in sequence, and can be output through the download port of the microring device. In this way, multiple implementation methods of the output light are provided, so that the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be flexibly implemented.

[0015] In one possible design, the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined based on a target operating point, and / or the splitting ratio of the second optical splitter is determined based on the target operating point. In this design, the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter and / or the splitting ratio of the second optical splitter can be flexibly designed based on the target operating point, thereby allowing the microring device to operate at the target operating point as closely as possible. This reduces the number of adjustments required to the microring device's operating point and effectively minimizes interruptions in the microring device's operation.

[0016] Method 2: The system further includes a first optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, and a third optical waveguide; the first optical splitter can receive input light and split the input light to obtain a first beam of light and a second beam of light; wherein the first beam of light is input into the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the second beam of light is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide; wherein the second beam of light sequentially passes through the second optical waveguide, the microring device, and the third optical waveguide to obtain output light, and the output light is output through the download port of the microring device.

[0017] In Method 2, the input light is split by the first optical splitter to obtain two input signals for the detector. The second beam of light generated after the splitting passes through the second optical waveguide, the microring device, and the third optical waveguide to obtain the output light. This output light is output through the download port of the microring device. This can effectively reduce the complexity of the control system and reduce the cost of its components.

[0018] In one possible design, the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined based on a target operating point. In this design, determining the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter based on the target operating point allows the microring device to operate at the target operating point as closely as possible, thereby reducing the number of adjustments to the microring device's operating point and effectively minimizing interruptions in the microring device's operation.

[0019] Method 3: The system further includes a first optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, and a third optical waveguide; the first optical splitter can receive input light and split the input light to obtain a first light beam and an output light; wherein the first light beam is input to the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the output light is output through the third optical waveguide; the second optical waveguide is located at the download port of the microring device, and the output light passes through the third optical waveguide, the microring device, and the second optical waveguide in sequence to obtain a second light beam, and the second light beam is input to the detector through the second optical waveguide.

[0020] In Method 3, a first optical splitter splits the input light into a first beam and an output beam. The first beam serves as one input signal for the detector. This output beam then passes through a third optical waveguide, a microring device, and a second optical waveguide to produce a second beam, which serves as the other input signal for the detector. This method only requires a single optical splitter to obtain both input signals for the detector, effectively reducing the complexity of the control system.

[0021] In one possible design, the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined based on the target operating point of the microring device, and / or the first coupling coefficient between the second optical waveguide and the microring device is determined based on the target operating point of the microring device, and / or the second coupling coefficient between the third optical waveguide and the microring device is determined based on the target operating point of the microring device. In this design, at least one of the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter, the first coupling coefficient between the second optical waveguide and the microring device, or the second coupling coefficient between the third optical waveguide and the microring device is flexibly designed based on the target operating point, allowing the microring device to operate at the target operating point as closely as possible. This reduces the number of adjustments to the microring device's operating point and effectively minimizes interruptions in the microring device's operation.

[0022] In one possible design, the first coupling coefficient is related to the length of the optical waveguide in the second optical waveguide that interacts with the microring device, and / or the distance between the second optical waveguide and the microring device; the second coupling coefficient is related to the length of the optical waveguide in the third optical waveguide that interacts with the microring device, and / or the distance between the third optical waveguide and the microring device. In this design, multiple methods for determining the first coupling coefficient and the second coupling coefficient are provided, allowing for flexible determination of the first coupling coefficient and the second coupling coefficient.

[0023] In one possible design, the system further includes a first optical attenuator and a second optical attenuator. The first optical attenuator can adjust the intensity of the first light beam before the detector receives the first light beam and input the adjusted light into the detector. The second optical attenuator can adjust the intensity of the second light beam before the detector receives the second light beam and input the adjusted light into the detector. In this design, by providing the first and second optical attenuators in the system, the detector adjusts the intensity of the first and second light beams before receiving the first and second light beams, thereby minimizing the differential current signal corresponding to the first and second light beams to zero, thereby enabling the microring device to operate at a target operating point.

[0024] In one possible design, the system further includes a transimpedance amplifier; the detector can also input the differential current signal into the transimpedance amplifier; and the transimpedance amplifier can amplify the differential current signal before the control device receives it, and then input the amplified differential current signal into the control device. In this design, amplifying the differential current signal by the transimpedance amplifier makes the differential current signal received by the control device more accurate, thereby making the control signal corresponding to the differential current signal more accurate in regulating the microring device.

[0025] In one possible design, the system further includes a driver, and the control signal indicates a driving voltage for the driver. The control device can also send a control signal to the driver. The driver receives the control signal and adjusts the operating point of the microring device based on the driving voltage. In this design, the control device adjusts the operating point of the microring device via the driver, making it easier to control the microring device.

[0026] In one possible design, the system further includes a tuning unit disposed on the microring device; the driver adjusts the operating point of the microring device based on a driving voltage, including adjusting the voltage or current of the tuning unit based on the driving voltage to adjust the operating point of the microring device. In this design, the tuning unit is provided in the system, and the driver can adjust the voltage or current of the tuning unit based on the driving voltage indicated by the control signal to adjust the operating point of the microring device to the target operating point.

[0027] In one possible design, the microring device includes a microring and / or a microring modulator, wherein the shape of the microring can be any one of a racetrack-like shape, an elliptical shape, or a circular shape, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0028] In one possible design, the micro-ring modulator includes an electro-optic effect micro-ring modulator and / or a carrier dispersion effect micro-ring modulator.

[0029] In one possible design, the system further includes an optical switch that can be used to control whether the second light beam is input to the detector. In this design, by providing an optical switch within the control system, whether the second light beam is input to the detector can be controlled. In the presence of multiple microring devices, the control system can include multiple optical switches, each corresponding to a second light beam. Each optical switch can control whether its corresponding second light beam is input to the detector, thereby enabling control of the operating points of multiple microring modulators.

[0030] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a control method, which is applied to a control system, wherein the system includes a detector, a microring device, and a control device; the method includes: the detector receives a first beam of light and a second beam of light, performs photoelectric conversion on the first beam of light to obtain a first current signal, and performs photoelectric conversion on the second beam of light to obtain a second current signal; determines a differential current signal between the first current signal and the second current signal; wherein the first beam of light and the second beam of light are obtained based on the input light of the control system; the control device receives the differential current signal and determines a control signal based on the differential current signal, wherein the control signal is used to adjust the operating point of the microring device so that the microring device operates at a target operating point; wherein the target operating point is the intersection of the wavelength of the optical signal in the microring device and the spectrum of the microring device.

[0031] In one possible design, the system further includes a first optical splitter, a second optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, a third optical waveguide, and a fourth optical waveguide; the method further includes: the first optical splitter receives the input light and splits the input light to obtain the first beam and a third beam; wherein the first beam is input into the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the third beam is input into the second optical splitter through the third optical waveguide; the second optical splitter receives the third beam and splits the third beam to obtain the second beam and output light; wherein the second beam is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide, and the output light is output through the third optical waveguide; or, the second optical splitter receives the third beam and splits the third beam to obtain the second beam and a fourth beam; wherein the second beam is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide; the third beam passes through the third optical waveguide, the microring device, and the fourth optical waveguide in sequence to obtain output light, and the output light is output through the download port of the microring device.

