Fiber amplifier module and related device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a fiber amplifier module and a related device, for use in achieving miniaturization of a fiber amplifier module. The fiber amplifier module provided by the embodiments of the present application comprises: a first fiber array comprising a first port used for inputting an optical signal; a second fiber array comprising a second port used for outputting an optical signal; a dispersion unit comprising a first area and a second area, the first area being used for dispersing the optical signal from the first port, and the second area being used for converging light beams in different dispersion directions to the second port; a first lens comprising a third area and a fourth area, the third area being used for converging to an LCOS chip the optical signal dispersed by the dispersion unit, and the fourth area being used for converging the optical signal from the LCOS chip to the second area; the LCOS chip used for performing different attenuation on optical signals of different wavelengths dispersed by the dispersion unit; and a WDM located between the second port and the second area and used for combining the pump light and the optical signal from the second area and outputting same to the second port.

Description

An optical amplifier module and related equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410671844.2, filed on May 27, 2024, entitled "An Optical Amplifier Module and Related Equipment", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of optical communication, and more particularly to an optical amplifier module and related equipment. Background Technology

[0003] In erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), gain competition between different channels results in varying gains, leading to an uneven output EDFA spectrum that negatively impacts signal-to-noise ratio and nonlinearity. Gain flattening filters (GFFs) are typically used to filter signals of different wavelengths, achieving gain flatness across the entire frequency range.

[0004] With the development of optical communication networks, there is a desire to achieve dynamically adjustable optical signal gain, improve the flatness of optical amplifiers, and achieve normalization. Dynamic gain flattening filters (DGFFs) can replace the current mainstream optical amplifier's 'GFF + variable optical attenuator (VOA)', allowing for dynamic adjustment for different channels. However, DGFFs are relatively large, making it difficult to achieve high integration in optical amplifiers. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides an optical amplifier module and related equipment to achieve miniaturization of the optical amplifier module.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides an optical amplifier module. The optical amplifier module includes a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), a first fiber array (FA), a second fiber array, a dispersion unit, a first lens, and a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) chip. The first fiber array includes a first port for inputting optical signals, and the second fiber array includes a second port for outputting optical signals. The dispersion unit includes a first region and a second region. The first region disperses the optical signal from the first port, and the second region converges beams with different dispersion directions to the second port. The first lens includes a third region and a fourth region. The third region converges the optical signal dispersed by the dispersion unit to the LCOS chip, and the fourth region converges the optical signal from the LCOS chip to the second region. The LCOS chip performs different attenuations on the optical signals of different wavelengths dispersed by the dispersion unit, thereby achieving gain flatness. The WDM is located between the second port and the second region and is used to combine the pump light with the optical signal from the second region and output it to the second port.

[0007] In current DGFF optical amplifier structures, components such as optical couplers and pump sources are independent fiber optic paths, resulting in a large amplifier size. In this embodiment, an optical amplifier module consisting of a dispersive unit, a converging lens (first lens), and an LCOS chip is used as a DGFF to achieve dynamic gain flattening of the optical signal. This module can be used as an optical amplifier simply by connecting it to erbium-doped fiber.

[0008] In this optical amplifier module structure, passive optical amplifier components (such as WDM), pump light sources, and other devices are integrated into the spatial optical path of the optical amplifier module, thereby compressing the optical path space. This makes the volume of the optical amplifier module smaller than that of a standalone DGFF + passive optical amplifier components + pump light source. The solution provided in this application embodiment only requires an optical amplifier module + erbium-doped fiber to replace the current mainstream optical amplifier structure of DGFF + passive optical amplifier components + pump light source + erbium-doped fiber, achieving miniaturization of the optical amplifier device.

[0009] Optionally, in addition to erbium-doped fiber, the optical amplifier module provided in this application embodiment can also be connected to other types of doped fibers such as bismuth-doped fiber and ytterbium-doped fiber, and this application does not limit this.

[0010] In one optional implementation, the first fiber array further includes a third port for receiving the input optical signal from the optical amplifier module. The second fiber array further includes a fourth port for outputting an optical signal. The third port and the fourth port are used to collimate the passing optical signal. The optical amplifier module also includes a first corner mirror and a second corner mirror. The first corner mirror couples the optical signal from the third port to the second corner mirror, and the second corner mirror couples the optical signal from the first corner mirror to the fourth port. The optical path from the third port to the fourth port via the first and second corner mirrors is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the third port.

[0011] In this embodiment, the third and fourth ports are used to collimate the optical signal. By setting the first and second corner mirrors, the optical path length of the optical signal between the third and fourth ports is ensured to be less than or equal to the collimation distance of the third port, thereby controlling the size of the light spot while collimating, and ensuring that the optical signal can be coupled back to the FA port without loss.

[0012] In one alternative implementation, the first fiber array further includes a third port for receiving the input optical signal from the optical amplifier module. The second fiber array further includes a fourth port for outputting an optical signal. The third and fourth ports are used to collimate the passing optical signal. The optical amplifier module also includes a second lens and a third lens. The second lens couples the optical signal from the third port to the third lens, and the third lens couples the optical signal from the second lens to the fourth port. The optical path from the third port through the second and third lenses to the fourth port is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the third port.

