Optical modulator

Abstract

An optical modulator includes a first coupler that branches an input light into two and outputs a first output light and a second output light; a first Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) that modulates the intensity of the first output light from the first coupler and outputs a third output light; a second MZI that modulates the intensity of the second output light from the first coupler and outputs a fourth output light; a second coupler that combines the third output light from the first MZI and the fourth output light from the second MZI, branches a combined light into two, and outputs a fifth output light and a sixth output light. The interaction length of a branch of the first coupler and that of the second coupler are set such that the wavelength dependence of the splitting ratio of the first coupler is inversely related to that of the second coupler.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An optical modulator comprising:
 a first coupler that branches an input light into two and outputs a first output light and a second output light;   a first Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) that modulates the intensity of the first output light from the first coupler and outputs a third output light;   a second MZI that modulates the intensity of the second output light from the first coupler and outputs a fourth output light;   a second coupler that combines the third output light from the first MZI and the fourth output light from the second MZI, branches a combined light into two, and outputs a fifth output light and a sixth output light, wherein   the interaction length of a branch of the first coupler and the interaction length of a branch of the second coupler are set such that the wavelength dependence of the splitting ratio of the first coupler is inversely related to the wavelength dependence of the splitting ratio of the second coupler.   
     
     
         2 . An optical modulator comprising:
 a first coupler that branches an input light into two and outputs a first output light and a second output light;   a first Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) that modulates the intensity of the first output light from the first coupler and outputs a third output light;   a second MZI that modulates the intensity of the second output light from the first coupler and outputs a fourth output light;   a second coupler that combines the third output light from the first MZI and the fourth output light from the second MZI, branches a combined light into two, and outputs a fifth output light and a sixth output light, wherein   the width of a branch of the first coupler and the width of a branch of the second coupler are set such that the wavelength dependence of the splitting ratio of the first coupler is inversely related to the wavelength dependence of the splitting ratio of the second coupler.   
     
     
         3 . An optical modulator comprising:
 a first coupler that branches an input light into two and outputs a first output light and a second output light;   a first Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) that modulates the intensity of the first output light from the first coupler and outputs a third output light;   a second MZI that modulates the intensity of the second output light from the first coupler and outputs a fourth output light;   a second coupler that combines the third output light from the first MZI and the fourth output light from the second MZI, branches a combined light into two, and outputs a fifth output light and a sixth output light, wherein   each of the first coupler and the second coupler has two crossing optical waveguides, and   the angle made by the two optical waveguides of the first coupler and the angle made by the two optical waveguides of the second coupler are set such that the wavelength dependence of the splitting ratio of the first coupler is inversely related to the wavelength dependence of the splitting ratio of the second coupler.   
     
     
         4 . The optical modulator according to  claim 1 , wherein
 parallel portions of optical waveguides of the first MZI form a MZI,   parallel portions of optical waveguides of the second MZI form a MZI, and   the input light is subjected to quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).   
     
     
         5 . The optical modulator according to  claim 1 , wherein the first coupler, the second coupler, the first MZI, and the second MZI are formed on the same substrate of electro-optical crystal. 
     
     
         6 . The optical modulator according to  claim 5 , wherein the electro-optical crystal is LiNbO 3  crystal. 
     
     
         7 . The optical modulator according to  claim 5 , wherein the electro-optical crystal is LiTaO 2  crystal.