Patent 10153612 was granted and assigned to Google on December, 2018 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A method includes receiving a mode control signal indicative of a current-mode or a voltage-mode. When the mode control signal is indicative of the voltage-mode, the method includes connecting a voltage-mode bias sub-circuit to an anode of a reflector-section diode and applying an adjustable bias voltage to bias a diode voltage at the anode of the reflector-section diode. The reflector-section diode is disposed on a shared substrate of a tunable laser. When the mode control signal is indicative of the current-mode, the method includes connecting a current-mode bias sub-circuit to the anode of the reflector-section diode and delivering an adjustable bias current to the anode of the reflector-section diode.