[0013] In this embodiment, by setting the second lens and the third lens, the optical path of the optical signal between the third port and the fourth port is ensured to be less than or equal to the collimation distance of the third port, thereby controlling the size of the light spot while collimating, ensuring the spatial loop of the optical signal at the input and output ports and the lossless coupling of the optical signal at the output port.

[0014] In one alternative implementation, the first fiber array further includes a fifth port for inputting optical signals. The second fiber array further includes a sixth port for outputting the output optical signal from the optical amplifier module. The fifth port and the sixth port are used to collimate the passing optical signals. The optical amplifier module also includes a third corner mirror and a fourth corner mirror. The third corner mirror couples the optical signal from the fifth port to the fourth corner mirror, and the fourth corner mirror couples the optical signal from the third corner mirror to the sixth port. The optical path from the fifth port to the sixth port via the third and fourth corner mirrors is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the fifth port.

[0015] In this embodiment, by setting the third and fourth corner mirrors, the optical path length of the optical signal between the fifth and sixth ports is ensured to be less than or equal to the collimation distance of the fifth port, thus ensuring the spatial loopback of the optical signal at the input and output ports and the lossless coupling of the optical signal at the output port.

[0016] In one alternative implementation, the first fiber array further includes a fifth port for inputting optical signals. The second fiber array further includes a sixth port for outputting the output optical signal from the optical amplifier module. The fifth and sixth ports are used to collimate the passing optical signals. The optical amplifier module further includes a fourth and a fifth lens. The fourth lens couples the optical signal from the fifth port to the fifth lens, and the fifth lens couples the optical signal from the fourth lens to the sixth port. The optical path from the fifth port through the fourth and fifth lenses to the sixth port is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the fifth port.

[0017] In this embodiment, the arrangement of the fourth and fifth lenses ensures that the optical path length of the optical signal between the fifth and sixth ports is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the fifth port, thus ensuring spatial loopback of the optical signal at the input and output ports and lossless coupling of the optical signal at the output port. In an optional implementation, in the first lens, the center of the first region (i.e., the optical axis of the beam from the first port) is different from the geometric center of the first lens, and the centers of the first and second regions are symmetrically arranged with respect to the geometric center of the first lens.

[0018] In one alternative implementation, the optical amplifier module further includes an optical isolator. The optical isolator is located between the first fiber array and the first region and is used to block optical signals from the first region to the first fiber array.

[0019] In this embodiment, the optical isolator is used to block optical signals from the first region to the first fiber array, thereby ensuring the consistency of the optical signal transmission direction within the optical amplifier module and reducing crosstalk.

[0020] In one alternative implementation, the optical isolator is also located between the third port and the first corner mirror to block optical signals from the first corner mirror to the third port.

[0021] In this embodiment, the optical isolator is used to block the optical signal from the first corner mirror to the third port, thereby further ensuring the consistency of the optical signal transmission direction within the optical amplifier module and reducing crosstalk.

[0022] In one alternative implementation, the optical amplifier module further includes a beam splitter. The beam splitter is located between the first fiber array and the first region and is used to separate the detection light from the optical signal from the first fiber array.

[0023] In this embodiment of the application, the beam splitter is used to separate the detection light from the optical signal from the first fiber array, thereby realizing the monitoring of the optical signal in the optical amplifier module.

[0024] In one alternative implementation, the beam splitter is also located between the third port and the first corner mirror.

[0025] In this embodiment of the application, the beam splitter can also separate the detection light between the third port and the first corner mirror, thereby realizing power monitoring of the input optical signal of the optical amplifier module.

[0026] In one optional implementation, the first and second fiber optic arrays are parallel to each other, and multiple ports of both the first and second fiber optic arrays are arranged along the target direction (x-axis). The ports of the first and second fiber optic arrays correspond one-to-one, and the corresponding ports are located at the same height along the target direction. The input optical signal from the port at a first height in the first fiber optic array is amplified and then output from the port at the first height in the second fiber optic array.

[0027] In one alternative implementation, the dispersive unit is at least one of a grating, a prism, or a prism grid.

[0028] Secondly, this application provides an optical amplifier. The optical amplifier includes the optical amplification module described in the first aspect, and at least one doped optical fiber. The at least one doped optical fiber is used to connect a first optical fiber array and a second optical fiber array.

[0029] In one alternative implementation, at least one of the doped fibers is used to connect ports at different heights in the first and second fiber arrays of the optical amplifier module.

[0030] In the embodiments of this application, at least one doped fiber is used to connect ports at different heights in the x-axis direction of the first fiber array and the second fiber array, thereby realizing the cascading of different folded optical paths.

[0031] In one alternative implementation, at least one doped optical fiber includes a first doped optical fiber and a second doped optical fiber, which are used to transmit different optical signals.

[0032] In this embodiment, a smaller optical amplifier module is used to achieve gain flatness for optical signals in multiple directions. For example, by using optical signals in opposite directions on the same optical communication node (e.g., a ROADM site) as input optical signals for first port 1 and first port 2, a twin structure of two signals in opposite directions can be formed.

[0033] In the embodiments of this application, the doped optical fiber can be an erbium-doped optical fiber, a bismuth-doped optical fiber, a ytterbium-doped optical fiber, or other types of doped optical fiber, and this application does not limit it.

[0034] Thirdly, this application provides an optical communication network. This optical communication network includes the optical amplifier described in the second aspect.

