Apparatus and method for programmable optical interconnections
First Claim
1. An optical interconnection apparatus, comprising:
- a first optical beam generator, for generating a first optical beam;
a plurality of optical detectors;
a plurality of spatial light modulators, responsive to said first optical beam, for forming a first plurality of spatially modulated beams therefrom; and
holographic means, responsive to said first plurality of spatially modulated beams, for generating destructively interfering beams at a first one of said optical detectors to thereby disconnect said first optical beam therefrom, and for simultaneously generating constructively interfering beams at a second one of said optical detectors to thereby connect said first optical beam thereto.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A programmable optical interconnection apparatus and method in which a plurality of spatial light modulators (SLM) form a plurality of spatially modulated beams from a data signal. A hologram is responsive to the spatially modulated beams for generating at least two destructively interfering coherent beams at a first optical detector to thereby disconnect the data signal therefrom, and for simultaneously generating at least two constructively interfering coherent beams at a second optical detector to thereby connect the data signal beam thereto. The hologram is preferably a computer generated thin hologram which does not rely on Bragg diffraction. A low cost, high density, high efficiency programmable optical interconnect is thereby provided.
56 Citations
37 Claims
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1. An optical interconnection apparatus, comprising:
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a first optical beam generator, for generating a first optical beam; a plurality of optical detectors; a plurality of spatial light modulators, responsive to said first optical beam, for forming a first plurality of spatially modulated beams therefrom; and holographic means, responsive to said first plurality of spatially modulated beams, for generating destructively interfering beams at a first one of said optical detectors to thereby disconnect said first optical beam therefrom, and for simultaneously generating constructively interfering beams at a second one of said optical detectors to thereby connect said first optical beam thereto. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. Apparatus for optically connecting a first signal to a plurality of receiving nodes comprising:
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means for converting said first signal into a first plurality of optical beams, each having said first signal encoded thereon; and means, responsive to said first plurality of optical beams, for generating at least two destructively interfering coherent optical beams at a first receiving node to thereby disconnect said first signal therefrom, and for simultaneously generating at least two constructively interfering coherent beams at a second receiving node to thereby connect said first signal thereto. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for optically connecting a first signal to a plurality of receiving nodes comprising the steps of:
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converting said first signal into a first plurality of coherent optical beams, each having said first signal encoded thereon; and simultaneously generating, from said first plurality of coherent optical beams, at least two destructively interfering coherent beams at a first receiving node to thereby disconnect said first signal therefrom, and at least two constructively interfering coherent beams at a second receiving node to thereby connect said first signal thereto. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. Apparatus for optically connecting a first signal to a plurality of optical detectors, comprising;
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a plurality of spatial light modulators, each responsive to said first signal, for simultaneously forming a first plurality of spatially modulated light beams emerging therefrom, with each of said first plurality of spatially modulated light beams emerging therefrom having said first signal encoded thereon; and a thin hologram, positioned relative to said plurality of spatial light modulators such that said first plurality of spatially modulated light beams emerging therefrom impinge upon said thin hologram, said thin hologram being simultaneously responsive to each of said first plurality of spatially modulated light beams impinging thereon, for generating a first optical signal having said first signal encoded thereon, and for impinging said first optical signal on at least a first one of said optical detectors, with at least a second one of said optical detectors being free of said first optical signal. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. Apparatus for optically connecting a plurality of optical signals to a plurality of optical detectors, comprising:
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an array of spatial light modulators, a respective at least two of which are positioned in the optical path of a respective one of said plurality of optical signals, for forming therefrom a predetermined wavefront; and a thin hologram, positioned at the predetermined wavefront of each of said at least two spatial light modulators, said thin hologram connecting the associated optical signal to a predetermined optical detector in response to said predetermined wavefront from the associated at least two spatial light modulators. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
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Specification