[0032] In a possible design, the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined according to the target operating point, and / or the splitting ratio of the second optical splitter is determined according to the target operating point.

[0033] In one possible design, the system further includes a first optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, and a third optical waveguide; the method further includes: the first optical splitter receives the input light and splits the input light to obtain the first beam of light and the second beam of light; wherein the first beam of light is input into the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the second beam of light is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide; wherein the second beam of light passes through the second optical waveguide, the microring device, and the third optical waveguide in sequence to obtain output light, and the output light is output through the download port of the microring device.

[0034] In a possible design, the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined according to the target operating point.

[0035] In one possible design, the system further includes a first optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, and a third optical waveguide; the method further includes: the first optical splitter receives the input light and splits the input light to obtain the first beam of light and output light; wherein the first beam of light is input into the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the output light is output through the third optical waveguide; the second optical waveguide is located at the download port of the microring device, the output light passes through the third optical waveguide, the microring device, and the second optical waveguide in sequence to obtain the second beam of light, and the second beam of light is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide.

[0036] In one possible design, the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined based on the target operating point of the microring device, and / or the first coupling coefficient between the second optical waveguide and the microring device is determined based on the target operating point of the microring device, and / or the second coupling coefficient between the third optical waveguide and the microring device is determined based on the target operating point of the microring device.

[0037] In one possible design, the first coupling coefficient is related to the length of the optical waveguide in the second optical waveguide that interacts with the microring device, and / or is related to the distance between the second optical waveguide and the microring device; the second coupling coefficient is related to the length of the optical waveguide in the third optical waveguide that interacts with the microring device, and / or is related to the distance between the third optical waveguide and the microring device.

[0038] In one possible design, the system further includes a first optical attenuator and a second optical attenuator; the method further includes: the first optical attenuator adjusts the light intensity of the first light beam before the detector receives the first light beam, and inputs the adjusted light into the detector; and the second optical attenuator adjusts the light intensity of the second light beam before the detector receives the second light beam, and inputs the adjusted light into the detector.

[0039] In one possible design, the system also includes a transimpedance amplifier; the method also includes: the detector inputs the differential current signal into the transimpedance amplifier; the transimpedance amplifier amplifies the differential current signal before the control device receives the differential current signal, and inputs the amplified signal into the control device.

[0040] In one possible design, the system also includes a driver, and the control signal is used to indicate a driving voltage of the driver; the method also includes: the control device sends the control signal to the driver; the driver receives the control signal and adjusts the operating point of the microring device based on the driving voltage.

[0041] In one possible design, the system further includes a tuning unit disposed on the microring device; the driver adjusts the operating point of the microring device based on the driving voltage, including: the driver adjusts the voltage value or current value of the tuning unit based on the driving voltage to adjust the operating point of the microring device.

[0042] In one possible design, the microring device includes a microring and / or a microring modulator.

[0043] In one possible design, the system further includes an optical switch; and the method further includes: the optical switch controlling whether the second beam of light is input into the detector.

[0044] For the beneficial effects of the method described in the above-mentioned second aspect and any optional design of the second aspect, please refer to the relevant description in the first aspect and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a micro-ring modulator provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG2A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a switch provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG2B is a schematic structural diagram of a light engine provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an optical computing architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a target operating point of a microring device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG5A is a schematic structural diagram of a control system of a micro-ring modulator;

[0051] FIG5B is a schematic structural diagram of another micro-ring modulator control system;

[0052] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG7 is another structural diagram of the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG8 is another structural diagram of the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG9 is another structural diagram of the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG10 is another structural diagram of the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG11 is another structural diagram of the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG12A is a schematic structural diagram of a control device 602 in a control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG12B is another schematic diagram of the structure of the control device 602 in the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG12C is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first optical splitter or the second optical splitter in the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG13 is another structural diagram of the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG14 is another structural diagram of the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG15 is another structural diagram of the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG16A is another schematic diagram of the structure of the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG16B is another structural diagram of the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG16C is another structural diagram of the control system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG17 is a flow chart of a control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] First, some of the terms used in this application are explained. It should be understood that these explanations are for the purpose of facilitating understanding by those skilled in the art and are not intended to limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0070] 1. Microring devices, also known as microring optical devices, include, for example, microrings or microring modulators. A microring, also known as a microring resonator, is an optical device primarily made of silicon that is highly integrated, powerful, and compact, and can be used in optoelectronic integrated circuits. The shape of the microring can be any of a runway-like shape, an elliptical shape, or a circular shape, and the embodiments of this application do not impose specific limitations thereto. A microring modulator is used to modulate an optical signal. The microring modulator can be used in data computing centers, optical modules in long-distance backbone networks, optical switches, or optical computing applications. The microring modulator can be an electro-optical effect microring modulator and / or a carrier dispersion effect microring modulator. Furthermore, the carrier dispersion effect microring modulator can include at least one of a photodiode (Positive Intrinsic-Negative, PIN) structure microring modulator, a horizontal PN junction microring modulator, or a vertical PN junction microring modulator. For example, (a) in Figure 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of an electro-optical effect micro-ring modulator, (b) in Figure 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a PIN structure micro-ring modulator, (c) in Figure 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a horizontal PN junction micro-ring modulator, and (d) in Figure 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a vertical PN junction micro-ring modulator.

[0071] Example 1, Figure 2A shows a schematic diagram of a microring modulator applied to a switch. The switch in Figure 2A includes a switch chip, an optical engine (OE), a laser module, an optical input port, and an optical output port. The optical engine can communicate data with the switch chip, converting the electrical signal output by the switch chip into an optical signal and outputting the optical signal through the optical output port. Furthermore, the optical engine can receive the optical signal input from the laser module to the switch through the optical input port, convert the optical signal into an electrical signal, and then input the signal to the switch chip. FIG2B shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of an optical engine, which includes a micro-ring modulator, a receiving end, a transmitting end, a laser end, and a photodetector. The receiving end of the optical engine is connected to the optical inlet of the switch, and the receiving end of the optical engine can receive the input light of the switch from the optical inlet, demodulate the input light through the micro-ring modulator, and input it into the photodetector. The photodetector converts the input light into an electrical signal and inputs it into the switch chip. In addition, the optical signal output by the laser module in the switch can be input from the laser end to the optical engine, and the micro-ring modulator in the optical engine can modulate the optical signal and output the modulated optical signal from the transmitting end of the optical engine. The optical signal can then be output from the optical outlet of the switch.

[0072] Example 2. Figure 3 shows an architecture schematic diagram of an optical computing application scenario, which includes N laser diodes (i.e., LD-1, LD-2, ..., LD-N), N micro-ring modulators (i.e., Mod1, Mod-2, ..., Mod-N), a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM), a demultiplexer (DEMUX), and N photodetectors (i.e., PD-1, PD-2, ..., PD-N); the N laser diodes output N optical signals of different wavelengths, and each of the N micro-ring modulators modulates the corresponding optical signal to obtain a corresponding vector signal. The vector signal is combined by the wavelength division multiplexer and input to the demultiplexer. The vector signal first passes through the demultiplexer to obtain N optical signals, and then the N optical signals enter the micro-ring matrix array and are multiplied with the N×N matrix elements. The N optical signals after multiplication are input to N photodetectors and added, thereby realizing the modulation of the N optical signals.