[0035] The beneficial effects of the second and third aspects are described in the first aspect and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the optical communication network provided in this application;

[0037] Figure 2a is a schematic diagram of the structure of the optical amplifier provided in this application;

[0038] Figure 2b is another structural schematic diagram of the optical amplifier provided in this application;

[0039] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of an optical amplifier module provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 4a is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of an optical amplifier module provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 4b is an equivalent optical path diagram of the optical amplifier module provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the layered structure of the optical amplifier module provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the input signal collimation optical path structure of the optical amplifier module provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0044] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the collimation optical path structure of the output signal of the optical amplifier module provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the optical amplifier module provided in the embodiment of this application on the xOz plane;

[0046] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the optical amplifier module provided in the embodiment of this application on the yOz plane;

[0047] Figure 10 is another equivalent optical path diagram of the optical amplifier module provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the port connection relationship of the optical amplifier module provided in the embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0049] The embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will recognize that, with technological advancements and the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0050] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms are interchangeable where appropriate; this is merely a way of distinguishing objects with the same attributes in the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of units is not necessarily limited to those units, but may include other units not explicitly listed or inherent to those processes, methods, products, or apparatuses. Additionally, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can be expressed as: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0051] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical communication network. An optical communication network includes transmitting equipment, receiving equipment, and transmission optical fibers. The transmitting equipment performs electro-optical modulation to carry the signal in the optical fiber and transmits the optical signal through the transmission optical fiber. The transmission optical fiber is used to transmit the optical signal. The receiving equipment receives and interprets the optical signal.

[0052] As shown in Figure 1, an optical communication network may also include optical amplifiers. One or more optical amplifiers may be present between the transmitting and receiving devices. The optical amplifiers are used to amplify the optical signal, thereby increasing the power of the optical signal at the receiving device. This reduces signal attenuation and distortion, and improves the reliability and quality of signal transmission.

[0053] Optionally, optical amplifiers can also exist in any optical communication device (such as transmitting devices, receiving devices, relay nodes, etc.) in an optical communication network to amplify optical signals.

[0054] Doped fiber amplifiers are a commonly used type of optical amplifier. As shown in Figure 2a, a doped fiber amplifier comprises multiple cascaded amplification units. Each amplification unit includes doped fiber, a pump source, an optical coupler, and a gain flattening filter (GFF). The pump source provides the pump light. The optical coupler couples the pump light to the optical signal via the doped fiber. The doped fiber is a fiber doped with rare-earth elements and is used to amplify the optical signal based on the pump light.

[0055] Optical signals transmitted in optical communication networks are typically multi-channel optical signals, meaning they include multiple wavelengths. Intense gain competition exists between different channels of optical signals, resulting in varying gain of the erbium-doped fiber for different channel wavelengths when the multi-channel optical signal passes through it.

[0056] GFF filters signals of different wavelengths to keep the signal gain flat across the entire wavelength range, thus achieving signal gain consistency.

[0057] With the development of optical communication networks, there is a desire to achieve dynamically adjustable optical signal gain, improve the flatness of optical amplifiers, and achieve normalization of optical amplifiers. Currently, the 'GFF+VOA' structure shown in Figure 2b is commonly used to achieve dynamic adjustment for different channels. However, the 'GFF+VOA' structure has low integration and large size. Therefore, the Dynamic Gain Flattening Filter (DGFF) has emerged to replace the 'GFF+VOA' scheme for dynamic adjustment of different channels.

[0058] As a standalone device, the DGFF incorporates a grating and an LCOS. The grating spreads out the wavelengths, while the LCOS provides different attenuations for different wavelengths. Therefore, the DGFF's spectral pattern can be changed according to the gain pattern, thus enabling dynamic adjustment of the optical amplifier gain.

[0059] However, DGFFs are relatively large, making it difficult to achieve high integration in optical amplifiers.

[0060] To address the aforementioned problems, embodiments of this application provide an optical amplifier module and related devices. The optical amplifier module provided in this application miniaturizes the optical amplifier by integrating filtering devices and optical coupling devices onto the same module.

[0061] As shown in Figure 3, the optical amplifier module 3000 provided in this embodiment includes: a first fiber array 3100, a second fiber array 3200, a dispersion unit 3300, a first lens 3400, a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) chip 3500, and a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) 3600.

[0062] The first fiber array 3100 and the second fiber array 3200 include multiple ports. Each port contains a lens for collimating the optical signal.

[0063] In this embodiment, the ports within the first fiber array 3100 are used to couple optical signals to the internal optical path of the optical amplifier module 3000. The ports within the second fiber array 3200 are used to couple optical signals from inside the optical amplifier module 3000 outwards. The ports within the first fiber array 3100 and the second fiber array 3200 are typically connected to external optical fibers of the optical amplifier module 3000. The optical fiber can be any doped fiber with signal amplification capabilities; this application does not limit its application to this.

[0064] The first fiber array 3100 includes a first port 3110 for inputting optical signals, and the second fiber array 3200 includes a second port 3210 for outputting optical signals.

[0065] Multiple ports of the first fiber array 3100 and the second fiber array 3200 are arranged along the x-axis. In this embodiment, the x-axis is the height direction, and the z-axis is the direction of signal light propagation. The y-axis is perpendicular to both the x-axis and z-axis, and is also the dispersion direction of the dispersion unit 3300. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram from a top view.

