WDM router

• US 10,425,706 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2011
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Krug, William P., Hager, Harold, Hamilton, Michael C., Scherer, Axel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Application Number:
  US13/031,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20120251107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,138 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1225 comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3528 the optical element being a prism
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/356 in an optical cross-connect device, e.g. routing and switching aspects of interconnecting different paths propagating different wavelengths to (re)configure the various input and output links switching polarized beams G02B6/3594; power equalizers G02B6/356 and G02B6/3594; path selecting means H04Q11/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/02 Wavelength-division multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0226 Fixed carrier allocation, e.g. according to service
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0247 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0252 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs, e.g. for transmissions from-ONU-to-OLT or from-ONU-to-ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0282 WDM tree architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0305 in end terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0016 using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0035 using miscellaneous components, e.g. circulator, polarisation, acousto/thermo optical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/907 Synchronous optical network, SONET

Abstract

The present invention provides a mixed analog and digital chip-scale reconfigurable WDM network. The network suitably includes a router that enables rapidly configurable wavelength selective routers of fiber optic data. The router suitably incorporates photonic wavelength selective optical add/drop filters and multiplexers.

Claims

1. A WDM router comprising:

a programmable wavelength filter resonator disposed on a single semiconductor chip for changing paths of different wavelength channels of light, the resonator including dynamically programmable wavelength filter photonic crystal resonator components; and

a device disposed on the single semiconductor chip for cross-connecting selected wavelengths of light output by the programmable wavelength filter resonator to selected outputs of the router.

2. The WDM router of claim 1, wherein the resonator components include a tunable wavelength filter photonic crystal;

wherein the photonic crystal includes defects made of electro-optic polymers; and

wherein index of refraction of a defect is changed by subjecting the electro-optical polymer to an electrical voltage, whereby the wavelength filter resonator is dynamically programmable.

3. The WDM router of claim 2, wherein the wavelength filter resonator includes a photonic crystal resonator having tuned wavelength filter resonant cavities in optically thin slabs.

4. The WDM router of claim 1, wherein the wavelength filter photonic crystal resonator components are wavelength tunable by changing index of photonic crystal defect to change effective cavity length.

5. The WDM router of claim 1, wherein the cross-connect device includes a passive superprism.

6. A WDM router comprising:

a programmable wavelength filter resonator for changing paths of different wavelength channels of light, the resonator including a Q-tunable active layer on top of a passive ring waveguide; and

a device for cross-connecting selected wavelengths output by the programmable wavelength filter resonator to selected outputs of the router.

7. The WDM router of claim 6, wherein an evanescent optical field of the passive ring waveguide overlaps the active layer.

8. A WDM router comprising a chip, the chip including a programmable wavelength filter resonator for changing paths of different wavelength channels of light, and a device for cross-connecting selected wavelengths to selected outputs, the resonator including at least one of dynamically programmable wavelength filter photonic crystal resonator components and dynamically programmable wavelength filter ring resonator components including Q-tunable optically active layers on top of passive ring waveguides.