[0073] Second, the operating point of the microring device refers to the position of the wavelength of the optical signal in the microring modulator within the transmission spectrum of the microring modulator. As shown in Figure 4, the target operating point of the microring device is the intersection of the wavelength of the optical signal in the microring device and the optical spectrum of the microring device. The optical signal in the microring modulator is the optical signal received by the microring modulator.

[0074] Because microring devices use a microring structure, their spectral curve is a Lorentzian line, and the linearity of this spectral curve is poor, so the control accuracy of the operating point is high. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate the operating point of the microring device.

[0075] As shown in Figure 5A, the control system in some technical solutions includes a microring device, a photodetector, a low-pass filter, a heating element, a feedback control system, and an electrical signal loader. The photodetector can monitor the optical signal in the microring device and convert the optical signal into a corresponding electrical signal, which is then input into the low-pass filter. The low-pass filter processes the electrical signal and then inputs it into the feedback control system. In this system, the control of the microring device includes coarse and fine tuning. Coarse tuning is achieved through thermal tuning. For example, the feedback control system controls the heating element to heat the microring device to the target operating temperature based on the electrical signal input from the low-pass filter. Fine tuning is achieved through electronic tuning. For example, the feedback control system controls the electrical signal loader to load a corresponding electrical signal based on the electrical signal input from the low-pass filter to achieve electronic tuning to compensate for slight changes in ambient temperature and slight changes caused by manufacturing defects. However, changes in the optical signal monitored by the photodetector may be caused by changes in the operating point of the microring device or by changes in the optical power of the optical signal input from the laser to the microring device. However, this solution cannot identify and judge the power fluctuation of the optical signal input to the microring device by the laser, which will cause the photodetector to misjudge the change of the operating point of the microring device, and then lead to inaccurate regulation of the microring device by the feedback control system.

[0076] As shown in FIG5B , the control system in some other technical solutions includes a microring modulator and an automatic compensation wavelength control circuit, wherein an optical splitter 1 is provided at the input end of the microring modulator, an optical splitter 2 is provided at the output end of the microring modulator, and the microring modulator is further provided with a microring waveguide, a microring wavelength adjustment element, a photodetector 1, and a photodetector 2. The automatic compensation wavelength control circuit is provided with a control circuit and a comparison circuit; wherein the photodetector 1 can monitor the optical signal 1 output by the optical splitter 1 and input the optical signal 1 into the comparison circuit; the photodetector 2 can monitor the optical signal 2 output by the optical splitter 2 and input the optical signal 2 into the comparison circuit; the comparison circuit can then compare the optical signal 1 with the optical signal 2 and input the comparison result of the optical signal 1 and the optical signal 2 into the control circuit; and the control circuit can then control the microring wavelength adjustment element according to the comparison result to adjust the operating point of the microring waveguide, thereby adjusting the operating point of the microring modulator. In this technical solution, two photodetectors and a comparison circuit need to be set up, which makes the circuit complexity of the control system relatively high. In addition, since the comparison circuit can only compare sizes and cannot determine the specific amount of change, an additional integration circuit is required to realize the control of the micro-ring modulator.

[0077] In summary, the circuits in the control system in the above technical solution are relatively complex, and the control loop is complex, resulting in high control costs.

[0078] In view of this, the present application proposes a control system and method for simplifying the operating point control process of a micro-ring device and reducing the control cost of the micro-ring device.

[0079] For example, please refer to Figure 6, which is a structural diagram of a control system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Among them, the control system 600 includes a detector 601, a control device 602 and a microring device 603. Among them, the detector 601 can receive a first beam of light and a second beam of light, and perform photoelectric conversion on the first beam of light to obtain a first current signal, and perform photoelectric conversion on the second beam of light to obtain a second current signal. Furthermore, the detector 601 can also determine the differential current signal between the first current signal and the second current signal, and output the differential current signal to the control device 602; and then the control device 602 can receive the differential current signal and determine a control signal corresponding to the differential current signal. The control signal can be used to adjust the operating point of the microring device 603, so that the microring device 603 can operate at the target operating point. Among them, the target operating point is the intersection of the wavelength of the optical signal in the microring device 603 and the spectrum of the microring device 603. Among them, the optical signal in the microring device 603 is the optical signal received by the microring device 603.

[0080] In the embodiment of the present application, the detector 601 in the control system 600 can receive the first light beam and the second light beam, and compare the first light beam and the second light beam. In this way, compared with the technical solution of monitoring one optical signal by one detector and comparing the two optical signals monitored by two detectors through a signal comparison circuit to achieve the technical solution of controlling the operating point of the microring device, the embodiment of the present application does not require an additional signal comparison circuit in the control system, effectively reducing the circuit complexity of the control system, simplifying the operating point control process of the microring device, and reducing the cost of the control system.

[0081] Optionally, the detector 601 may be a device having light detection and photoelectric conversion functions, and may also be referred to as a photodetector 601. As a possible implementation, the detector 601 may be an optical power meter or a balanced detector.

[0082] The control device 602 can be any chip or integrated circuit with computing capabilities. For example, the control device 602 can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, such as a microcontroller unit (MCU), or can also be other conventional processors.

[0083] The control system 600 is further described in detail below with reference to FIG. 7 to FIG. 16C .

[0084] As described above, the detector 601 can receive a first beam of light and a second beam of light, wherein the first beam of light and the second beam of light can be obtained based on the input light of the control system 600, and the input light can be a light beam input into the control system 600 from a light source. The light source can be a laser or other light source, which is not limited here. The laser can be, for example, at least one of an edge emitting laser (EEL), a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), or a fiber laser.

[0085] There are many ways for the detector 601 to receive the first beam of light and the second beam of light, which are described below with examples.

[0086] Mode 1, as shown in FIG7 , the control system 600 further includes a first optical splitter 604, an optical waveguide 1, an optical waveguide 2, and an optical waveguide 3. Optical waveguide 1 and optical waveguide 2 are respectively arranged between the first optical splitter 604 and the detector 601, and optical waveguide 3 is arranged at the download port of the microring device 603. Accordingly, the first optical splitter 604 can receive input light and split the input light to obtain a first beam of light and a second beam of light; then, the first beam of light can be input into the detector 601 through optical waveguide 1, and the second beam of light can be input into the detector 601 through optical waveguide 2; wherein, the second beam of light can sequentially pass through optical waveguide 2, the microring device 603, and optical waveguide 3 to obtain output light, which is output through the download port of the microring device 603. In this way, by splitting the input light through a single optical splitter, two input signals of the detector 601 can be obtained, effectively reducing the complexity of the control system 600 and reducing the component cost of the control system 600.

[0087] In one possible implementation, the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter 604 is determined based on the target operating point of the microring device 603. Thus, the target operating point of the microring device 603 allows for flexible design of the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter 604, allowing the microring device 603 to operate at the target operating point as closely as possible. This reduces the number of adjustments to the operating point of the microring device 603 and effectively reduces interruptions in the operation of the microring device 603.