[0066] The dispersive unit 3300 includes a first region 3310 and a second region 3320. The first region 3310 is used to disperse the optical signal from the first port 3110. The dispersed optical signal is then projected onto the first lens 3400.

[0067] The first lens 3400 is a converging lens. The first lens 3400 includes a third region 3410 and a fourth region 3420. The third region 3410 is used to converge the optical signal dispersed by the dispersive unit 3300 to the LCOS chip 3500.

[0068] The LCOS chip 3500 is used to attenuate different wavelengths of light signals after dispersion by the dispersion unit 3300, thereby achieving a flat gain of the light signal.

[0069] The first lens 3400 also includes a fourth region 3420. The center of the fourth region 3420 is different from the center of the third region 3410. The fourth region 3420 is used to converge the optical signal from the LCOS chip 3500 to the second region 3320 of the dispersive unit 3300. Optionally, the centers of the fourth region 3420 and the third region 3410 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the geometric center of the first lens 3400.

[0070] The dispersion unit 3300 also includes a second region 3320, which is used to converge light beams with different dispersion directions to the second port 3210. Optionally, the dispersion unit 3300 can be a grating, prism, or other similar device, and this application does not limit it.

[0071] The WDM 3600 is located between the second port 3210 of the second fiber array 3200 and the second region 3320 of the dispersion unit 3300. The WDM 3600 is connected to a pump source and is used to combine the pump light provided by the pump source with the optical signal from the second region 3320 and output it to the second port 3210.

[0072] In current DGFF optical amplifier structures, components such as optical couplers and pump sources are independent fiber optic paths from the DGFF, resulting in a large amplifier size. In this embodiment, an optical amplifier module consisting of a dispersive unit, a converging lens (first lens), and an LCOS chip is used as a DGFF to achieve dynamic gain flattening of the optical signal. This optical amplifier module can be used as an optical amplifier simply by connecting it to a doped fiber.

[0073] In this optical amplifier module structure, passive optical amplifier devices such as WDM, pump light sources, and DGFFs are integrated into the spatial optical path of the optical amplifier module. This achieves coupling between the DGFF and passive optical amplifier devices in the spatial optical path, thereby compressing the optical path space. This structure makes the volume of the optical amplifier module smaller than that of the DGFF + passive optical amplifier devices + pump light source. The solution provided in this application embodiment only requires an optical amplifier module + doped fiber to replace the optical amplifier structure of DGFF + passive optical amplifier devices + pump light source + doped fiber, achieving miniaturization and high integration of the optical amplifier device.

[0074] In this embodiment, the second port 3210 is used to connect to the doped optical fiber outside the optical amplifier module 3000. Pump light and optical signals are transmitted to the doped optical fiber through the second port 3210 to amplify the optical signals. Based on the gain spectrum of the doped optical fiber, the attenuation value of the LCOS chip 3600 for different wavelengths of optical signals can be determined, thereby compensating for gain unevenness in the doped optical fiber and ensuring that the output optical signal from the doped optical fiber has good gain flatness.

[0075] In this application embodiment, multiple pairs of first ports and second ports may be included. In this application embodiment, a pair of first ports and second ports is referred to as a port pair. By connecting doped optical fibers between multiple port pairs, cascaded amplification of optical signals can be achieved, resulting in device miniaturization compared to current cascaded amplification optical amplifiers.

[0076] As shown in Figure 4a, in this embodiment, the structure shown in Figure 3 on the vOz plane (the optical signal is input from the first port 3110, the optical signal passes through the LCOS chip 3500 and is reflected back to be output from the second port 3210, and the light also passes through the dispersion unit 3300 and the first lens 3400 twice during the reflection process) is referred to as a folded optical path. Since the folded optical path is folded on the yOz plane, multiple folded optical paths can be set along the x-axis direction to achieve spatial integration of multiple folded optical paths and further reduce the size of the device.

[0077] As shown in Figure 4a, the LCOS chip 3500 can span multiple folded optical paths in the x-axis direction. Similarly, the dispersive unit 3300 and the first lens 3500 in the structure of Figure 3 can also span multiple folded optical paths in the x-axis direction.

[0078] At different heights along the x-axis (i.e., at different layers), different folded optical paths are included. The first port 3110 and the second port 3210 (port pair) on the folded optical path are used to realize the input and output of optical signals on that layer's folded optical path. As shown in Figure 4a, the second port 3120 of the first layer folded optical path is connected to the first port 3110 of the second layer folded optical path via doped fiber 1, and the second port 3210 of the second layer folded optical path is connected to doped fiber 2. The corresponding equivalent optical path is shown in Figure 4b.

[0079] The first layer of folded optical path is used (through the LCOS 3500 of this layer) to compensate for the gain unevenness of the optical signal on the doped fiber 1. The output optical signal of the first layer of folded optical path is output from the second port 3210, and this output optical signal is amplified by the doped fiber 1 before entering the first port 3110 of the second layer of folded optical path. The second layer of folded optical path is used (through the LCOS 3500 of this layer) to compensate for the gain unevenness of the optical signal on the doped fiber 1. The output optical signal of the second layer of folded optical path is output from the second port 3210, and this output optical signal is amplified by the doped fiber 2.

[0080] Optionally, the first port 3210 of the first layer folded optical path can be connected to the doped fiber 0. The first and second layer folded optical paths jointly compensate for the gain unevenness of the optical signal in the three-stage erbium-doped fiber (doped fiber 0-doped fiber 2). This application does not limit this.

