Optical structures distributed among multiple optical waveguides
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- receiving into an optical element an input optical signal via a first optical port; and
transmitting a back-diffracted portion of the input optical signal out of the optical element via a second optical port, wherein;
the optical element has formed therein at least one set of diffractive elements and at least two channel optical waveguides, each channel optical waveguide having a corresponding first end and substantially confining in two transverse spatial dimensions an optical signal propagating therein;
diffractive elements of each set of diffractive elements are distributed among diffractive element subsets corresponding to each of at least two of the channel waveguides;
each diffractive element set routes, between a corresponding pair of optical ports, those corresponding portions of an optical signal propagating within the optical element that are received by at least two of the channel waveguides and back-diffracted within the receiving channel waveguides by corresponding diffractive element subsets;
the channel optical waveguides are arranged so that an optical signal entering the optical element at an input optical port first propagates through a region of the optical element between the input optical port and the first ends of the channel waveguides and is then incident on and received at least in part by the corresponding first ends of at least two of the channel optical waveguides;
the channel optical waveguides are arranged so that the corresponding routed portions of optical signal exiting the optical element at an output optical port first propagate through a region of the optical element between the first ends of the channel waveguides and the output optical port; and
the back-diffracted portion of the input optical signal is routed by a corresponding set of the diffractive elements between the first and second optical ports.
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Abstract
An optical apparatus comprises an optical element having at least one set of diffractive elements and multiple channel optical waveguides. Diffractive elements of each set are distributed among diffractive element subsets corresponding to each of the multiple channel waveguides. Each diffractive element set routes, between a corresponding pair of optical ports, those corresponding portions of an optical signal propagating within the optical element that are received by multiple channel waveguides and back-diffracted within the receiving channel waveguides by corresponding diffractive element subsets. The channel optical waveguides are arranged so that optical signals propagate through regions of the optical element between the ports and the first ends of the channel waveguides. Relative spatial arrangement of the first ends of the channel waveguides and corresponding relative phase shifts imparted in the channel waveguides define at least in part a relative spatial arrangement of the corresponding pair of optical ports.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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receiving into an optical element an input optical signal via a first optical port; and
transmitting a back-diffracted portion of the input optical signal out of the optical element via a second optical port, wherein;
the optical element has formed therein at least one set of diffractive elements and at least two channel optical waveguides, each channel optical waveguide having a corresponding first end and substantially confining in two transverse spatial dimensions an optical signal propagating therein;
diffractive elements of each set of diffractive elements are distributed among diffractive element subsets corresponding to each of at least two of the channel waveguides;
each diffractive element set routes, between a corresponding pair of optical ports, those corresponding portions of an optical signal propagating within the optical element that are received by at least two of the channel waveguides and back-diffracted within the receiving channel waveguides by corresponding diffractive element subsets;
the channel optical waveguides are arranged so that an optical signal entering the optical element at an input optical port first propagates through a region of the optical element between the input optical port and the first ends of the channel waveguides and is then incident on and received at least in part by the corresponding first ends of at least two of the channel optical waveguides;
the channel optical waveguides are arranged so that the corresponding routed portions of optical signal exiting the optical element at an output optical port first propagate through a region of the optical element between the first ends of the channel waveguides and the output optical port; and
the back-diffracted portion of the input optical signal is routed by a corresponding set of the diffractive elements between the first and second optical ports. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification