Optical apparatus which uses a virtually imaged phased array to produce chromatic dispersion
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator receiving an input light at a respective wavelength and producing a corresponding collimated output light traveling from the VIPA generator in a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light; and
a reflecting surface reflecting the output light back to the VIPA generator, the reflecting surface having different curvatures at different positions along a direction perpendicular to a plane which includes the traveling directions of collimated output light from the VIPA generator for input light at different wavelengths, curvature c(y) of the reflecting surface being as follows;
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Accused Products
Abstract
An optical apparatus for producing chromatic dispersion. The apparatus includes a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator, a mirror and a lens. The VIPA generator receives an input light at a respective wavelength and produces a corresponding collimated output light traveling from the VIPA generator in a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light, the output light thereby being spatially distinguishable from an output light produced for an input light at a different wavelength. The mirror has a cone shape, or a modified cone shape. The lens focuses the output light traveling from the VIPA generator onto the mirror so that the mirror reflects the output light. The reflected light is directed by the lens back to the VIPA generator. In this manner, the apparatus provides chromatic dispersion to the input light. The modified cone shape of the mirror can be designed so that the apparatus provides a uniform chromatic dispersion to light in the same channel of a wavelength division multiplexed light.
6 Citations
85 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator receiving an input light at a respective wavelength and producing a corresponding collimated output light traveling from the VIPA generator in a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light; and
a reflecting surface reflecting the output light back to the VIPA generator, the reflecting surface having different curvatures at different positions along a direction perpendicular to a plane which includes the traveling directions of collimated output light from the VIPA generator for input light at different wavelengths, curvature c(y) of the reflecting surface being as follows;
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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19. An apparatus comprising:
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a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator receiving an input light at a respective wavelength and producing a corresponding collimated output light traveling from the VIPA generator in a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light, the output light thereby being spatially distinguishable from an output light produced for an input light at a different wavelength;
reflecting surface having a cone or modified cone shape; and
a lens or mirror focusing the output light traveling from the VIPA generator onto the reflecting surface so that the reflecting surface reflects the output light, the reflected light being directed by the said lens or mirror back to the VIPA generator, curvature c(y) of the reflecting surface being as follows;
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36. An apparatus comprising:
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an angular dispersive component having a passage area to receive light into, and to output light from, the angular dispersive component, the angular dispersive component receiving, through the passage area, an input light having a respective wavelength within a continuous range of wavelengths, and causing multiple reflection of the input light to produce self-interference that forms a collimated output light which travels from the angular dispersive component along a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light and is thereby spatially distinguishable from an output light formed for an input light having any other wavelength within the continuous range of wavelengths; and
a reflecting surface reflecting the output light back to the angular dispersive component to undergo multiple reflection in the angular dispersive component and then be output from the passage area, the reflecting surface having different curvatures at different positions along a direction which is perpendicular to a plane which includes the travel direction of collimated output light from the angular dispersive component for input light at different wavelengths, curvature c(y) of the reflecting surface being as follows;
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50. An apparatus comprising:
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an angular dispersive component having a passage area to receive light into, and to output light from, the angular dispersive component, the angular dispersive component receiving, through the passage area, a line focused input light and causing multiple reflection of the input light to produce self-interference that forms a collimated output light which travels from the angular dispersive component along a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light and is thereby spatially distinguishable from an output light formed for an input light having a different wavelength; and
a reflecting surface reflecting the output light back to the angular dispersive component to undergo multiple reflection in the angular dispersive component and then be output from the passage area, the reflecting surface having different curvatures at different positions along a direction which is perpendicular to a plane which includes the travel direction of collimated output light from the angular dispersive component for input light at different wavelengths, curvature c(y) of the reflecting surface being as follows;
- View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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64. An apparatus comprising:
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a radiation window;
first and second reflecting surfaces, the first reflecting surface allowing substantially no light to be transmitted therethrough and being in the same plane as the radiation window, the second reflecting surface having a reflectivity which causes a portion of light incident thereon to be transmitted therethrough, where an input light at a respective wavelength travels through the radiation window and is focused into a line, and the first and second reflecting surfaces are positioned so that the input light radiates from the line to be reflected a plurality of times between the first and second reflecting surfaces and thereby cause a plurality of lights to be transmitted through the second reflecting surface, the plurality of transmitted lights interfering with each other to produce a collimated output light which travels from the second reflecting surface along a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light, and is thereby specially distinguishable from an output light formed for an input light having a different wavelength; and
a mirror surface reflecting the output light back to the second reflecting surface to pass through the second reflecting surface and undergo multiple reflection between the first and second reflecting surfaces, the mirror surface having different curvatures at different positions along-a direction which is perpendicular to a plane which includes the travel direction of collimated output light from the second reflecting surface for input light at different wavelengths, curvature c(y) of the mirror surface being as follows;