[0081] Similarly, the optical amplifier module 3000 can also include more layers of folded optical paths. By connecting doped optical fibers between different layers of folded optical paths, more stages of optical signal amplification can be achieved. For example, the optical signal output from the second layer enters the third layer of folded optical path through the doped optical fiber 3, and then outputs from the doped optical fiber 3 to achieve the third stage of amplification.

[0082] In the multi-layer folded optical path structure provided in this application embodiment, multiple folded optical paths are realized through a structure of a dispersive unit 3300 + a first lens 3400 + an LCOS chip 3500. The gain flatness of cascaded amplification is achieved by utilizing the span of the dispersive unit 3300, the first lens 3400 and the LCOS chip 3500 in the x-axis dimension, thereby further reducing the size of the device.

[0083] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the layering of each device in the optical amplifier module 3000 along the x-axis and the corresponding relationship between the layers. As shown in Figure 5, along the x-axis, the first fiber array 3100 includes multiple first ports 3110, and the second fiber array 3200 includes multiple second ports 3120. The first region 3310 on the beam splitter 3300 may include multiple sub-regions distributed along the x-axis, and the second region 3320 may include multiple sub-regions distributed along the x-axis. The third region 3410 on the first lens 3400 may include multiple sub-regions distributed along the x-axis, and the fourth region 3420 may include multiple sub-regions distributed along the x-axis. The LCOS chip 3500 may include multiple sub-regions distributed along the x-axis.

[0084] Figure 5 uses dashed lines to represent the boundaries between different layers. The portion between two dashed lines represents the area where different devices reside within the same layer. For example, the first layer shown in Figure 5 is bounded by the first and second dashed lines. The first layer includes the sub-region between the two dashed lines containing the LCOS chip 3500, the first lens 3400, and the beam splitter 3300. The first layer also includes the ports of the first fiber array 3100 and the second fiber array 3200 between the two dashed lines. The ports / sub-regions of each device on the first layer are used to perform input, dispersion, convergence, attenuation, and output processing of the optical signals on the first layer.

[0085] The LCOS 3500 can be further divided into different sub-regions along the y-axis. These different sub-regions along the y-axis are used to attenuate signals of different wavelengths.

[0086] Optionally, in the structures shown in Figures 3-5, an optical isolator may also be included between the first fiber array 3100 and the first region 3310 of the dispersion unit 3300. The optical isolator is used to block optical signals from the first region 3310 to the first fiber array 3100, thereby ensuring the consistency of the optical signal transmission direction within the optical amplifier module 3000 and reducing crosstalk.

[0087] It is worth noting that if the dispersive unit 3300 spans multiple layers in the x-axis direction, the optical isolator also spans multiple layers in the x-axis direction in order to ensure directional consistency in the folded optical path of each layer.

[0088] Optionally, in the structures shown in Figures 3-5, a beam splitter may also be included between the first fiber array 3100 and the first region 3310 of the dispersive unit 3300. The beam splitter is used to separate the detection light from the optical signal from the first fiber array 3100, thereby realizing power monitoring of the optical signal within the optical amplifier module 3000.

[0089] If the optical amplifier module 3000 includes both an optical isolator and a beam splitter, the optical isolator can be located between the first fiber array 3100 and the beam splitter, or the beam splitter can be located between the first fiber array 3100 and the optical isolator. This application does not limit this.

[0090] In this embodiment of the application, in addition to achieving gain flattening of the optical signal through the folded optical path shown in Figures 3-5, collimation of the input optical signal of the optical amplifier module 3000 can also be achieved through another folded optical path setting.

[0091] The first fiber array 3100 may further include a third port 3120, and the second fiber array 3200 may further include a fourth port 3220. As shown in Figure 6, the optical amplifier module 3000 also includes a first corner mirror 3700 and a second corner mirror 3800. The first corner mirror 3700, the second corner mirror, the third port 3120, and the fourth port 3220 are at the same height in the x-axis direction. That is, the structure shown in Figure 6 is a folded optical path at the same height in the x-axis direction, which is a structure on the yOz plane.

[0092] As shown in Figure 6, the third port 3120 is used to receive the input optical signal from the optical amplifier module 3000. The third port 3120 and the fourth port 3220 are used to collimate the passing optical signal. The input optical signal is projected onto the first corner mirror 3700 after passing through the third port 3120. The first corner mirror 3700 couples the optical signal from the third port 3120 to the second corner mirror 3800, and the second corner mirror 3800 couples the optical signal from the first corner mirror 3700 to the fourth port 3220. The fourth port 3220 is used to output the optical signal.

[0093] The optical path from the third port 3120 to the fourth port 3220 via the first corner mirror 3700 and the second corner mirror 3800 is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the third port 3120 (this collimation distance is also the collimation distance of the first fiber array 3100; the ports in the first fiber array 3100 are used to collimate the passing optical signals, and the collimation distances of different ports in the first fiber array 3100 are the same).

[0094] In this embodiment, the third port 3120 and the fourth port 3220 are used to collimate the optical signal. By configuring the first corner mirror 3700 and the second corner mirror 3800, the optical path length of the optical signal between the third port 3120 and the fourth port 3220 is ensured to be less than or equal to the collimation distance of the third port 3120, thus ensuring spatial loopback of the optical signal at the input and output ports and lossless coupling of the optical signal at the output port.

