Modular all-optical cross-connect

• US 6,614,953 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2002
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Photuris, Inc. (Mahi Networks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wagener, Jefferson L., Hansen, Per Bang, Strasser, Thomas Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Healy, Brian
• Application Number:
  US10/098,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20020146198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 385/24, 385/17, 385/42, 385/47, 385/15, 385/16, 385/18, 359/124, 359/128, 359/115, 359/117, 359/127, 359/139
• US Class Current: 385/17
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29367 Zigzag path within a transparent optical block, e.g. filter deposited on an etalon, glass plate, wedge acting as a stable spacer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2938 for multiplexing or demultiplexing, i.e. combining or separating wavelengths, e.g. 1xN, NxM
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29383 Adding and dropping
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29391 Power equalisation of different channels, e.g. power flattening
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/29395 configurable, e.g. tunable or reconfigurable switching G02B6/35
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3512 the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3548 1xN switch, i.e. one input and a selectable single output of N possible outputs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/356 in an optical cross-connect device, e.g. routing and switching aspects of interconnecting different paths propagating different wavelengths to (re)configure the various input and output links switching polarized beams G02B6/3594; power equalizers G02B6/356 and G02B6/3594; path selecting means H04Q11/0001
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/357 Electrostatic force electrostatic forces controlling reflecting elements in general G02B26/0841
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3578 Piezoelectric force piezoelectric forces controlling reflecting elements in general G02B26/0858; piezo-optic devices G02F1/0131
• 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: H04J 14/0204 Broadcast and select arrangements, e.g. with an optical splitter at the input before adding or dropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0205 Select and combine arrangements, e.g. with an optical combiner at the output after adding or dropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0206 Express channels arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/021 Reconfigurable arrangements, e.g. reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers [ROADM] or tunable optical add/drop multiplexers [TOADM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0217 Multi-degree architectures, e.g. having a connection degree greater than two
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/022 For interconnection of WDM optical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0283 WDM ring architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0286 WDM hierarchical architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/42 : Loop networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/421 : Interconnected ring systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 : Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0016 : using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0024 : using space switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/003 : using switches based on microelectro-mechanical systems [MEMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0052 : Interconnection of switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0079 : Operation or maintenance aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0092 : Ring

Abstract

An all-optical, optical cross-connect includes first and second pluralities of multiport optical devices. Each of the first plurality of multiport optical devices have at least one input port for receiving a WDM optical signal and a plurality of output ports for selectively receiving one of more wavelength components of the optical signal. Each of the second plurality of multiport optical devices have a plurality of input ports for selectively receiving one of more wavelength components of the optical signal and at least one output port for selectively receiving one of more wavelength components of the optical signal. At least one of the first or second plurality of multiport optical devices are all-optical switches that can route every wavelength component independently of every other wavelength component. The plurality of input ports of the second plurality of multiport optical devices are optically coupled to respective ones of the plurality of output ports of the first plurality of multiport optical devices.

Claims

1. An all-optical, optical cross-connect, comprising:

first and second pluralities of multiport optical devices, said first plurality of multiport optical devices having at least one input port for receiving a WDM optical signal and a plurality of output ports for selectively receiving one or more wavelength components of the optical signal, said second plurality of multiport optical devices having a plurality of input ports for selectively receiving one or more wavelength components of the optical signal and at least one output port for selectively receiving one or more wavelength components of the optical signal,

wherein at least one of said first or second plurality of multiport optical devices are all-optical switches that can route every wavelength component independently of every other wavelength component.

4. The optical cross-connect of claim 1 wherein each of said all-optical switches comprising:

a plurality of wavelength selective elements that each select a channel wavelength from among the plurality of wavelength components received at the at least one input port; and

a plurality of optical elements respectively associated with said plurality of wavelength selective elements, each of said optical elements directing one of the selected wavelength component selected by the associated wavelength selective element to any one of the output ports independently of all other wavelength components.

2. An all-optical, optical cross-connect, comprising:

first and second pluralities of multiport optical devices, said first plurality of multiport optical devices having at least one input port for receiving a WDM optical signal and a plurality of output ports for selectively receiving one or more wavelength components of the optical signal, said second plurality of multiport optical devices having a plurality of input ports for selectively receiving one or more wavelength components of the optical signal and at least one output port for selectively receiving one or more wavelength components of the optical signal,

wherein at least one of said first or second plurality of multiport optical devices are couplers.

3. An all-optical, optical cross-connect, comprising:

first and second pluralities of multiport optical devices, said first plurality of multiport optical devices having at least one input port for receiving a WDM optical signal and a plurality of output ports for selectively receiving one or more wavelength components of the optical signal, said second plurality of multiport optical devices having a plurality of input ports for selectively receiving one or more wavelength components of the optical signal and at least one output port for selectively receiving one or more wavelength components of the optical signal,

wherein at least one of said first or second plurality of multiport optical devices are all-optical switches that can route every wavelength component independently of every other wavelength component, and wherein

said all-optical switches comprise a plurality of wavelength selective elements that each select a channel wavelength from among the plurality of wavelength components received at the at least one input port; and

a plurality of optical elements respectively associated with said plurality of wavelength selective elements, each of said optical elements directing one of the selected wavelength components selected by the associated wavelength selective element to any one of the output ports independently of all other channel wavelengths.