[0088] Mode 2, as shown in FIG8 , the control system 600 further includes a first optical splitter 604, an optical waveguide 1, an optical waveguide 2, and an optical waveguide 3. Optical waveguide 1 is disposed between the first optical splitter 604 and the detector 601, optical waveguide 2 is located at the download port of the microring device 603, and optical waveguide 3 is disposed after the first optical splitter 604. Accordingly, the first optical splitter 604 can receive input light and split the input light to obtain a first beam of light and an output light; then, the first beam of light can be input to the detector 601 through optical waveguide 1, and the output light can be output through optical waveguide 3; wherein, the output light can also sequentially pass through optical waveguide 3, the microring device 603, and optical waveguide 2 to obtain a second beam of light, and the second beam of light can be input to the detector 601 through optical waveguide 2. In this way, the first optical splitter splits the input light to produce a first beam of light and an output beam of light. The first beam of light serves as one input signal for the detector. The output beam of light then passes through optical waveguide 3, microring device 603, and optical waveguide 2 to produce a second beam of light. The second beam of light serves as another input signal for the detector. In other words, only one optical splitter is required to obtain both input signals for detector 601, effectively reducing the complexity of control system 600.

[0089] In one possible implementation, the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter 604 is determined based on the target operating point of the microring device 603, and / or the first coupling coefficient between the optical waveguide 2 and the microring device 603 is determined based on the target operating point of the microring device 603, and / or the second coupling coefficient between the optical waveguide 3 and the microring device 603 is determined based on the target operating point of the microring device 603. In this way, at least one of the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter 604, the first coupling coefficient between the optical waveguide 2 and the microring device 603, or the second coupling coefficient between the optical waveguide 3 and the microring device 603 can be flexibly designed based on the target operating point, thereby reducing the number of adjustments to the operating point of the microring device 603 and effectively reducing interruptions in the operation of the microring device 603. In one possible embodiment, a first coupling coefficient exists between the optical waveguide 2 and the microring device 603, and a second coupling coefficient exists between the optical waveguide 3 and the microring device 603; wherein the first coupling coefficient is related to the length of the optical waveguide in the optical waveguide 2 that interacts with the microring device 603, and / or, is related to the distance between the optical waveguide 2 and the microring device 603; the second coupling coefficient is related to the length of the optical waveguide in the optical waveguide 3 that interacts with the microring device 603, and / or, is related to the distance between the optical waveguide 3 and the microring device 603. In this way, multiple ways of determining the first coupling coefficient and the second coupling coefficient are provided, so that the first coupling coefficient and the second coupling coefficient can be flexibly determined. For example, the longer the length of the optical waveguide in the optical waveguide 2 that interacts with the microring device 603, the greater the first coupling coefficient; the greater the distance between the optical waveguide 2 and the microring device 603, the smaller the first coupling coefficient. The longer the length of the optical waveguide in the optical waveguide 3 that interacts with the microring device 603 is, the greater the second coupling coefficient is; the greater the distance between the optical waveguide 3 and the microring device 603 is, the smaller the second coupling coefficient is.

[0090] Mode 3, as shown in FIG9 , the control system 600 further includes a first optical splitter 604, a second optical splitter 605, an optical waveguide 1, an optical waveguide 2, and an optical waveguide 3. Among them, the optical waveguide 1 is arranged between the first optical splitter 604 and the detector 601, the optical waveguide 2 is arranged between the second optical splitter 605 and the detector 601, and the optical waveguide 3 is arranged between the first optical splitter 604 and the second optical splitter 605. Accordingly, the first optical splitter 604 receives input light and splits the input light to obtain a first beam of light and a third beam of light; then, the first beam of light can be input into the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 1, and the third beam of light can be input into the second optical splitter 605 through the optical waveguide 3; the second optical splitter 605 receives the third beam of light and splits the third beam of light to obtain a second beam of light and an output light; then, the second beam of light can be input into the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 2, and the output light is output through the optical waveguide 3;

[0091] Mode 4, as shown in FIG10 , the control system 600 further includes a first optical splitter 604, a second optical splitter 605, optical waveguide 1, optical waveguide 2, optical waveguide 3, and optical waveguide 4. Optical waveguide 1 is disposed between the first optical splitter 604 and the detector 601, optical waveguide 2 is disposed between the second optical splitter 605 and the detector 601, optical waveguide 3 is disposed between the first optical splitter 604 and the second optical splitter 605, and optical waveguide 4 is located at the download port of the microring device 603. Correspondingly, the first spectrometer 604 receives the input light and splits the input light to obtain a first beam of light and a third beam of light; then, the first beam of light can be input into the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 1, and the third beam of light can be input into the second spectrometer 605 through the optical waveguide 3; the second spectrometer 605 receives the third beam of light and splits the third beam of light to obtain a second beam of light and a fourth beam of light; then, the second beam of light can be input into the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 2, and the fourth beam of light can be output through the optical waveguide 3; wherein, the third beam of light can sequentially pass through the optical waveguide 3, the microring device 603, and the optical waveguide 4 to obtain the output light, and the output light is output through the download port of the microring device 603.

[0092] In Method 3 and Method 4, the control system 600 is provided with a first optical splitter 604 and a second optical splitter 605, and obtains two input signals of the detector 601 through the first optical splitter 604 and the second optical splitter 605, so as to facilitate the control of the two input signals. The difference between Method 3 and Method 4 is that the output light in Method 3 is obtained after the second optical splitter 605 splits the third beam of light, while the output light in Method 4 is obtained after the third beam of light passes through the optical waveguide 3, the microring device 603, and the optical waveguide 4 in sequence, and the output light is output through the download port of the microring device 603. In this way, multiple implementation methods of the output light are provided, so that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be flexibly implemented.

[0093] In one possible implementation, the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter 604 is determined based on the target operating point, and / or the splitting ratio of the second optical splitter 605 is determined based on the target operating point. In this way, the splitting ratio of the first optical splitter and / or the splitting ratio of the second optical splitter can be flexibly designed based on the target operating point, thereby allowing the microring device 603 to operate at the target operating point as much as possible, thereby reducing the number of adjustments to the operating point of the microring device 603 and effectively reducing interruptions in the operation of the microring device 603. Exemplarily, the target operating point of the microring device 603 is X. The splitting ratio of the first optical splitter 604 is K1, and the optical power of the input light is Pin. Then, the optical power of the first beam of light is K1×Pin, and the optical power of the third beam of light is (1-K1)×Pin; the splitting ratio of the second optical splitter 605 is K2, and the optical power of the second beam of light is (1-K1)×Pin×K2; therefore, when K1×Pin=(1-K1)×Pin×K2×10^(-X / 10), the differential current signal corresponding to the first beam of light and the second beam of light is 0, that is, the microring device 603 operates at the target operating point, and at this time, the operating point of the microring device 603 does not need to be adjusted.

[0094] Optionally, as shown in FIG11 , the control system 600 may further include a trans-impedance amplifier 607 ; wherein the trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) 607 is disposed between the detector 601 and the control device 602 . Accordingly, the detector 601 may also input the differential current signal into the trans-impedance amplifier 607 ; and the trans-impedance amplifier 607 may amplify the differential current signal before the control device 602 receives the differential current signal, and then input the amplified differential current signal into the control device 602 . In this way, the differential current signal received by the control device 602 may be more accurate, and the control signal corresponding to the differential current signal may more accurately control the microring device 603 .

[0095] Optionally, referring to FIG. 11 , the control system 600 further includes a low-pass filter 606 . The low-pass filter 606 is disposed between the detector 601 and the transimpedance amplifier 607 . Accordingly, the detector 601 can input the differential current signal into the low-pass filter 606 , which can then filter the differential current signal and input the processed differential current signal into the transimpedance amplifier 607 . This allows the differential current signal received by the transimpedance amplifier 607 to be more accurate.