[0095] Optionally, the first corner mirror 3700 in Figure 6 can be replaced with a second lens, and the second corner mirror 3800 can be replaced with a third lens. The second lens is used to couple the optical signal from the third port 3120 to the third lens, and the third lens is used to couple the optical signal from the second lens to the fourth port 3220. This is only necessary as long as the optical path from the third port 3120 through the second and third lenses to the fourth port 3220 is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the third port 3120.

[0096] In this embodiment of the application, by setting the second lens and the third lens, the optical path of the optical signal between the third port 3120 and the fourth port 3220 is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the third port 3120, thus ensuring the spatial loopback of the optical signal at the input and output ports and the lossless coupling of the optical signal at the output port.

[0097] In this embodiment, the fourth port 3220 is used to connect with the first port 3120 via an optical fiber, so that after the optical signal is collimated by the third port 3120 and the fourth port 3220, the optical signal is amplified and the gain is flattened through the folded optical path shown in Figures 3-5.

[0098] Optionally, the fourth port 3220 can be connected to a first port 3110 of the optical amplifier module 3000 via the doped fiber 0. Then, a WDM can be included between the second corner mirror 3800 (or the third lens) and the fourth port 3220. The WDM is used to couple the pump light provided by the pump source to the fourth port, thereby providing pump light to the doped fiber 0 and amplifying the optical signal.

[0099] Optionally, the fourth port 3220 can also be connected to a first port 3110 of the optical amplifier module 3000 via a common optical fiber, and this application does not limit this.

[0100] It is worth noting that if the first fiber array 3100 includes multiple first ports 3110 (i.e., the optical amplifier module 3000 includes multiple folded optical paths for achieving gain flatness), and the folded optical paths containing the multiple first ports 3110 are arranged in a cascaded connection structure as shown in Figure 4b, then the fourth port 3220 is used to connect with the first port 3110 of the first-stage folded optical path in the cascaded connection structure.

[0101] Optionally, if the optical amplifier module also includes a beam splitter for optical signal monitoring, the beam splitter can span multiple folded optical paths in the x-axis direction. Specifically, for a folded optical path that achieves gain flatness, the beam splitter includes a portion located between the first port 3110 and the first region 3310; for a folded optical path that achieves input signal collimation, the beam splitter also includes a portion located between the third port 3120 and the first corner mirror (or the second lens).

[0102] In this embodiment, the collimation of the output optical signal of the optical amplifier module 3000 can also be achieved by setting up a folded optical path.

[0103] The first fiber array 3100 may further include a fifth port 3130, and the second fiber array 3200 may further include a sixth port 3230. As shown in Figure 7, the optical amplifier module 3000 also includes a third corner mirror and a fourth corner mirror. The third corner mirror, the fourth corner mirror, the fifth port 3130, and the sixth port 3230 are at the same height in the x-axis direction. That is, the structure shown in Figure 7 is a folded optical path at the same height in the x-axis direction, which is a structure on the yOz plane.

[0104] In this embodiment, the fifth port 3130 is used to connect to a second port 3210 via an optical fiber. The optical fiber can be a conventional pipeline or a doped optical fiber; this application does not limit its application to this.

[0105] It is worth noting that if the second fiber array 3200 includes multiple second ports 3210 (i.e., the optical amplifier module 3000 includes multiple folded optical paths for achieving gain flatness), and the folded optical paths containing the multiple first ports 3110 are arranged in a cascaded connection structure as shown in Figure 4b, then the fifth port 3130 is used to connect with the second port 3210 of the last stage folded optical path in the cascaded connection structure.

[0106] Port 3130 (fifth port) and port 3230 (sixth port) are used to collimate the passing optical signal. The optical signal is then projected onto the third corner mirror via port 3130. The third corner mirror couples the optical signal from port 3130 to the fourth corner mirror, and the fourth corner mirror couples the optical signal from the third corner mirror to port 3230. Port 3230 is used to output the optical signal from the optical amplifier module 3000.

[0107] The optical path from the fifth port 3130 to the sixth port 3230 via the third and fourth corner mirrors is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the fifth port 3130.

[0108] In this embodiment, by setting the third and fourth corner mirrors, the optical path of the optical signal between the fifth port 3130 and the sixth port 3230 is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the fifth port 3130, which ensures the collimation of the output optical signal of the optical amplifier module 3000, and ensures the spatial loopback of the optical signal at the input and output ports and the lossless coupling of the optical signal at the output port.

[0109] Optionally, the third corner mirror in Figure 7 can be replaced with a fourth lens, and the fourth corner mirror can be replaced with a fifth lens. The fourth lens is used to couple the optical signal from the fifth port 3130 to the fifth lens, and the fifth lens is used to couple the optical signal from the fourth lens to the sixth port 3230. This is only necessary as long as the optical path from the fifth port 3130 through the fourth and fifth lenses to the sixth port 3230 is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the fifth port 313.

[0110] In this embodiment of the application, if the optical amplifier module 3000 includes a folded optical path for collimating the input signal, a folded optical path for gain flattening the optical signal, and a folded optical path for collimating the output optical signal, the corresponding structure is shown in Figures 8 and 9.

