Optical switch incorporating stepped faceted mirrors

• US 6,580,849 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2001
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies Fiber IP Singapore PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Datong, Philipp, John C., Hardcastle, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Huy
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRA, TUYEN Q
• Application Number:
  US09/755,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20030076574A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 385/18, 385/17, 385/16, 385/15, 385/25
• US Class Current: 385/18
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12104 Mirror; Reflectors or the like
• 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 6/3546 NxM switch, i.e. a regular array of switches elements of matrix type constellation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3578 Piezoelectric force piezoelectric forces controlling reflecting elements in general G02B26/0858; piezo-optic devices G02F1/0131

Abstract

An optical switch that includes optical paths organized into a set of M input optical paths and a set of N output optical paths. The optical switch additionally includes a faceted mirror corresponding to each of the M input optical paths and including N facets and a faceted mirror corresponding to each of the N output optical paths and including M facets. Finally, the optical switch includes a moving mechanism coupled to each faceted mirror to step the faceted mirror to selectively align one of the facets of the faceted mirror with the one of the optical paths with which the faceted mirror is associated. The facets of each of the faceted mirrors corresponding to one of the sets of optical paths, i.e., the set of input optical paths or the set of output optical paths, are preferably angled to reflect light towards a different one of the faceted mirrors corresponding to the other of the sets of optical paths, i.e., the set of output optical paths or the set of input optical paths, respectively.

Claims

1. An optical switch, comprising:

optical paths organized into a set of M input optical paths and a set of N output optical paths;

a faceted mirror corresponding to each one of the M input optical paths, the faceted mirror including N facets;

a faceted mirror corresponding to each one of the N output optical paths the faceted mirror including M facets;

a common mirror located between the input optical paths and the output optical path and facing the faceted mirrors; and

a moving mechanism coupled to each faceted mirror to step the faceted mirror to selectively align one of the facets of the faceted mirror with the one of the optical paths to which the faceted mirror corresponds, in which;

facets of each of the faceted mirrors corresponding to one of the sets of the optical paths are angled to reflect light to be incident on the common mirror at angles of incidence at which the common mirror reflects the light towards a different one of the faceted mirrors corresponding to the other of the sets of the optical paths.

2. The optical switch of claim 1, in which:

in one of the sets of the optical paths, the optical paths are arranged in a one-dimensional array; and

the facets of the faceted mirror corresponding to each one of the optical paths in the one of the sets are angled about one axis.

3. The optical switch of claim 1, in which:

in one of the sets of the optical paths, the optical paths are arranged in a two-dimensional array; and

the facets of the faceted mirror corresponding to each one of the optical paths is the one of the sets are angled about two axes.

4. The optical switch of claim 3, in which the axes are orthogonal to one another.

5. The optical switch of claim 1, in which:

the facets of the faceted mirror are arranged in a one-dimensional array having an array direction; and

the moving mechanism moves the faceted mirror in a direction parallel to the array direction.

6. The optical switch of claim 5, in which the moving mechanism includes a linear electrostatic stepping motor.

7. The optical switch of claim 1, in which:

the facets of the faceted mirror are arrayed in a two-dimensional array having two array directions; and

the moving mechanism moves the faceted mirror in two directions, each parallel to a different one of the array directions.

8. The optical switch of claim 1, in which the moving mechanism includes a two-dimensional linear electrostatic stepping motor.

9. The optical switch of claim 1, in which the facets of the faceted mirror are curved to focus light reflected by the facets.

10. The optical switch of claim 9, in which:

light passes from one of the input optical paths to one of the output optical paths via an optical path that includes one of the facets of the faceted mirror and whose optical path length depends on the identity of the one of the input optical paths and identity of the one of the output optical paths; and

the one of the facets is individually curved to focus the light in the optical path in accordance with the optical path length thereof.

11. The optical switch of claim 1, in which the moving mechanism steps the faceted mirror linearly.

12. The optical switch of claim 1, in which the moving mechanism steps the faceted mirror rotationally.

13. A method for switching an optical signal received via an input optical path to an output optical path, the input optical path being any one of an array of M input optical paths, the output optical path being any one of an array of N output optical paths, the method comprising:

providing an N-faceted mirror corresponding to each one of the M input optical paths and an M-faceted mirror corresponding to each one of the N output optical paths;

providing a common mirror;

locating each N-faceted mirror opposite the corresponding one of the input optical paths;

locating each M-faceted mirror opposite the corresponding one of the output optical paths;

locating the common mirror between the array of input optical paths and the array of output optical paths, facing the faceted mirrors;

stepping the N-faceted mirror corresponding to the input optical path to align one of the facets thereof with the input optical path, the one of the facets aligned with the input optical path being angled to reflect the optical signal towards the M-faceted mirror corresponding to the output optical path; and

stepping the M-faceted mirror corresponding to the output optical path to align one of the facets thereof with the output optical path, the one of the facets aligned with the output path being angled to reflect light that would be received via the output optical path towards the N-faceted mirror corresponding to the input optical path, wherein;

in providing the N-faceted mirror and the M-faceted mirror, the facets of each of the faceted mirrors corresponding to one of the sets of the optical paths are angled to reflect light to be incident on the common mirror at angles of incidence at which the common mirror reflects the light towards a different one of the faceted mirrors corresponding to the other of the sets of the optical paths.

14. The method of claim 13, in which:

the input optical path is a first input optical path;

the method is additionally for changing the input optical path via which the optical signal is received from the first input optical path to a second input optical path, the second input optical path being one of the input optical paths different from the first input optical path; and

the method additionally comprises;

stepping the N-faceted mirror corresponding to the second input optical path to align one of the facets thereof with the second input optical path, the one of the facets aligned with the second input optical path being angled to reflect the optical signal towards the M-faceted mirror corresponding to the output optical path, and

stepping the M-faceted mirror corresponding to the output optical path to align a different one of the facets thereof with the output optical path, the different one of the facets aligned with the output optical path being angled to reflect light that would be received via the output optical path towards the N-faceted mirror corresponding to the second input optical path.

15. The method of claim 13, in which:

the output optical path is a first output optical path;

the method is additionally for changing the output optical path to which the optical signal is switched from the first output optical path to a second output optical path, the second output optical path being one of the output optical paths different from the first output optical path;

the method additionally comprises;

stepping the N-faceted mirror corresponding to the input optical path to align a different one of the facets thereof with the input optical path, the different one of the facets aligned with the input optical path being angled to reflect the optical signal towards the M-faceted mirror corresponding to the second output optical path; and

stepping the M-faceted mirror corresponding to the second output optical path to align one of the facets thereof with the second output optical path, the one of the facets aligned with the second output optical path being angled to reflect light that would be received via the second output optical path towards the N-faceted mirror corresponding to the input optical path.

16. The method of claim 13, in which,

in stepping the N-faceted mirror, the N-faceted mirror is stepped linearly;

and

in stepping the M-faceted mirror, the M-faceted mirror is stepped linearly.

17. The method of claim 13, in which,

in stepping the N-faceted mirror, the N-faceted mirror is stepped rotationally;

and

in stepping the M-faceted mirror, the M-faceted mirror is stepped rotationally.