WAVELENGTH SELECTIVE OPTICAL SWITCHING DEVICES

• US 20130128215A1
• Filed: 07/13/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Santec Holdings Corp.
• Original Assignee: Santec Incorporated
• Inventors: Sakurai, Yasuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,025,094 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/196
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/35 having switching means by changing the optical properties of the medium G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136277 formed on a semiconductor substrate, e.g. of silicon

Abstract

A wavelength selective switch device includes an incidence part where wavelength multiplexed light made of light of a plurality of wavelengths enters, an exit part that includes a plurality of fiber that outputs light of a wavelength selected from a signal in which wavelength multiplexed light that entered from the incidence part enters, a polarization diversity part that separates incidence light that entered the incidence part according to polarization components of the incidence light to make first and second optical beams, a wavelength dispersion and synthesis element that spatially disperses incidence light according to a wavelength of the incidence light and multiplexes the spatially dispersed reflected light according to the wavelength, and a wavelength dispersion and synthesis element that spatially disperses incidence light according to a wavelength of the incidence light and multiplexes the spatially dispersed reflected light according to the wavelength.

Claims

1. A wavelength selective switch device, comprising;

an incidence part where wavelength multiplexed light made of light of a plurality of wavelengths enters;

an exit part that includes a plurality of fiber that outputs light of a wavelength selected from a signal in which wavelength multiplexed light that entered from the incidence part enters;

a polarization diversity part that separates incidence light that entered the incidence part according to polarization components of the incidence light to make first and second optical beams, and synthesizes by aligning a polarization direction by rotating the polarization direction of one of the first and second optical beams and rotating a polarization direction of an exiting light of one of a first and second reflected light having an identical wavelength;

a wavelength dispersion and synthesis element that spatially disperses incidence light according to a wavelength of the incidence light and multiplexes the spatially dispersed reflected light according to the wavelength;

a condensing element that condenses the incidence light that was separated by the wavelength dispersion and synthesis element onto a two-dimensional plane;

a liquid crystal beam deflection element arranged in a position to receive incident light developed on an xy plane from an x axis direction and a y axis direction perpendicular thereto developed according to a wavelength, wherein the liquid crystal beam deflection element has a multiplicity of pixels arrayed in a lattice on the xy plane, changes refractive index characteristics of the pixels by changing the phase of the plurality of pixels continuous in the y axis direction, and changes the reflection direction of each wavelength;

a liquid crystal beam deflection element drive part that changes the phase shift characteristics for each wavelength by driving an electrode of each pixel arrayed in the xy direction of the liquid crystal beam deflection element, and that reflects light to a different direction for each wavelength; and

an image height adjusting medium provided in a position where a beam of either exiting light of the first or second beam passes through, and matches the image height of each polarization at the optical fiber of the output part.

2. The wavelength selective switch device according to claim 1, wherein

the liquid crystal beam deflection element is a LCOS element having a multiplicity of pixels arrayed two-dimensionally, and

the liquid crystal beam deflection element drive part controls the voltage applied to each pixel according to wavelength selection characteristics.

3. The wavelength selective switch device according to claim 1, wherein

the liquid crystal beam deflection element is a liquid crystal element having a multiplicity of pixels arrayed two-dimensionally, and

the liquid crystal beam deflection element drive part controls the voltage applied to each pixel according to wavelength selection characteristics.

4. The wavelength selective switch device according to claim 1, wherein

the polarization diversity part includes:

a polarizing beam splitter that separates incidence light into a first and second optical beam according to a polarization direction, and

a wavelength plate that aligns a polarization direction of one side of the divided light to a polarization direction of the other light.

5. The wavelength selective switch device according to claim 1, wherein the image height adjusting medium is a meniscus lens.