Wavelength Selective Switch

• US 20120236216A1
• Filed: 03/13/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Finisar Corporation (II-VI Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cohen, Gil, Sharma, Manish
• Granted Patent: US 8,854,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/02 for controlling the intensity of light G02B26/004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3512 the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3542 Non-blocking switch, e.g. with multiple potential paths between multiple inputs and outputs, the establishment of one switching path not preventing the establishment of further switching paths
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3556 NxM switch, i.e. regular arrays of switches elements of matrix type constellation
• 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

An optical switching device has multiple input ports and multiple output ports and is capable of switching a wavelength component from any of the input ports to any of the output ports. The optical switching device is configured with beam steering arrays that are controlled to provide the switching from any of the input ports to any of the output ports. The beam steering arrays may be microelectromechanical (MEMS) mirror arrays or liquid-crystal on silicon (LCOS) panels. In addition, an array of beam-polarizing liquid-crystal elements provides wavelength-independent attenuation.

Claims

1. An optical device having multiple input and output ports, comprising:

a light diffracting element positioned in an optical path of optical signals transmitted through the input ports to separate the optical signals into wavelength components; and

first and second arrays of independently controlled beam steering elements, each beam steering element of the first array being independently controlled to direct one of the wavelength components to a selected one of the beam steering elements of the second array, each beam steering element of the second array being independently controlled to direct the wavelength component incident thereon to a selected one of the output ports.

2. The optical device of claim 1, further comprising:

a light combining element positioned between the second array of independently controlled beam steering elements and the output ports to combine the wavelength components directed by the beam steering elements of the second array to produce a plurality of output optical signals, each of which is transmitted through one of the output ports.

3. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the optical signals include a first optical signal transmitted through a first input port and a second optical signal transmitted through a second input port, and a wavelength component of the first optical signal and a wavelength component of the second optical signal is combined at the light combining element to produce one of the output optical signals.

4. The optical device of claim 1, wherein the wavelength components of one of the optical signals transmitted through the input ports include a first wavelength component and a second wavelength component, and the first wavelength component and the second wavelength component are transmitted through different output ports.

5. The optical device of claim 1, wherein beam steering elements of at least one of the first and second arrays comprise reflective beam steering elements.

6. The optical device of claim 5, wherein the beam steering elements comprise microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) mirrors.

7. The optical device of claim 5, wherein the MEMS mirrors are formed on a common substrate.

8. The optical device of claim 5, wherein the beam steering elements comprise a liquid-crystal on silicon (LCOS) phased array.

9. The optical device of claim 5, wherein the beam steering elements of at least one of the first and second arrays are configured to attenuate wavelength components directed by the beam steering elements using a beam-steering angle that is offset from an optimal beam-steering angle.

10. The optical device of claim 1, further comprising an array of liquid-crystal based polarization rotation elements disposed in an optical path of wavelength components directed by beam steering elements of the first or second arrays and configured to condition polarization of the wavelength components.

11. An optical device having multiple input and output ports, comprising:

a light diffracting element positioned in an optical path of optical signals transmitted through the input ports to separate the optical signals into wavelength components;

first and second arrays of independently controlled beam steering elements; and

a light combining element positioned between the first and second arrays of independently controlled beam steering elements to combine the wavelength components from the first array of independently controlled beam steering elements into a plurality of output signals,

wherein each beam steering element of the first array is independently controlled to direct one of the wavelength components to the light combining element, and each beam steering element of the second array is independently controlled to direct one of the output signals to a selected one of the output ports.

12. The optical device of claim 11, wherein the wavelength components of one of the optical signals transmitted through the input ports include a first wavelength component and a second wavelength component, and the first wavelength component and the second wavelength component are transmitted through different output ports.

13. The optical device of claim 11, wherein beam steering elements of at least one of the first and second arrays comprise reflective beam steering elements.

14. The optical device of claim 13, wherein the beam steering elements are formed on a common substrate.

15. The optical device of claim 13, wherein the beam steering elements comprise a liquid-crystal on silicon (LCOS) phased array.

16. The optical device of claim 11, further comprising an array of liquid-crystal based polarization rotation elements disposed in an optical path of wavelength components directed by beam steering elements of the first or second array and configured to condition polarization of the wavelength components.

17. An optical device having multiple input and output ports, comprising:

a light diffracting element positioned in an optical path of optical signals transmitted through the input ports to separate the optical signals incident on a light dispersive side thereof into wavelength components; and

first and second arrays of independently controlled beam steering elements, each beam steering element of the first array being independently controlled to direct one of the wavelength components to a selected one of the beam steering elements of the second array, each beam steering element of the second array being independently controlled to direct the wavelength component incident thereon to a light combining side of the light diffracting element.

18. The optical device of claim 17, wherein the first and second arrays are angled with respect to each other.

19. The optical device of claim 17, wherein the first and second arrays are aligned and further comprising a reflecting element.

20. The optical device of claim 17, wherein beam steering elements of at least one of the first and second arrays comprise reflective beam steering elements.

21. The optical device of claim 20, wherein the beam steering elements are formed on a common substrate.

22. An optical device having multiple input and output ports, comprising:

a reflective light diffracting element positioned in an optical path of optical signals transmitted through the input ports to separate the optical signals into wavelength components and in an optical path of the wavelength components reflected from a array of independently controlled beam steering elements to combine the wavelength components into one or more optical signals, each output through a different one of the output ports,

wherein the array of independently controlled beam steering elements is positioned to reflect the wavelength components from the reflective light diffracting element back to the reflective light diffracting element, each beam steering element of the array being independently controlled to direct a wavelength component incident thereon to the reflective light diffracting element so as to be combined with other wavelength components and output through a selected one of the output ports.

23. The optical device of claim 22, further comprising a second array of independently controlled beam steering elements positioned in the optical path of the wavelength components reflected from the reflective light diffracting element, each beam steering element of the other array being independently controlled to direct a wavelength component incident thereon to the other array.

24. The optical device of claim 22, wherein the optical signals transmitted through the input ports comprise a first optical signal that includes a first wavelength component and a second optical signal that includes a second wavelength component and the reflective light diffracting element combines the first wavelength component and the second wavelength component into a single one of the one or more optical signals output through one of the output ports.