Optical interconnection networks

• US 4,859,012 A
• Filed: 08/14/1987
• Issued: 08/22/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Cohn, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gonzalez, Frank
• Application Number:
  US07/085,993
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 350/96.15, 350/96.16, 350/96.18, 350/96.19, 350/607, 350/608, 350/611, 350/360, 350/356, 350/486, 350/487
• US Class Current: 385/17
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/28 having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3502 involving direct waveguide displacement, e.g. cantilever type waveguide displacement involving waveguide bending, or displacing an interposed waveguide between stationary waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/352 the reflective optical element having a shaped reflective surface, e.g. a reflective element comprising several reflective surfaces or facets that function together
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3556 NxM switch, i.e. regular arrays of switches elements of matrix type constellation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3566 involving bending a beam, e.g. with cantilever
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/357 Electrostatic force electrostatic forces controlling reflecting elements in general G02B26/0841
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3582 Housing means or package or arranging details of the switching elements, e.g. for thermal isolation
• CPC Class Codes: G06E 3/005 using electro-optical or opto-electronic means

Abstract

Multichannel interconnection networks with optical deformable mirror devices as the reconfigurable switching element.

Claims

1. A reconfigurable optical interconnection network, comprising:

(a) an array of N inputs, each of said inputs emitting a light beam

(b) a deformable mirror device with N rows and K columns of pixels;

(c) a first set of lenses directing each of said light beams onto one of said rows of pixels;

(d) an array of K outputs;

(e) a second set of lenses directing that portion of each of said light beams reflecting off of undeflected ones of said pixels in one of said columns onto one of said outputs, and directing that portion of each of said light beams reflecting off of deflected ones of said pixels away from said outputs; and

(f) a controller determining the deflections of said pixels.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein:

(a) said second set of lenses includes a sampling mask to block the portions of said light beams reflecting from non-pixel areas of said deformable mirror device.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein:

(a) said array of inputs includes N intensity-modulated laser diodes with their outputs coupled to a bundle of optical fibers; and

(b) said optical fibers are single mode.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein:

(a) said second set of lenses includes an imaging lens of diameter in the direction of deflection of said light beams less than the effective distance from said deformable mirror device to said lens multiplied by the quantity (2θ

_DMD -θ

_IN) where θ

_DMD is the angle of deflection of one of said deflected pixels and θ

_IN is the angular spread of said light beams at said deformable mirror device.

5. A bundle of optical fibers, comprising:

(a) a plurality of optical fibers, each of said fibers with a core of diameter d and cladding about said core to form a total diameter of D;

(b) said fibers arranged as a stack of staggered rows of n fibers in each row, the stagger of each row such that the centers of the cores of adjacent fibers in a row are displaced by a distance D/n in the direction of the stack.

6. The bundle of claim 5, wherein:

(a) d is approximately equal to ##EQU13## and (b) each of said fibers is single mode.

7. A reconfigurable optical interconnection network, comprising:

(a) an array of N inputs, each of said inputs emitting a light beam;

(b) a deformable mirror device with N rows and K columns of pixels;

(c) a first set of lenses directing each of said light beams onto one of said rows of pixels;

(d) an array of K outputs;

(e) a controller determining the deflections of said pixels with all pixels in a row having the same deflection; and

(f) a second set of lenses directing that portion of each of said light beams reflecting off of deflected ones of said pixels to said outputs, said outputs located in the diffraction plane of said second set.

8. The network of claim 7, wherein:

(a) said second set of lenses includes a sampling mask to block the portions of said light beams reflecting from non-pixel areas of said deformable mirror device.

9. The network of claim 7, wherein:

(a) said array of inputs includes N intensity-modulated laser diodes with their outputs coupled to a bundle of optical fibers; and

(b) said optical fibers are single mode.