Optical communications system employing fiber-optic amplifiers and control of the transmitter wavelength

U.S. Patent Number: 5333089

Abstract: An optical communications system includes an optical transmitter equipped with a semiconductor laser for generating a light signal and a light waveguide path for transmitting the generated light signal to an optical receiver in whose light waveguide path at least one fiber-optic amplifier is included. The fiber-optic amplifier is equipped with an amplifying light waveguide piece. The optical transmitter includes a control device having a reference waveguide piece, which regulates an emission wavelength of the semiconductor laser in dependence on absorption of the light signal in the reference light waveguide piece. The reference waveguide piece has a maximum in absorption at a wavelength at which the amplifying light waveguide piece of the at least one fiber-optic amplifier has a maximum in emission.

Inventors: Heidemann; Rolf (Tamm, DE)

Assignee: ALCATEL N.V. (Amsterdam, NL)

Application Number: 08/020,084

Issued: 1994-07-26

Expired: 2006-07-26

Classes: 359/341.4 ; 398/157

Field of search: 359/154,160,179,187,188,341

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