[0111] In Figure 8, FA1 represents the first fiber array 3100, and FA2 represents the second fiber array 3200. TAP stands for optical splitter, and ISO stands for optical isolator. Corner mirror 1 represents the first corner mirror 3700 and the second corner mirror 3800, and corner mirror 2 represents the third corner mirror and the fourth corner mirror.

[0112] On FA1, port 1 is the third port 3120, ports 3 and 5 are the first port 3110, and port 7 is the fifth port 3130. On FA2, port 1' is the fourth port 3220, ports 3' and 5' are the second port 3210, and port 7' is the sixth port 3230.

[0113] Port 1 receives the input optical signal from the optical amplifier module 3000, and the collimated optical signal is output from port 1'. Port 1' and port 3 are connected via optical fiber (either ordinary or doped fiber), connecting the collimation folded optical path with the gain flattening folded optical path. The optical signal undergoes a first gain flattening after passing through the optical path between port 3 and port 3', and is output from port 3'. Port 3' and port 5 are connected via doped fiber, connecting the first-stage gain flattening folded optical path with the second-stage gain flattening optical path. The optical signal undergoes a second gain flattening after passing through the optical path between port 5 and port 5', and is output from port 5'. Port 5' and port 7 are connected via optical fiber (either ordinary or doped fiber), connecting the second-stage gain flattening folded optical path with the collimation output optical signal path. The optical signal is collimated after passing through the optical path between port 7 and port 7', resulting in the output optical signal of the optical amplifier module 3000, which is output from port 7'.

[0114] The structures shown in Figures 8 and 9 have their corresponding equivalent optical path diagrams shown in Figure 10. In this structure, the connections between ports 1' and 3, and between ports 3' and 5, are all made of doped fiber. In this structure, the input optical signal is collimated and the first-stage pump light is introduced through the folded optical path between ports 1 and 1'. The first-stage amplification of the optical signal is achieved through the doped fiber between ports 1' and 3. The first gain flattening of the optical signal is achieved through the folded optical path between ports 3 and 3', and the second-stage pump light is introduced. The second-stage amplification of the optical signal is achieved through the doped fiber between ports 3' and 5. The second gain flattening of the optical signal is achieved through the folded optical path between ports 5 and 5'.

[0115] Figure 8 is also a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical amplifier provided in an embodiment of this application. The optical amplifier provided in this embodiment includes the optical amplifier module 3000 shown in Figures 3 to 9, and at least one doped optical fiber. The at least one doped optical fiber is used to connect the first optical fiber array 3100 and the second optical fiber array 3200.

[0116] In this embodiment, any one of the at least one doped fiber is used to connect the ports of the first fiber array 3100 and the second fiber array 3200 at different heights in the x-axis direction, thereby realizing the cascading of different folded optical paths.

[0117] Specifically, at least one doped optical fiber may include a doped optical fiber for connecting a third port and a first port, or a doped optical fiber for connecting a second port of one layer of folded optical path and a first port of another layer of folded optical path, or a doped optical fiber for connecting a fifth port and a second port. This application does not limit the scope of the application.

[0118] The optical amplifier provided in this application embodiment can be applied to a 2000km (25*80km G654E+Raman) scenario in an 80*800G@C+L system. The optical amplifier provided in this application embodiment integrates the function of a DGFF (Digital Gain Filter), and can be used for lossless equalization in C+L systems. The wavelength selection switch (WSS) and optical amplifier (OA) work together to release the insertion loss margin of optical cross-connect (OXC) nodes, thereby improving the performance of the 800G@C+L system.

[0119] Optionally, this application embodiment also provides an optical amplifier for transmitting optical signals in different directions. As shown in FIG11, the first fiber array 3100 of the optical amplifier module 3000 includes ports 1 and 2 as third ports 3120, ports 3 to 6 as first ports, and ports 7 and 8 as fifth ports 3130. The second fiber array 3200 includes ports 1' and 2' as fourth ports 3220, ports 3' to 6' as second ports, and ports 7' and 8' as sixth ports 3130.

[0120] Port 1 is used to input optical signals in the first direction, and port 2 is used to input optical signals in the second direction. Optionally, the optical signals in the first and second directions can be optical signals in opposite directions on the same optical communication node (e.g., a ROADM site).

[0121] The optical signal in the first direction is collimated through a folded optical path between port 1 and port 1', and then input to a folded optical path between port 3 and port 3' for the first gain flattening. It is then input to a folded optical path between port 5 and port 5' for the second gain flattening. Finally, it is input to a folded optical path between port 7 and port 7' for the output signal collimation, and then output from port 7'.

[0122] The optical signal in the second direction is collimated through a folded optical path between port 2 and port 2', and then input to a folded optical path between port 4 and port 4' for the first gain flattening. It is then input to a folded optical path between port 6 and port 6' for the second gain flattening. Finally, it is input to a folded optical path between port 8 and port 8' for output signal collimation, and output from port 8'.

[0123] The optical amplifier structure shown in Figure 11 allows for gain flattening of optical signals in multiple directions using a relatively small optical amplifier module 3000. For example, by using optical signals in opposite directions from the same optical communication node (e.g., a ROADM site) as input optical signals for port 1 and port 2, a twin structure of two signals in opposite directions can be constructed.

[0124] Because the folded optical paths used to achieve gain flattening are relatively concentrated along the x-axis in this structure, and these paths include LCOS (Liquid Crystal Optical System), this structure can maximize the reuse of LCOS and reduce costs.

