METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMPLEMENTING OPTICAL DEFLECTION SWITCHING USING COUPLED RESONATORS

• US 20090304327A1
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Xia, Fengnian, Green, William M., Vlasov, Yurii
• Granted Patent: US 8,139,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/16
• 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 6/3596 With planar waveguide arrangement, i.e. in a substrate, regardless if actuating mechanism is outside the substrate

Abstract

A method of implementing optical deflection switching includes directing a tuning operation at a specific region of coupled optical resonators coupled to an input port, a first output port and a second output port, the coupled optical resonator including a plurality of cascaded unit cells; wherein the tuning operation interrupts a resonant coupling between one or more of the unit cells of the coupled resonators so as to cause an input optical signal from the input port to be directed from the first output port to the second output port.

Claims

1. A method of implementing optical deflection switching, the method comprising:

directing a tuning operation at a specific region of a coupled optical resonator, the coupled optical resonator coupled to an input port, a first output port and a second output port, and the coupled optical resonator including a plurality of cascaded unit cells;

wherein the tuning operation interrupts a resonant coupling between one or more of the unit cells of the coupled resonator so as to cause an input optical signal from the input port to be directed from the first output port to the second output port.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tuning operation causes a change in effective index of refraction of the region of the coupled optical resonator so as to interrupt the resonant coupling between one or more of the unit cells.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising removing the tuning operation so as to restore the resonant coupling between the one or more of the unit cells and cause the input optical signal from the input port to be directed from the second output port back to the first output port.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupled optical resonator comprises a ring-shaped geometry.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the coupled optical resonator is formed on an integrated circuit substrate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tuning operation is selected to produce one or more of thermal effects, electrooptic effects, and carrier injection within the region of the coupled optical resonator.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the tuning operation comprises carriers supplied from one of a PIN diode and photons from a laser source.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific region comprises a single one of the unit cells of the coupled optical resonator.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the specific region comprises a coupling junction between a pair of adjacent unit cells.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the input optical signal comprises a plurality of passbands.

11. An optical deflection switch apparatus, comprising:

a coupled optical resonator formed on an integrated circuit substrate, the coupled optical resonator including a plurality of cascaded unit cells;

an input port, a first output port and a second output port coupled to the coupled optical resonator; and

a tuning mechanism configured to direct a tuning operation at a specific region of the coupled optical resonator, wherein the tuning operation interrupts a resonant coupling between one or more of the unit cells of the coupled resonator so as to cause an input optical signal from the input port to be directed from the first output port to the second output port.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the tuning operation causes a change in effective index of refraction of the region of the coupled optical resonator so as to interrupt the resonant coupling between one or more of the unit cells.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein removal of the tuning operation so as to restore the resonant coupling between the one or more of the unit cells and cause the input optical signal from the input port to be directed from the second output port back to the first output port.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the coupled optical resonator comprises a ring-shaped geometry.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the tuning mechanism is formed on the integrated circuit substrate.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the tuning mechanism comprises a PIN diode.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the tuning mechanism comprises a laser source.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the specific region comprises a single one of the unit cells of the coupled optical resonator.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the specific region comprises a coupling junction between a pair of adjacent unit cells.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the input optical signal comprises a plurality of passbands.