5. The optical cross-connect of claim 3 wherein said optical elements each include a tiltable mirror.

6. The optical cross-connect of claim 3 further comprising a free space region disposed between the input ports and the wavelength selective elements.

7. The optical cross-connect of claim 3 wherein said optical elements retroreflect said channel wavelengths.

8. The optical cross-connect of claim 3 wherein said wavelength selective elements are thin film filters each transmitting therethrough a different one of the wavelength components and reflecting the remaining channel wavelengths.

9. The optical cross-connect of claim 3 wherein said optical elements are reflective mirrors that are selectively tiltable in a plurality of positions such that in each of the positions the mirrors reflect the wavelength component incident thereon to any selected one of the output ports.

10. The optical cross-connect of claim 9 wherein said reflective mirrors are part of a micro-electromechanical (MEM) reflective mirror assembly.

11. The optical cross-connect of claim 10 wherein said reflective mirror assembly is a retroreflective mirror assembly.

12. The optical cross-connect of claim 9 wherein said reflective mirrors are part of a retroreflective optical assembly.

13. The optical cross-connect of claim 9 wherein said reflective mirrors each include a piezoelectric actuator.

14. The optical cross-connect of claim 6 wherein said free space region comprises an optically transparent substrate having first and second parallel surfaces, said wavelength selective element includes a plurality of wavelength selective elements arranged in first and second arrays extending along the first and second parallel surfaces, respectively.

15. The optical cross-connect of claim 14 wherein the optically transparent substrate includes air as a medium in which the optical signal propagates.

16. The optical cross-connect of claim 14 where the optically transparent substrate is silica glass.

17. The optical cross-connect of claim 14 wherein said first and second arrays are laterally offset with respect to one another.

18. The optical cross-connect of claim 17 wherein each of said wavelength selective elements arranged in the first array direct the selected wavelength component to another of said wavelength selective elements arranged in the second array.

19. The optical cross-connect of claim 3 further comprising a collimating lens disposed between each one of said wavelength selective elements and the optical element associated therewith, each of said optical elements being positioned at a focal point of the lens associated therewith.

26. The optical cross-connect of claim 3 wherein said wavelength selective elements are thin film filters each transmitting therethrough a different one of the wavelength components and reflecting the remaining wavelength components.

20. An all-optical, optical cross-connect, comprising:

a first set of m reconfigurable all-optical switches, where m is ∞

3, each of said reconfigurable switches having at least (m+1) prearranged ports for receiving one or more wavelength components of a WDM optical signal, said reconfigurable switches selectively directing any wavelength component from one of the prearranged ports to any of the remaining ones of the prearranged ports independently of every other wavelength component;

a second set of m reconfigurable all-optical switches each having at least (m+1) particular ports for receiving one or more wavelength components of a WDM optical signal, said reconfigurable switches routing any wavelength component from one of the particular ports to any of the remaining ones of the particular ports independently of every other wavelength component; and

wherein each of the prearranged ports of each reconfigurable switch in the first set of switches is optically coupled to a particular port of a different reconfigurable switch in the second set of switches.

21. The optical cross-connect of claim 20 wherein each of said m reconfigurable switches in the first set of switches have at least (m+2) prearranged ports and said m reconfigurable switches in the second set of switches have at least (m+2) particular ports.

22. The optical cross-connect of claim 20 wherein each of said all-optical switches comprising:

a plurality of wavelength selective elements that each select a wavelength component from among the wavelength components of the WDM optical signal received at one of the input port; and

a plurality of optical elements respectively associated with said plurality of wavelength selective elements, each of said optical elements directing one of the selected wavelength components selected by the associated wavelength selective element to any one of the ports independently of all other channel wavelengths.

23. The optical cross-connect of claim 22 wherein said optical elements each include a tiltable mirror.

24. The optical cross-connect of claim 22 further comprising a free space region disposed between the ports and the wavelength selective elements.

25. The optical cross-connect of claim 22 wherein said optical elements retroreflect said channel wavelengths.

27. The optical cross-connect of claim 22 wherein said optical elements are reflective mirrors that are selectively tiltable in a plurality of positions such that in each of the positions the mirrors reflect the wavelength component incident thereon to any selected one of the output ports.

28. The optical switch of claim 27 wherein said reflective mirrors are part of a micro-electromechanical (MEM) reflective mirror assembly.

29. The optical cross-connect of claim 28 wherein said reflective mirror assembly is a retroreflective mirror assembly.

30. The optical switch of claim 27 wherein said reflective mirrors are part of a retroreflective optical assembly.

31. The optical switch of claim 27 wherein said reflective mirrors each include a piezoelectric actuator.

32. The optical switch of claim 24 wherein said free space region comprises an optically transparent substrate having first and second parallel surfaces, said wavelength selective element includes a plurality of wavelength selective elements arranged in first and second arrays extending along the first and second parallel surfaces, respectively.

33. The optical switch of claim 32 wherein the optically transparent substrate includes air as a medium in which the optical signal propagates.

34. The optical switch of claim 32 where the optically transparent substrate is silica glass.

35. The optical switch of claim 32 wherein said first and second arrays are laterally offset with respect to one another.

36. The optical switch of claim 35 wherein each of said wavelength selective elements arranged in the first array direct the selected wavelength component to another of said wavelength selective elements arranged in the second array.

37. The optical switch of claim 22 further comprising a collimating lens disposed between each one of said wavelength selective elements and the optical element associated therewith, each of said optical elements being positioned at a focal point of the lens associated therewith.