[0125] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0126] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0127] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0128] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0129] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. An optical amplifier module, characterized in that, Comprising: a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM), a first fiber array, a second fiber array, a dispersion unit, a first lens and a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) chip; the first fiber array comprises a first port for inputting optical signals, and the second fiber array comprises a second port for outputting optical signals; the dispersion unit comprises a first region and a second region, the first region is used for dispersing optical signals from the first port, and the second region is used for converging optical beams with different dispersion directions to the second port; the first lens comprises a third region and a fourth region, the third region is used for converging optical signals dispersed by the dispersion unit to the LCOS chip, and the fourth region is used for converging optical signals from the LCOS chip to the second region; the LCOS chip is used for different attenuations of optical signals with different wavelengths after being dispersed by the dispersion unit; the WDM is located between the second port and the second region, and is used for combining pump light with optical signals from the second region and outputting to the second port.

2. The optical amplifier module of claim 1, wherein, The first fiber array further comprises a third port for receiving input optical signals of the optical amplifier module, and the second fiber array further comprises a fourth port for outputting optical signals, and the third port and the fourth port are used for collimating the passing optical signals; The optical amplifier module further comprises a first corner reflector and a second corner reflector; The first corner reflector is used for coupling optical signals from the third port to the second corner reflector, and the second corner reflector is used for coupling optical signals from the first corner reflector to the fourth port; The optical path from the third port to the fourth port through the first corner reflector and the second corner reflector is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the third port.

3. The optical pump module of claim 1, wherein, The first fiber array further comprises a third port for receiving input optical signals of the optical amplifier module, and the second fiber array further comprises a fourth port for outputting optical signals, and the third port and the fourth port are used for collimating the passing optical signals; The optical amplifier module further comprises a second lens and a third lens; The second lens is used for coupling optical signals from the third port to the third lens, and the third lens is used for coupling optical signals from the second lens to the fourth port; The optical path from the third port to the fourth port through the second lens and the third lens is less than or equal to the collimation distance of the third port.

4. The optical pump module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The first fiber array further comprises a fifth port for inputting optical signals, and the second fiber array further comprises a sixth port for outputting output optical signals of the optical amplifier module, and the fifth port and the sixth port are used for collimating the passing optical signals; The optical amplifier module further comprises a third corner reflector and a fourth corner reflector; The third corner reflector is used for coupling optical signals from the fifth port to the fourth corner reflector, and the fourth corner reflector is used for coupling optical signals from the third corner reflector to the sixth port; The optical path of the fifth port to the sixth port via the third corner mirror and the fourth corner mirror is less than or equal to the collimating distance of the fifth port.

5. The optical pump module of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The first optical fiber array further comprises a fifth port for inputting an optical signal, and the second optical fiber array further comprises a sixth port for outputting an output optical signal of the optical amplifier module, the fifth port and the sixth port being used for collimating the passing optical signal. The optical amplifier module further comprises a fourth lens and a fifth lens. The fourth lens is used for coupling the optical signal from the fifth port to the fifth lens, and the fifth lens is used for coupling the optical signal from the fourth lens to the sixth port. The optical path of the fifth port to the sixth port via the fourth lens and the fifth lens is less than or equal to the collimating distance of the fifth port.

6. The optical amplifier module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: In the first lens, the center of the first region is different from the geometric center of the first lens, and the center of the first region and the center of the second region are symmetrically arranged relative to the geometric center of the first lens.

7. The optical pump module of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein, Further comprising an optical isolator. The optical isolator is located between the first optical fiber array and the first region, and is used for blocking the optical signal from the first region to the first optical fiber array.

8. The optical amplifier module of claim 7, wherein, The optical isolator is also located between the third port and the first corner mirror, and is used for blocking the optical signal from the first corner mirror to the third port.

9. The optical pump module of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein, Further comprising a beam splitter. The beam splitter is located between the first optical fiber array and the first region, and is used for separating the detection light from the optical signal from the first optical fiber array.

10. The optical amplifier module of claim 9, wherein, The beam splitter is also located between the third port and the first corner mirror.

11. The optical pump module of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The first optical fiber array and the second optical fiber array are parallel to each other, and the plurality of ports of the first optical fiber array and the plurality of ports of the second optical fiber array are arranged along a target direction. The plurality of ports of the first optical fiber array and the plurality of ports of the second optical fiber array correspond to each other one by one, and the corresponding ports are located at the same height in the target direction. The input optical signal of the port at the first height in the first optical fiber array is output from the port at the first height in the second optical fiber array after passing through the optical amplifier module.

12. The optical pump module of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, The dispersion unit is at least one of a grating, a prism, and an echelle.

13. An optical amplifier, characterized by, The optical amplifier module according to any one of claims 1 to 12, and at least one doped optical fiber, the at least one doped optical fiber being used for connecting the first optical fiber array and the second optical fiber array.

14. The optical amplifier of claim 13, wherein, Any doped optical fiber of the at least one doped optical fiber is used for connecting the ports at different heights in the first optical fiber array and the second optical fiber array in the optical amplifier module.

15. The optical amplifier of claim 14, wherein, The at least one doped optical fiber comprises a first doped optical fiber and a second doped optical fiber, the first doped optical fiber and the second doped optical fiber being used for transmitting different optical signals.

16. An optical communications network comprising: The optical amplifier according to any one of claims 13 to 15.

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