[0096] In one possible embodiment, control system 600 further includes a driver 608, which is disposed between control device 602 and microring device 603, with one end of driver 608 connected to microring device 603. The aforementioned control signal can be used to indicate a driving voltage for driver 608; control device 602 can also send a control signal to driver 608; driver 608 receives the control signal and adjusts the operating point of microring device 603 based on the driving voltage. In this way, control device 602 adjusts the operating point of microring device 603 via the driver, making it easier to control microring device 603.

[0097] Continuing with FIG11 , in one possible embodiment, the control system 600 further includes a tuning unit 609, which is disposed on the microring device 603, and one end of the driver 608 is connected to the tuning unit 609. Accordingly, the driver 608 adjusts the operating point of the microring device 603 based on the driving voltage, including: the driver 608 adjusts the voltage value or current value of the tuning unit 609 based on the driving voltage to adjust the operating point of the microring device 603. In this way, the driver 608 can adjust the voltage value or current value of the tuning unit 609 based on the driving voltage indicated by the control signal, so that the operating point of the microring device 603 is the target operating point. Exemplarily, the tuning unit 609 is a heater, and the driver 608 can adjust the voltage value or current value of the tuning unit 609 based on the driving voltage to adjust the operating temperature of the microring device 603, thereby adjusting the operating point of the microring device 603.

[0098] In the embodiment of the present application, the control device 602 may be a controller integrated with a processor, or may be a chip or circuit with a control function. Therefore, there are many ways to implement the control device 602, which are described below with examples.

[0099] In Example 1, the control device 602 may be provided with an analog operation logic circuit as shown in FIG12A . The input of the analog operation logic circuit is the voltage value δVph of the differential current signal received by the control device 602 , and the output of the analog operation logic circuit is the voltage value δVhe (i.e., the driving voltage indicated by the control signal) input to the driver 608 of the control device 602 . Accordingly, the analog operation logic circuit is provided with a functional relationship f(δVph)=δVhe. In this way, after the control device 602 receives the differential current signal, if the voltage value of the differential current signal is greater than a preset value (e.g., zero), the operating point of the microring device 603 needs to be adjusted. The control device 602 can then perform a corresponding operation on the differential current signal according to the functional relationship to obtain a specific value corresponding to the driving voltage indicated by the control signal corresponding to the differential current signal. If the voltage value of the differential current signal is less than or equal to the preset value (e.g., zero), the operating point of the microring device 603 does not need to be adjusted.

[0100] Example 2: The structure of the control device 602 can be as shown in Figure 12B. The control device 602 includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a processor, and a memory. After the control device 602 receives the differential current signal, the ADC performs a corresponding analog-to-digital conversion on the differential current signal to obtain a voltage value δVph corresponding to the differential current signal. The ADC inputs the voltage value δVph into the processor; if the voltage value of the differential current signal is greater than a preset value (e.g., zero), it is necessary to adjust the operating point of the micro-ring device 603. The memory stores a mapping table between the voltage value δVph and the driving voltage δVhe of the driver. Then, the processor can determine the driving voltage of the driver corresponding to the voltage value δVph according to the mapping table, and obtain a control signal corresponding to the differential current signal after performing a digital-to-analog conversion on the driving voltage of the driver. If the voltage value of the electrical signal is less than or equal to the preset value (e.g., zero), it is not necessary to adjust the operating point of the micro-ring device 603. Optionally, the memory may be disposed outside the control device 602 .

[0101] In addition, in an embodiment of the present application, the first spectrometer 604 and the second spectrometer 605 are components with a spectrometer function, which play the role of power distribution and are not limited to a specific structure. For example, one or more of a directional coupler as shown in (a) in FIG. 12C , a multimode interferometer as shown in (b) in FIG. 12C , or a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) as shown in (c) in FIG. 12C may be used.

[0102] Optionally, as shown in FIG13 , the control system 600 further includes an optical attenuator 1 and an optical attenuator 2; wherein the optical attenuator 1 and the optical attenuator 2 are arranged between the first optical splitter 604 and the detector 601. For example, the optical attenuator 1 can be arranged on the optical waveguide 1, and the optical attenuator 2 can be arranged on the optical waveguide 2. Accordingly, the optical attenuator 1 can adjust the light intensity of the first beam of light before the detector 601 receives the first beam of light, and input the adjusted light intensity to the detector 601; the optical attenuator 2 can adjust the light intensity of the second beam of light before the detector 601 receives the second beam of light, and input the adjusted light intensity to the detector 601. In this way, the detector 601 adjusts the light intensity of the first beam of light and the second beam of light before receiving the first beam of light and the second beam of light, so that the differential current signal corresponding to the first beam of light and the second beam of light can be as close to zero as possible, thereby allowing the microring device 603 to operate at the target operating point. It is understandable that the optical attenuator 1 and the optical attenuator 2 can also be designed in the control system 600 shown in Figures 7 to 11. Their specific functions are the same as those described in Figure 13 and will not be repeated here.

[0103] It is understandable that the number of micro-ring devices 603 in the embodiment of the present application can be one or more. In other words, the control device 602 in the above-mentioned control system 600 can realize the control of the operating point of one or more micro-ring devices 603.

[0104] In one possible implementation, the control system 600 further includes an optical switch, which can be used to control whether the second light beam is input into the detector 601. Thus, in a scenario where multiple microring devices are present, multiple optical switches can be provided in the control system 600, each corresponding to a second light beam. Each optical switch can control whether the corresponding second light beam is input into the detector 601, thereby achieving control over the operating points of multiple microring modulators.

[0105] FIG14 shows another possible structural diagram of a control system 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The control system 600 includes a detector 601, a control device 602, N microring devices (i.e., microring device 1, microring device 2, ..., microring device N shown in FIG14 ), a first optical splitter 604, N second optical splitters (i.e., optical splitter 21, optical splitter 22, ..., optical splitter 2N shown in FIG14 ), a low-pass filter 606, an amplifier 607, N optical switches, and N drivers (i.e., the driver shown in FIG14 ). 1, driver 2, ..., driver N) and N tuning units (i.e., tuning unit 1, tuning unit 2, ..., tuning unit N shown in FIG14 ); wherein, one of the N microring devices corresponds to one of the N second optical splitters, one of the N second optical splitters 605 corresponds to one of the N optical switches, and one of the N microring devices corresponds to one of the N drivers, and one of the N drivers corresponds to one of the N tuning units. For example, microring device 1 corresponds to optical splitter 21, optical splitter 21 corresponds to optical switch 1, and microring device 1 corresponds to driver 1, and driver 1 corresponds to tuning unit 1; microring device 2 corresponds to optical splitter 22, optical splitter 22 corresponds to optical switch 2, and microring device 2 corresponds to driver 2, and driver 2 corresponds to tuning unit 2; ..., and so on, microring device N corresponds to optical splitter 2N, optical splitter 2N corresponds to optical switch N, and microring device N corresponds to driver N, and driver N corresponds to tuning unit N.

