Patent ID: 7054343

Claim:
A method of compensating a plurality of laser diodes, the method comprising the steps of: detecting and storing a plurality of user-defined values, the plurality of user defined values including a range of temperatures, a plurality of temperatures in the range, a range of average optical power, and a range of extinction ratios; determining a first maximum bias current and a first minimum bias current for each temperature in the range of temperatures using an average optical power from the range of average optical powers and an extinction ratio from the range of extinction ratios; determining a second minimum bias current for each temperature that depends on whether the first minimum bias current at a temperature is less than a low current at the temperature; defining the second minimum current to be equal to the low current when the first minimum current at a temperature is less than the low current at the temperature; defining the second minimum current to be equal to the first minimum current when the first minimum current is equal to or greater than the low current; and determining a second maximum bias current for each temperature that depends on whether the value (IMAX1−IMH)/(IMIN2−ITH) is greater than or equal to the current extinction ratio, where IMAX1 represents the first maximum bias current, ITH represents a threshold current, and IMIN2 represents the second minimum bias current.