Patent ID: 7412174

Claim:
A method of manufacturing an optical transmitter including a laser for producing a modulated optical signal coupled to and transmitted through an optical fiber, wherein the laser has a temperature dependent optical signal distortion characteristic at its output, such characteristic having a minimum in the operating temperature range between a first predetermined temperature and a second higher predetermined temperature, such temperatures being defined by the laser generating optical radiation at a different mode when operated at temperatures below said first temperature and above said second temperature, comprising: assembling a laser device on a module including a temperature sensor and a temperature controller; scanning the temperature controller through the operating temperature range; directly measuring a quantity or a parameter of the modulated optical signal within a distortion analyzer at a plurality of temperatures within the operating temperature range; determining the distortion of the modulated optical signal from the measured quantity or parameter within the distortion analyzer at the respective plurality of temperatures across the scanned range of temperatures; determining the optimum operating temperature of the laser to minimize the distortion at a temperature between the first and the second temperatures; and selectively adjusting the temperature controller so as to operate the laser at said optimum temperature.