Programmable optical multiplexer/demultiplexer
First Claim
1. A programmable multiplexer in which K input signals each containing one or more different wavelengths, said K input signals cumulatively containing a total of N different wavelengths, are received from a plurality of K optical input ports and combined at a single output port, comprisinga microlens array that contains K+1 lenses, wherein (a) one lens is aligned with the output port, while the remaining lenses are aligned each to a corresponding input port, and wherein (b) each input signal is collimated by a respective lens in said microlens array, a micro-mirror array containing N tilting micro-mirrors means for directing the resultant collimated beam originating from each input port to be incident on a diffraction grating, which diffracts the optical signal as a function of its wavelength, said diffraction grating being arranged such that each of the separate beams, which has a unique wavelength and therefore distinct propagation angle, propagates to a particular micro-mirror in said micro-mirror array, and means for individually controlling each mirror in the array to reflect the incident beam representing a corresponding wavelength in a desired direction, such that it will be redirected to a single location on the diffraction grating, and coupled from the diffraction grating to the output port through the particular lens in the micro-lens array that is aligned with the output port.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A programmable optical demultiplexer can independently assign every input optical channel in a WDM optical communications signal to depart from any desired output port. The demultiplexer device can also be operated in the reverse direction, and thus achieve programmable optical multiplexer functionality, by accepting different wavelengths at each of multiple input ports and efficiently combining the wavelength channels at the multiplexer output port. The programmable multiplexer/demultiplexer device has an optical arrangement for spatially dispersing the optical wavelengths, and tunable micro-mirrors for beam steering each channel independently. Controlling the beam reflection direction determines the connectivity between the input and output ports at the wavelength level.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. A programmable multiplexer in which K input signals each containing one or more different wavelengths, said K input signals cumulatively containing a total of N different wavelengths, are received from a plurality of K optical input ports and combined at a single output port, comprising
a microlens array that contains K+1 lenses, wherein (a) one lens is aligned with the output port, while the remaining lenses are aligned each to a corresponding input port, and wherein (b) each input signal is collimated by a respective lens in said microlens array, a micro-mirror array containing N tilting micro-mirrors means for directing the resultant collimated beam originating from each input port to be incident on a diffraction grating, which diffracts the optical signal as a function of its wavelength, said diffraction grating being arranged such that each of the separate beams, which has a unique wavelength and therefore distinct propagation angle, propagates to a particular micro-mirror in said micro-mirror array, and means for individually controlling each mirror in the array to reflect the incident beam representing a corresponding wavelength in a desired direction, such that it will be redirected to a single location on the diffraction grating, and coupled from the diffraction grating to the output port through the particular lens in the micro-lens array that is aligned with the output port.
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6. An optical demultiplexer arranged to receive a composite optical signal containing multiple wavelengths, and direct each of said wavelengths to a desired one of a plurality of separate output ports, comprising a diffraction grating,
first means for directing said composite signal to said diffraction grating, whereby said multiple wavelengths are angularly dispersed at distinct propagation angles according to wavelength, thereby forming N separate beams having different wavelengths, a beam modifying array having a plurality of elements, second means for directing said N separate beams to individual ones of said elements in said beam modifying array, and means for controlling the elements in said beam modifying array such that each of said N separate beams after modification from said beam modifying elements are directed to a desired one of said plurality of separate output ports.
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15. A programmable optical switch in which r input signals each containing one or more different wavelengths, said r input signals cumulatively containing a plurality of different wavelengths, are received from a plurality of r optical input ports and one or more of said wavelengths are made available at each of s different output ports, comprising
a microlens array that contains r+s lenses, wherein (a) one lens is aligned with each of a corresponding one of said s output ports, while the remaining lenses are aligned each to a corresponding one of said r input ports, and wherein (b) each input signal is collimated by a respective lens in said microlens array, a micro-mirror array containing a plurality of tilting micro-mirrors, means for directing the resultant r collimated beams originating from each of said r input ports to be incident on a diffraction grating, which diffracts the r optical signals as a function of their respective wavelengths, said diffraction grating being arranged such that each of the separate beams, which have different wavelengths and therefore distinct propagation angles, propagate to a particular micro-mirror in said micro-mirror array, and means for individually controlling each mirror in the array to reflect the incident beam representing a corresponding wavelength in a desired direction, such that it will be redirected to a location on the diffraction grating, and coupled from the diffraction grating to one of said s output ports through the particular lens in the micro-lens array that is aligned with said one output port.
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22. A programmable optical demultiplexer arranged to receive a composite input signal containing components at N different wavelengths from an optical input port, and independently distribute the input signal components among K output ports, comprising
a first optical beam diffracting means, a micro-lens array containing K+1 lenses, each of the K lenses aligned to a respective one of said K output ports and another lens aligned to said optical input port and arranged to collimate the input signal, optical means for directing the collimated input signal to be incident on a second optical beam diffracting means, thereby forming N separate beams having different wavelengths, and to collect each of said N separate beams and generate, for each said beam, a converging beam focused onto a micro-mirror in a micro-mirror array, and means for individually controlling each mirror in said micro-mirror array to reflect incident beams in desired directions, such that said beams are coupled through said micro-lens array to desired ones of said output ports.
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32. A programmable demultiplexer in which K output signals each containing one or more different wavelengths, said K output signals cumulatively containing a total of N different wavelengths, are received by a plurality of K optical output ports from a single input port, comprising
a microlens array that contains K+1 lenses, wherein (a) one lens is aligned with the input port, while the remaining lenses are aligned each to a corresponding output port, and wherein (b) an input signal is collimated by the respective lens in said microlens array, a micro-mirror array containing N tilting micro-mirrors means for directing the resultant collimated beam originating from the input port to be incident on a diffraction grating, which diffracts the optical signal as a function of its wavelength, said diffraction grating being arranged such that each of the separate beams, which has a unique wavelength and therefore distinct propagation angle, propagates to a particular micro-mirror in said micro-mirror array, and means for individually controlling each mirror in the array to reflect the incident beam representing a corresponding wavelength in a desired direction, such that it will be redirected to a single location on the diffraction grating, and coupled from the diffraction grating through said micro-lens array to desired ones of said output ports.
Specification
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- Resources
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Current AssigneeLucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
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Original AssigneeLucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
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InventorsNeilson, David Thomas, Marom, Dan Mark
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Primary Examiner(s)Schwartz, Jordan M.
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Assistant Examiner(s)STULTZ, JESSICA T
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Application NumberUS09/944,800Publication NumberTime in Patent Office823 DaysField of Search359/115-119, 359/124, 359/127-133, 359/298, 359/290-291, 359/558, 359/618, 359/619, 359/652, 359/641-42, 359/644US Class Current359/290CPC Class CodesG02B 6/2931 Diffractive element operati...G02B 6/2938 for multiplexing or demulti...G02B 6/29395 configurable, e.g. tunable ...H04J 14/02 Wavelength-division multipl...H04J 14/0307 Multiplexers; DemultiplexersH04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspectsH04Q 2011/0016 using wavelength multiplexi...
