Re-configurable wavelength and dispersion selective device

• US 20020176658A1
• Filed: 10/15/2001
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: John Prohaska
• Original Assignee: John Prohaska
• Inventors: Prohaska, John
• Application Number:
  US09/976,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20020176658A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/24
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29313 characterised by means for controlling the position or direction of light incident to or leaving the diffractive element, e.g. for varying the wavelength response switching G02B6/35
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2932 comprising a directional router, e.g. directional coupler, circulator
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29394 Compensating wavelength dispersion G02B6/29376 takes precedence; dispersion compensated optical transmission systems H04B10/2507
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29395 configurable, e.g. tunable or reconfigurable switching G02B6/35
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3512 the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror
• 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

Abstract

A re-configurable wavelength selective device, also referred to as a reconfigurable wavelength drop device, has an input fiber, where a signal comprising multiple wavelengths λ₁, λ₂ . . . λ_n is brought into the device, and two output fibers, one for a selected wavelength λ₁ and the other for the remaining wavelengths λ₁, λ₂ . . . λ₁₋₁, λ_i+1 . . . λ_n which pass through the device unaffected. The wavelength λ_i is selected by a control signal, for example an electrical signal, applied to the device. The reconfigurable wavelength drop device also enables selecting among a large number of wavelength channels within a relatively short switching time. In a preferred embodiment, the re-configurable wavelength drop device enables selecting among in excess of a thousand wavelength channels in a switching time of less than or equal to 10 msec.

Claims

1. A re-configurable wavelength selective device comprising:

an input fiber, where a signal comprising multiple wavelengths λ

₁,λ

₂ . . . λ

_n is brought into the device, and

two output fibers, one for a selected wavelength λ

₁ and the other for the remaining wavelengths λ

₁,λ

₂ . . . λ

<sub>1−

1</sub>,λ

_i+1 . . . λ

_n which pass through the device unaffected;

wherein the wavelength λ

_i is selected by a control signal applied to the device.

2. A re-configurable wavelength selective device comprising:

a MEMS cross-connect switch, comprising a plurality of input port fibers, at least one array of micro-mirror actuators, and an array of output fibers, said cross-connect switch configured so that an optical signal received from any one of the input fibers may be directed to any one of the output fibers via the micro-mirror array;

an optical circulator having a first port, a second port and a third port, wherein light entering the first port exits the second port, light entering the second port exits the third port, and light entering the third port exists the first port.

a fiber optic coupler configured to combine all of the cross-connect switch output branches so that unselected wavelength channels exit the re-configurable wavelength drop through a single fiber port, and

a plurality of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) configured to provide narrow band spectral filtering by retro-reflecting the Bragg wavelength.