- View Dependent Claims (65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 80, 81, 82)
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78. An apparatus comprising:
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a radiation window;
first and second reflecting surfaces, the first surface being in the same plane as the radiation window and allowing substantially no light to be transmitted therethrough, the second reflecting surface having a reflectivity which causes a portion of light incident thereon to be transmitted therethrough;
means for causing an input light at a respective wavelength traveling through the radiation window and then focused into a line to radiate from the line to be reflected a plurality of times between the first and second reflecting surfaces and thereby cause a plurality of lights to be transmitted through the second reflecting surface, the plurality of transmitted lights interfering with each other to produce a collimated output light traveling from the second reflecting surface in a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light, and thereby being spatially distinguishable from an output light produced for an input light at a different wavelength;
a mirror surface having a cone or modified cone shape; and
a lens or mirror focusing the output light traveling from the second reflecting surface onto the mirror surface so that the mirror surface reflects the output light, the reflected light being directed by said lens or mirror back to the second reflecting surface, curvature c(y) of the mirror surface being as follows;
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79. An apparatus comprising:
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a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator receiving a line focused wavelength division multiplexed light including light at first and second wavelengths, and producing collimated first and second output lights corresponding, respectively, to the first and second wavelengths, the first and second output lights traveling from the VIPA generator in first and second directions, respectively, determined by the first and second wavelengths, respectively;
a lens or light directing mirror focusing the first and second output lights traveling from the VIPA generator;
first and second mirrors each having a cone shape or a modified cone shape for producing a uniform chromatic dispersion; and
a wavelength filter filtering light focused by said lens or light directing mirror so that light at the first wavelength is focused to the first mirror and reflected by the first mirror, and light at the second wavelength is focused to the second mirror and reflected by the second mirror, the reflected first and second lights being directed by the wavelength filter and said lens or light directing mirror back to the VIPA generator, curvature c(y) of each of the first and second mirrors being as follows;
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83. An apparatus comprising:
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a radiation window;
first and second reflecting surfaces, the first reflecting surface allowing substantially no light to be transmitted therethrough and being in the same plane as the radiation window, the second reflecting surface having a reflectivity which causes a portion of light incident thereon to be transmitted therethrough, where a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) light including light at first and second wavelengths travels through the radiation window and is then focused into a line, and the first and second reflecting surfaces are positioned so that the WDM light radiates from the line to be reflected a plurality of times between the first and second reflecting surfaces and thereby cause a plurality of lights to be transmitted through the second reflecting surface, the plurality of transmitted lights interfering with each other to produce collimated first and second output lights corresponding, respectively, to the first and second wavelengths, the first and second output lights traveling from the second reflecting surface in first and second directions, respectively, determined by the first and second wavelengths, respectively;
a lens or light directing mirror focusing the first and second output lights traveling from the second reflecting surface;
first and second mirrors each having a cone shape or a modified cone shape for producing a uniform chromatic dispersion; and
a wavelength filter filtering light focused by said lens or light directing mirror so that light at the first wavelength is focused to the first mirror and reflected by the first mirror, and light at the second wavelength is focused to the second mirror and reflected by the second mirror, the reflected first and second lights being directed by the wavelength filter and said lens or light directing mirror back to the second reflecting surface to pass through the second reflecting surface and undergo multiple reflection between the first and second surfaces, curvature c(y) of each of the first and second mirrors being as follows;
- View Dependent Claims (84)
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85. A communication system comprising:
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an optical transmission line;
a transmitter transmitting an optical signal through the transmission line;
a receiver receiving optical signal from the transmission line; and
a compensation device operatively connected in one of the group consisting of the transmitter, the receiver and the transmission line, to provide dispersion slope or higher order dispersion to the optical signal, the compensation device comprising a radiation window having substantially no reflectivity, first and second reflecting surfaces, the first reflecting surface allowing substantially no light to be transmitted therethrough and being in the same plane as the radiation window, the second reflecting surface having a reflectivity which causes a portion of light incident thereon to be transmitted therethrough, where the optical signal travels through the radiation window and is focused into a line as a line focused input light to the compensation device, and the first and second reflecting surfaces are positioned so that the input light radiates from the line to be reflected a plurality of times between the first and second reflecting surfaces and thereby cause a plurality of lights to be transmitted through the second reflecting surface, the plurality of transmitted lights interfering with each other to produce a collimated output light which travels from the second reflecting surface along a direction determined by a wavelength of the input light, and is thereby specially distinguishable from an output light formed for an input light having a different wavelength, and a mirror reflecting output the light back to the second reflecting surface to pass through the second reflecting surface and undergo multiple reflection between the first and second reflecting surfaces, the mirror having different curvatures at different positions along a direction which is perpendicular to a plane which includes the travel direction of collimated output light from the second reflecting surface for input light at different wavelengths, curvature c(y) of the mirror being as follows;
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Specification