[0106] In one possible implementation, referring to FIG14 , the control system 600 further includes optical waveguide 1, optical waveguide 2, optical waveguide 3, optical waveguide 41, optical waveguide 42, ..., and optical waveguide 4N. Optical waveguide 1 is disposed between the first optical splitter 604 and the detector 601, and optical waveguide 2 is disposed between the N optical switches and the detector 601. Optical waveguide 3 is disposed between the first optical splitter 604 and optical splitter 2N, and passes through optical splitters 21, 22, ..., and 2N-1. Optical waveguide 41 is disposed between optical splitter 21 and optical switch 1, optical waveguide 42 is disposed between optical splitter 22 and optical switch 2, ..., and optical waveguide 4N is disposed between optical splitter 2N and optical switch N. Correspondingly, the first spectrometer 604 can receive the input light λ1 and split the input light λ1 to obtain a light beam A11 and a light beam A12. Then, the light beam A11 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 1, and the light beam A12 is input to the spectrometer 21 through the optical waveguide 3. The spectrometer 21 receives the light beam A12 and splits the light beam A12 to obtain a light beam B11 and an output light B12. The light beam B11 is input to the optical switch 1 through the optical waveguide 41, and the output light B12 is output through the optical waveguide 3. Then, the optical switch 1 can control whether the light beam B11 is input to the detector 601. When the optical switch 1 is in the on state, the light beam B11 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 2. Similarly, the first spectrometer 604 can receive the input light λ2 and split the input light λ2 to obtain a light beam A21 and a light beam A22. Then, the light beam A21 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 1, and the light beam A22 is input to the spectrometer 21 through the optical waveguide 3. The spectrometer 22 receives the light beam A22 and splits the light beam A22 to obtain a light beam B21 and an output light B22. The light beam B21 is input to the optical switch 2 through the optical waveguide 42, and the output light B22 is output through the optical waveguide 3. Then, the optical switch 2 can control whether the light beam B21 is input to the detector 601. When the optical switch 2 is in the on state, the light beam B21 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 2. By analogy, the first spectrometer 604 can receive the input light λN and split the input light λN to obtain light beam AN1 and light beam AN2. Then, light beam AN1 is input into the detector 601 through optical waveguide 1, and light beam AN2 is input into the spectrometer 2N through optical waveguide 3. The spectrometer 2N receives the light beam AN2 and splits the light beam AN2 to obtain light beam BN1 and output light BN2. Light beam BN1 is input into the optical switch N through optical waveguide 4N, and output light BN2 is output through optical waveguide 3. Then, the optical switch N can control whether the light beam BN1 is input into the detector 601. When the optical switch N is in the on state, the light beam BN1 is input into the detector 601 through optical waveguide 2.

[0107] Please refer to Figure 15. In another possible implementation, the control system 600 also includes optical waveguide 1, optical waveguide 2, optical waveguide 3, optical waveguide 41, optical waveguide 42, ..., optical waveguide 4N, optical waveguide 51, optical waveguide 52, ..., optical waveguide 5N. Among them, optical waveguide 1 is arranged between the first optical splitter 604 and the detector 601, and optical waveguide 2 is arranged between N optical switches and the detector 601; optical waveguide 3 is arranged between the first optical splitter 604 and the optical splitter 2N, and optical waveguide 3 passes through the optical splitter 21, the optical splitter 22, ..., the optical splitter 2N-1; optical waveguide 41 is arranged between the optical splitter 21 and the optical switch 1, the optical waveguide 42 is arranged between the optical splitter 22 and the optical switch 2, ..., and the optical waveguide 4N is arranged between the optical splitter 2N and the optical switch N; optical waveguide 51 is located at the download port of the microring device 1, the optical waveguide 52 is located at the download port of the microring device 2, ..., and the optical waveguide 5N is located at the download port of the microring device N. Correspondingly, the first spectrometer 604 can receive the input light λ1 and split the input light λ1 to obtain light beam A11 and light beam A12. Then, light beam A11 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 1, and light beam A12 is input to the spectrometer 21 through the optical waveguide 3. The spectrometer 21 receives the light beam A12 and splits the light beam A12 to obtain light beam B12 and light beam B12. Light beam B11 is input to the optical switch 1 through the optical waveguide 41. Light beam B12 passes through the optical waveguide 3, the microring device 1, and the optical waveguide 51 in sequence to obtain output light C1. The output light C1 is output from the download port of the microring device 1. Then, the optical switch 1 can control whether the light beam B11 is input to the detector 601. When the optical switch 1 is in the on state, the light beam B11 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 2. Similarly, the first spectrometer 604 can receive the input light λ2 and split the input light λ2 to obtain light beam A21 and light beam A22. Then, light beam A21 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 1, and light beam A22 is input to the spectrometer 22 through the optical waveguide 3. The spectrometer 22 receives the light beam A22 and splits the light beam A22 to obtain light beam B22 and light beam B22. Light beam B21 is input to the optical switch 2 through the optical waveguide 42. Light beam B22 passes through the optical waveguide 3, the microring device 2, and the optical waveguide 52 in sequence to obtain output light C2. The output light C2 is output from the download port of the microring device 2. Then, the optical switch 2 can control whether the light beam B21 is input to the detector 601. When the optical switch 2 is in the on state, the light beam B21 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 2.By analogy, the first spectrometer 604 can receive the input light λN and split the input light λN to obtain light beam AN1 and light beam AN2. Then, light beam AN1 is input into the detector 601 through optical waveguide 1, and light beam AN2 is input into the spectrometer 2N through optical waveguide 3. The spectrometer 2N receives light beam AN2 and splits light beam AN2 to obtain light beam BN2 and light beam BN2. Light beam BN1 is input into the optical switch N through optical waveguide 4N. Light beam BN2 passes through optical waveguide 3, microring device N, and optical waveguide 5N in sequence to obtain output light CN. The output light CN is output from the download port of the microring device N. Then, the optical switch N can control whether light beam BN1 is input into the detector 601. When the optical switch N is in the on state, light beam BN1 is input into the detector 601 through optical waveguide N.

[0108] Figure 16A shows another possible structural schematic diagram of a control system 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 16A differs from Figure 14 in that the control system 600 in Figure 16A does not include N second optical splitters. The control system 600 shown in Figure 16A includes optical waveguide 1, optical waveguide 2, optical waveguide 31, optical waveguide 32, ..., optical waveguide 3N, and optical waveguide 4. Among them, optical waveguide 1 is arranged between the first spectrometer 604 and the detector 601, and optical waveguide 2 is arranged after the first spectrometer 604; optical waveguide 31 is arranged between the microring device 1 and the optical switch 1, and optical waveguide 31 is located at the download port of the microring device 1; optical waveguide 32 is arranged between the microring device 2 and the optical switch 2, and optical waveguide 32 is located at the download port of the microring device 2; ...; and so on, optical waveguide 3N is arranged between the microring device N and the optical switch N, and optical waveguide 3N is located at the download port of the microring device N; optical waveguide 4 is arranged between N optical switches and the detector 601. Correspondingly, the first spectrometer 604 can receive the input light λ1 and split the input light λ1 to obtain a light beam A11 and an output light A12. Then, the light beam A11 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 1, and the output light A12 is output through the optical waveguide 2. The output light A12 passes through the optical waveguide 2, the microring device 1, and the optical waveguide 31 in sequence to obtain the light beam C1. Then, the optical switch 1 can control whether the light beam C1 is input to the detector 601. When the optical switch 1 is in the on state, the light beam C1 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 4. Similarly, the first spectrometer 604 can receive the input light λ2 and split the input light λ2 to obtain a light beam A21 and an output light A22. Then, the light beam A21 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 1, and the output light A22 is output through the optical waveguide 2. The output light A22 passes through the optical waveguide 2, the microring device 2, and the optical waveguide 32 in sequence to obtain the light beam C2. Then, the optical switch 2 can control whether the light beam C2 is input to the detector 601. When the optical switch 2 is in the on state, the light beam C2 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 4. ..., and so on. The first spectrometer 604 can receive the input light λN and split the input light λN to obtain the light beam AN1 and the output light AN2. Then, the light beam AN1 is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 1, and the output light AN2 is output through the optical waveguide 2. The output light AN2 passes through the optical waveguide 2, the microring device N, and the optical waveguide 3N in sequence to obtain the light beam CN. Then, the optical switch N can control whether the light beam CN is input to the detector 601. When the optical switch N is in the on state, the light beam CN is input to the detector 601 through the optical waveguide 4.

