One-to-many simultaneous and reconfigurable optical two-dimensional plane interconnections using multiple wavelength, vertical cavity, surface-emitting lasers and wavelength-dependent detector planes
First Claim
1. Optical communication apparatus for simultaneously and reconfigurably establishing optical communication channels, comprising a plurality of light sources and a plurality of wavelength-selective detectors optically associated with said plurality light sources, wherein each of said light sources emits at a different wavelength and each of said wavelength-selective detectors has a different spectral response, said plurality of wavelength-selective detectors arranged one behind another such that each subsequent wavelength-selective detector will absorb and detect the shortest wavelength and be transparent to other longer wavelengths.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Optical communication apparatus for simultaneously and reconfigurably establishing optical communication channels, comprises at least one light source and a plurality of wavelength-selective detectors optically associated with each light source, the detectors arranged one behind another. The apparatus uses wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) to facilitate simultaneous and reconfigurable communication of one-to-many 2-D optical planes. This advance dramatically increases the system functionality of optical-plane interconnects. Such a system is realized by incorporating several multiple wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL) into each transmitting pixel and incorporating wavelength selectivity into each subsequent detecting plane which will absorb one wavelength and be transparent to the rest; these structures can be fabricated by slightly modifying existing technology. This system allows for increased processing functionality of communicating both simultaneously and reconfigurably between many planes; broadcasting and dynamic independent interconnects are thus enabled.
69 Citations
26 Claims
- 1. Optical communication apparatus for simultaneously and reconfigurably establishing optical communication channels, comprising a plurality of light sources and a plurality of wavelength-selective detectors optically associated with said plurality light sources, wherein each of said light sources emits at a different wavelength and each of said wavelength-selective detectors has a different spectral response, said plurality of wavelength-selective detectors arranged one behind another such that each subsequent wavelength-selective detector will absorb and detect the shortest wavelength and be transparent to other longer wavelengths.
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23. Optical communication apparatus for simultaneously and reconfigurably establishing optical communication channels, comprising:
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(a) at least one two-dimensional transmitting plane, each transmitting plane provided with a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising an identical source array comprising a plurality of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, each laser emitting at a different wavelength from the other in that array, each plane comprising a substrate consisting essentially of semiconductor material transparent to all wavelengths emitted; (b) at least two two-dimensional detector planes, each detector plane behind another and all detector planes behind said at least one transmitting plane, each detector plane provided with a plurality of said wavelength-selective detectors, each detector on each of said two-dimensional detector planes associated with a given pixel on a previous said two-dimensional transmitting plane and having a cut-off in wavelength detection that increases in wavelength for detector planes further away from said transmitting plane, each detector comprising a III-V compound semiconductor of different composition so as to provide said wavelength selectivity, each plane comprising a substrate consisting essentially of semiconductor material transparent to all wavelengths emitted; and (c) a plurality of supporting substrates separating said planes, said substrates comprising a material transparent to all wavelengths emitted. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. Optical communication apparatus for simultaneously and reconfigurably establishing optical communication channels, comprising a plurality of pixels, each said pixel including an identical source array, each said array comprising a plurality of light sources, each said light source operating at a different wavelength and each said array optically associated with a plurality of wavelength-selective detectors, each said wavelength-selective detectors in said plurality wave-length-selective detectors having a different spectral response, arranged one behind another, and having a cut-off in wavelength detection that increases in wavelength for wavelength-selective detectors further away from said plurality of light sources.
Specification