In an asynchronous optical modulation system, a drive circuit may generate a plurality of dither tones in accordance with a predetermined dither frequency ratio. Based on the components of the dither frequency ratio, the optical modulation system may be configured to determine a feedback signal magnitude component that is independent of the delay and a feedback signal sign component that is also independent of the delay . A feedback signal that is independent of the delay can then be reconstructed based on the feedback signal magnitude component and the feedback signal sign component.

An optical transmission apparatus includes an optical transmitter including an optical modulator and an observation optical modulator that attenuate optical power of input continuous wave light by an electro-absorption effect and output the light. The optical modulator performs pulse amplitude modulation on the continuous wave light and outputs the optical signal. The apparatus also includes: a bias voltage generation unit that generates a direct-current bias voltage and outputs the direct-current bias voltage to the optical modulator and the observation optical modulator; a modulation signal generation unit that generates an electrical signal for pulse amplitude modulation and outputs the electrical signal to the optical modulator; and a bias voltage control unit that instructs the bias voltage generation unit to adjust the direct-current bias voltage on the basis of an absorption amount of optical power in the optical modulator and an absorption amount of optical power in the observation optical modulator.

An optoelectronic device for quadrature-amplitude modulation (QAM) and a method of modulating light according to the same. The device comprising: an input waveguide; two intermediate waveguides, each coupled to the input waveguide via an input coupler; and an output waveguide, coupled to each of the intermediate waveguides via an output coupler; wherein each intermediate waveguide includes a modulating component connected in series with a phase shifting component, and each modulating component is connected to a respective electronic driver, the electronic drivers together being operable to produce a QAM-N modulated output from light entering the device from the input waveguide.

A Mach-Zehnder optical modulator includes: a Mach-Zehnder interferometer that includes first and second arms formed on a silicon substrate, and a controller that controls bias current of the first and second arms. The controller controls the bias current of the first and second arms respectively to be a first offset value. The controller repeatedly executes a current adjustment process to increase the bias current of the first arm until a gradient of a phase shift amount of the first arm with respect to the bias current of the first arm reaches a target value. The controller controls the bias current of the second arm to be a second offset value that is smaller than the first offset value. The controller repeatedly performs the current adjustment process to increase the bias current of the first arm until a phase difference of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer reaches a target phase difference.

An optical transmitter includes optical modulation means for modulating a laser beam with a driving signal and outputting an optical signal; monitor means for detecting a part of the optical signal and outputting a monitor signal; bias voltage applying means for applying, to the optical modulation means, a bias voltage on which a dither signal is superimposed; average optical intensity detection means for detecting an average optical intensity of the optical signal from the monitor signal; top dither signal detection means for detecting, from the monitor signal, a top dither signal that is superimposed on a waveform with maximum optical intensity included in the optical signal; and bias voltage control means for controlling the bias voltage based on the average optical intensity and the top dither signal.

A drive unit outputs a modulation signal based on a data signal input from an optical communication apparatus through a pluggable electric connector. An optical modulator outputs an optical signal generated by modulating a light output from a light source based on the modulation signal. A control unit controls a modulation operation of the optical modulator. The control unit outputs a driver signal instructing to start a setting operation to the optical communication apparatus. The optical communication apparatus monitors the modulation operation of the optical modulator in response to the driver signal and performs an operation of correcting the data signal and/or an operation of outputting a control signal representing a control setting for the modulation operation to the control unit based on a monitoring result. The control unit controls the modulation operation of the optical modulator based on the control signal when receiving the control signal.

A method and apparatus estimating direct current bias of an optical modulator and a receiver. The method includes: performing signal processing to obtain a phase noise compensated signal, extracting a receiving signal component based on the phase noise compensated signal, removing the receiving signal component from the phase noise compensated signal, and calculating a received signal power based on the signal with the receiving signal component being removed. The method includes calculating a direct current bias of the optical modulator based on the receiving signal component, the received signal power and a drive signal power of the optical modulator.

A system is configured to determine a first power level of a first signal output from a first modulator, and determine a second power level of a second signal output from a second modulator. The first signal may include a first optical signal associated with a particular polarization orientation, and the second signal may include a second optical signal associated with the particular polarization orientation. The system is configured to determine a relationship between the first power level and the second power level, and to set, based on the relationship between the first power level and the second power level, a reverse bias voltage associated with the first modulator, where the reverse bias voltage may be used to control the first power level of the first signal.

A bias control apparatus and method of a modulator of an optical transmitter and an optical transmitter, in which by performing mutual interference on driving signals of two Mach-Zehnder modulators constituting the modulator of the optical transmitter, output optical fields of the two Mach-Zehnder modulators are correlated. Hence, an output power signal of the modulator of the optical transmitter contains information on phase bias. Thus, the phase bias may be controlled by using the output power signal, sensitivity of the bias control may be efficiently improved, and various types of modulation formats may be applied.

There is provided an optical communication system comprising: a transmitter comprising: a modulator configured to output a digital signal representing information to be transmitted; a biaser configured to output a bias level; a drive level controller configured to output a control signal; a switch electrically connected to the modulator, wherein the switch receives the digital signal and a reference voltage set by the control signal; and at least one light emitting diode (LED) electrically connected to the switch and the biaser. The LED is configured to emit light and pulse at varying power levels between the bias level and the reference voltage. The system further comprises a receiver comprising: a detector configured to receive light emitted by the LED and output a detected signal; and a demodulator configured to receive the detected signal and output demodulated information.