[0109] Correspondingly, in Figures 14 to 16A, the detector 601 can receive N first beams of light and N second beams of light; wherein, one first beam of light among the N first beams of light corresponds to one second beam of light among the N second beams of light; the detector 601 can perform photoelectric conversion on any first beam of light among the N first beams of light to obtain a first current signal; and perform photoelectric conversion on the second beam of light corresponding to any first beam of light to obtain a second current signal; determine a differential current signal between the first current signal and the second current signal, and input the differential current signal into a low-pass filter 606; and after the low-pass filter 606 performs corresponding processing on the differential current signal, it can be input into an amplifier 607; after the amplifier 607 amplifies the differential current signal, it inputs into a control device 602; the control device 602 receives the differential current signal, determines a control signal corresponding to the differential current signal, and sends the control signal to a driver corresponding to the microring device corresponding to any first beam of light; the driver can adjust the operating point of the microring device based on the control signal so that the microring device operates at the target operating point. Exemplarily, taking the microring device 1 in FIG16A as an example, the detector 601 can receive the light beam A11 (i.e., the first light beam) and the light beam C1 (i.e., the second light beam), and determine the differential current signal corresponding to the light beam A11 (i.e., the first light beam) and the light beam C1 (i.e., the second light beam), and input the differential current signal into the low-pass filter 606; and after the low-pass filter 606 performs corresponding processing on the differential current signal, it can be input into the amplifier 607; after the amplifier 607 amplifies the differential current signal, it inputs into the control device 602; the control device 602 receives the differential current signal, determines the control signal corresponding to the differential current signal, and sends the control signal to the driver 1; the driver 1 can adjust the operating point of the microring device 1 based on the control signal so that the microring device 1 operates at the target operating point.

[0110] It can be understood that the low-pass filter 606 and the amplifier 607 in Figures 14-16A are optional.

[0111] Optionally, the control system 600 shown in any of Figures 14-16A may also be provided with a first attenuator and a second attenuator. The first attenuator is used to adjust the light intensity of the N first light beams, and the second attenuator is used to adjust the light intensity of the N second light beams. In this way, the differential current signal corresponding to the first light beam and the second light beam can be made as close to zero as possible, thereby allowing the microring device to operate at the target operating point. The first attenuator may include one or more attenuators, and the second attenuator may include one or more attenuators. The number of attenuators included in the first attenuator and the second attenuator may be the same or different.

[0112] Example 1, as shown in FIG16B , the control system 600 further includes an optical attenuator 1 and an optical attenuator 2. The optical attenuator 1 is disposed on the optical waveguide 1 between the first optical splitter 604 and the detector 601, and the optical attenuator 2 is disposed on the optical waveguide 4 between the N optical switches and the detector 601.

[0113] Example 2, as shown in FIG16C , the control system 600 further includes an optical attenuator 1 and N optical attenuators 2 (i.e., attenuator 21, attenuator 21, ..., attenuator 2N). Optical attenuator 1 is disposed on the optical waveguide 1 between the first optical splitter 604 and the detector 601, optical attenuator 21 is disposed on the optical waveguide 31 between the N optical switches and the microring device 1, optical attenuator 22 is disposed on the optical waveguide 32 between the N optical switches and the microring device 2, ..., and optical attenuator 2N is disposed on the optical waveguide 3N between the N optical switches and the microring device N.

[0114] As can be seen from the above description, when multiple microring devices (i.e., microring device 1, microring device 2, ..., microring device N) in Figures 14-16C are cascaded, the multiple microring devices (i.e., microring device 1, microring device 2, ..., microring device N) share a control loop (i.e., a control loop composed of a detector 601 and a control device 602) control device 602, which can achieve efficient adjustment of the operating points of the multiple microring devices (i.e., microring device 1, microring device 2, ..., microring device N), while reducing the number of components in the control system 600, effectively reducing the complexity of the control system 600, and making the control system 600 easy to implement.

[0115] Based on the above content and the same concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a control method, which is performed by the control system 600 shown in any one of Figures 6 to 11 or Figure 13. Referring to Figure 17, the method includes:

[0116] S1701 , the detector 601 receives a first beam of light, performs photoelectric conversion on the first beam of light, and obtains a first current signal.

[0117] S1702: The detector 601 receives the second light beam, performs photoelectric conversion on the second light beam, and obtains a second current signal.

[0118] The first beam of light and the second beam of light are obtained according to the input light of the control system 600 .

[0119] S1703 : The detector 601 determines a differential current signal between the first current signal and the second current signal.

[0120] S1704: The detector 601 inputs the differential current signal to the control device 602. Correspondingly, the control device 602 receives the differential current signal.

[0121] S1705 : The control device 602 determines a control signal according to the differential current signal. The control signal is used to adjust the operating point of the microring device 603 so that the microring device 603 operates at a target operating point.

[0122] The target operating point is the intersection of the wavelength of the optical signal in the microring device 603 and the spectrum of the microring device 603 .

[0123] For the specific implementation details and beneficial effects corresponding to the control method shown in the above-mentioned Figure 17, please refer to the above introduction to the control system 600 shown in any one of Figures 6-11 or Figure 13, which will not be repeated here.

[0124] Furthermore, the control system provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0125] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0126] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0127] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0128] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0129] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of protection of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A control system, characterized in that: The system includes a detector, a microring device, and a control device; The detector is configured to receive a first beam of light and a second beam of light, perform photoelectric conversion on the first beam of light to obtain a first current signal, and perform photoelectric conversion on the second beam of light to obtain a second current signal; determining a differential current signal between the first current signal and the second current signal; wherein the first beam of light and the second beam of light are obtained based on input light of the control system; The control device is used to receive the differential current signal and determine a control signal based on the differential current signal. The control signal is used to adjust the operating point of the microring device so that the microring device operates at a target operating point. The target operating point is the intersection of the wavelength of the optical signal in the microring device and the spectrum of the microring device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The system further includes a first optical splitter, a second optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, a third optical waveguide, and a fourth optical waveguide; The first optical splitter is configured to receive the input light and split the input light to obtain the first beam of light and a third beam of light; wherein the first beam of light is input into the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the third beam of light is input into the second optical splitter through the third optical waveguide; The second beam splitter is configured to receive the third light beam and split the third light beam to obtain the second light beam and output light; wherein the second light beam is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide, and the output light is output through the third optical waveguide; or The second optical splitter is used to receive the third light beam and split the third light beam to obtain the second light beam and the fourth light beam; wherein the second light beam is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide; the third light beam passes through the third optical waveguide, the microring device and the fourth optical waveguide in sequence to obtain output light, and the output light is output through the download port of the microring device.

