US 12,322,926 B2
Tunable laser assembly
Peter J. S. Heim, Washington, DC (US); John Hryniewicz, Columbia, MD (US); Jacob Mertz, Elkridge, MD (US); and Jianfei Wang, Potomac, MD (US)
Assigned to Thorlabs Quantum Electronics, Inc., Jessup, MD (US)
Filed by Thorlabs Quantum Electronics, Inc., Jessup, MD (US)
Filed on Mar. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/195,780.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/989,007, filed on Mar. 13, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/987,102, filed on Mar. 9, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0281046 A1, Sep. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. H01S 5/0683 (2006.01); G01B 9/02004 (2022.01); G01B 9/02091 (2022.01); H01S 3/13 (2006.01); H01S 5/00 (2006.01); H01S 5/02251 (2021.01); H01S 5/02253 (2021.01); H01S 5/024 (2006.01); H01S 5/026 (2006.01); H01S 5/14 (2006.01); H01S 5/183 (2006.01)
CPC H01S 5/0683 (2013.01) [G01B 9/02004 (2013.01); G01B 9/02091 (2013.01); H01S 3/1305 (2013.01); H01S 5/0064 (2013.01); H01S 5/02251 (2021.01); H01S 5/02253 (2021.01); H01S 5/02415 (2013.01); H01S 5/026 (2013.01); H01S 5/06835 (2013.01); H01S 5/142 (2013.01); H01S 5/18361 (2013.01)] 35 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tunable laser assembly comprising:
a tunable semiconductor laser emitting tunable laser radiation that sweeps over a range of wavelengths at a sweep rate;
a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA);
at least one photodetector; and
a planar lightwave circuit (PLC);
wherein the tunable semiconductor laser, the SOA, and the at least one photodetector are aligned to optical waveguides on the PLC, and
wherein the PLC contains a wavelength monitoring circuit (WMC) that provides signal pulses to the at least one photodetector that enable control at least one of the absolute wavelength and width of the tuning range of said tunable laser radiation by observing the timing and number of the pulses as the tunable semiconductor laser sweeps across the wavelength range.