3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that The splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined according to the target operating point, and / or The splitting ratio of the second optical splitter is determined according to the target operating point.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The system further includes a first optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, and a third optical waveguide; The first optical splitter is configured to receive the input light and split the input light to obtain the first beam of light and the second beam of light; wherein the first beam of light is input into the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the second beam of light is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide; The second beam of light passes through the second optical waveguide, the microring device, and the third optical waveguide in sequence to obtain output light, and the output light is output through the download port of the microring device.

5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that The splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined according to the target operating point.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The system further includes a first optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, and a third optical waveguide; The first optical splitter is configured to receive the input light and split the input light to obtain the first light beam and output light; wherein the first light beam is input into the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the output light is output through the third optical waveguide; The second optical waveguide is located at the download port of the microring device. The output light passes through the third optical waveguide, the microring device, and the second optical waveguide in sequence to obtain the second beam of light. The second beam of light is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide.

7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that The splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined according to the target operating point of the microring device, and / or, The first coupling coefficient between the second optical waveguide and the microring device is determined according to a target operating point of the microring device, and / or The second coupling coefficient between the third optical waveguide and the microring device is determined according to a target operating point of the microring device.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that The first coupling coefficient is related to a length of an optical waveguide in the second optical waveguide that interacts with the microring device, and / or is related to a distance between the second optical waveguide and the microring device; The second coupling coefficient is related to the length of the optical waveguide in the third optical waveguide that interacts with the microring device, and / or is related to the distance between the third optical waveguide and the microring device.

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The system further includes a first optical attenuator and a second optical attenuator; The first optical attenuator is used to adjust the light intensity of the first light beam before the detector receives the first light beam, and input the adjusted light intensity into the detector; The second optical attenuator is used to adjust the light intensity of the second light beam before the detector receives the second light beam, and input the adjusted light intensity into the detector.

10. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The system also includes a transimpedance amplifier; The detector is further used to input the differential current signal into the transimpedance amplifier; The transimpedance amplifier is used to amplify the differential current signal before the control device receives the differential current signal, and input the amplified signal into the control device.

11. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The system further includes a driver, wherein the control signal is used to indicate a driving voltage of the driver; The control device is further configured to send the control signal to the driver; The driver is used to receive the control signal and adjust the operating point of the microring device based on the driving voltage.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein: The system further includes a tuning unit, which is disposed on the microring device; The driver adjusts the operating point of the microring device based on the driving voltage, including: The driver adjusts the voltage value or the current value of the tuning unit based on the driving voltage to adjust the operating point of the microring device.

13. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The microring device includes a microring and / or a microring modulator.

14. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: The system further includes an optical switch; The optical switch is used to control whether the second beam of light is input into the detector.

15. A control method, characterized in that: Applicable to a control system, the system comprising a detector, a microring device, and a control device; The method comprises: The detector receives a first beam of light and a second beam of light, performs photoelectric conversion on the first beam of light to obtain a first current signal, and performs photoelectric conversion on the second beam of light to obtain a second current signal; and determines a differential current signal between the first current signal and the second current signal; wherein the first beam of light and the second beam of light are obtained based on input light of the control system; The control device receives the differential current signal and determines a control signal based on the differential current signal. The control signal is used to adjust the operating point of the microring device so that the microring device operates at a target operating point. The target operating point is the intersection of the wavelength of the optical signal in the microring device and the spectrum of the microring device.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The system further includes a first optical splitter, a second optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, a third optical waveguide, and a fourth optical waveguide; The method further comprises: The first optical splitter receives the input light and splits the input light to obtain the first beam of light and a third beam of light; wherein the first beam of light is input into the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the third beam of light is input into the second optical splitter through the third optical waveguide; The second beam splitter receives the third beam of light and splits the third beam of light to obtain the second beam of light and output light; wherein the second beam of light is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide, and the output light is output through the third optical waveguide; or, The second optical splitter receives the third light beam and splits the third light beam to obtain the second light beam and the fourth light beam; wherein the second light beam is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide; the third light beam passes through the third optical waveguide, the microring device and the fourth optical waveguide in sequence to obtain output light, and the output light is output through the download port of the microring device.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined according to the target operating point, and / or The splitting ratio of the second optical splitter is determined according to the target operating point.

18. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The system further includes a first optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, and a third optical waveguide; The method further comprises: The first optical splitter receives the input light and splits the input light to obtain the first beam of light and the second beam of light; wherein the first beam of light is input into the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the second beam of light is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide; The second beam of light passes through the second optical waveguide, the microring device, and the third optical waveguide in sequence to obtain output light, and the output light is output through the download port of the microring device.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined according to the target operating point.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein The system further includes a first optical splitter, a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, and a third optical waveguide; The method further comprises: The first optical splitter receives the input light and splits the input light to obtain the first beam of light and an output light; wherein the first beam of light is input into the detector through the first optical waveguide, and the output light is output through the third optical waveguide; The second optical waveguide is located at the download port of the microring device. The output light passes through the third optical waveguide, the microring device, and the second optical waveguide in sequence to obtain the second beam of light. The second beam of light is input into the detector through the second optical waveguide.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that The splitting ratio of the first optical splitter is determined according to the target operating point of the microring device, and / or, The first coupling coefficient between the second optical waveguide and the microring device is determined according to a target operating point of the microring device, and / or The second coupling coefficient between the third optical waveguide and the microring device is determined according to a target operating point of the microring device.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The first coupling coefficient is related to a length of an optical waveguide in the second optical waveguide that interacts with the microring device, and / or is related to a distance between the second optical waveguide and the microring device; The second coupling coefficient is related to the length of the optical waveguide in the third optical waveguide that interacts with the microring device, and / or is related to the distance between the third optical waveguide and the microring device.

23. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 22, characterized in that The system further includes a first optical attenuator and a second optical attenuator; The method further comprises: The first optical attenuator adjusts the light intensity of the first light beam before the detector receives the first light beam, and inputs the adjusted light intensity into the detector; The second optical attenuator adjusts the light intensity of the second light beam before the detector receives the second light beam, and inputs the adjusted light intensity into the detector.

24. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 23, characterized in that The system also includes a transimpedance amplifier; The method further comprises: The detector inputs the differential current signal into the transimpedance amplifier; The transimpedance amplifier amplifies the differential current signal before the control device receives the differential current signal, and inputs the amplified signal into the control device.

25. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, characterized in that The system further includes a driver, wherein the control signal is used to indicate a driving voltage of the driver; The method further comprises: The control device sends the control signal to the driver; The driver receives the control signal and adjusts the operating point of the microring device based on the driving voltage.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that The system further includes a tuning unit, which is disposed on the microring device; The driver adjusts the operating point of the microring device based on the driving voltage, including: The driver adjusts the voltage value or current value of the tuning unit based on the driving voltage to adjust the operating point of the microring device.

27. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 26, characterized in that The microring device includes a microring and / or a microring modulator.

28. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 27, characterized in that The system further includes an optical switch; The method further comprises: The optical switch controls whether the second beam of light is input into the detector.

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