Mixed analog and digital chip-scale reconfigurable WDM network

• US 7,894,418 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2003
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hager, Harold, Hamilton, Michael C., Krug, William P., Scherer, Axel
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, IV; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shand; Roberta A
• Application Number:
  US10/641,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20040114930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,750 Days
• Field of Search: 385/15, 385 16- 24, 385/27, 385/37, 385/39, 385/32
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1225 comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3528 the optical element being a prism
• 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: H04J 14/02 Wavelength-division multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0226 Fixed carrier allocation, e.g. according to service
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0247 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0252 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs, e.g. for transmissions from-ONU-to-OLT or from-ONU-to-ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0282 WDM tree architectures
• 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 2011/0035 using miscellaneous components, e.g. circulator, polarisation, acousto/thermo optical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/907 Synchronous optical network, SONET

Abstract

The present invention provides a mixed analog and digital chip-scale reconfigurable WDM network. The network suitably includes a router that enables rapidly configurable wavelength selective routers of fiber optic data. The router suitably incorporates photonic wavelength selective optical add/drop filters and multiplexers.

Claims

1. A WDM router comprising a chip, the chip including a wavelength filter resonator for changing paths of different wavelength channels of light, the resonator including at least one of tunable wavelength filter photonic crystal resonator components and tunable wavelength filter ring resonator components;

wherein the router receives an optical input including wavelength bands of lower power WDM signals and wavelength bands of higher power WDM signals;

wherein the router further comprises components for separating the lower power WDM signals from the higher power WDM signals; and

wherein the lower power signals are supplied to the wavelength filter resonator.

2. The WDM router of claim 1, wherein the resonator includes tunable wavelength filter ring resonator components.

3. The WDM router of claim 2, wherein the wavelength filter ring resonator components are wavelength tunable by changing the resonator'"'"'s index to change effective cavity length.

4. The WDM router of claim 2, wherein the wavelength filter ring resonator components are EO voltage index tunable.

5. The WDM router of claim 2, wherein the wavelength filter ring resonator components are Q-tunable by altering optical loss within the resonator.

6. The WDM router of claim 5, wherein the wavelength filter resonator components include a Q-tunable optically active layer on top of a passive ring waveguide.

7. The WDM router of claim 1, wherein the resonator includes tunable wavelength filter photonic crystal resonator components.

8. The WDM router of claim 7, wherein the resonator components include a tunable wavelength filter photonic crystal;

wherein the photonic crystal includes defects made of electro-optic polymers; and

wherein index of refraction of a defect is changed by subjecting the electro-optical polymer to an electrical voltage, whereby the wavelength filter resonator is dynamically programmable.

9. The WDM router of claim 8, wherein the wavelength filter resonator includes a photonic crystal resonator having tuned wavelength filter resonant cavities in optically thin slabs.

10. The WDM router of claim 7, wherein the wavelength filter photonic crystal resonator components are wavelength tunable by changing index of photonic crystal defect to change effective cavity length.

11. The WDM router of claim 1, wherein the chip further includes a device for cross-connecting selected wavelength to selected outputs.

12. The WDM router of claim 1, wherein the components for separating the lower power WDM signals from the higher power WDM signals include a tunable photonic crystal superprism.

13. The WDM router of claim 1, further comprising a demultiplexer for splitting the lower power signal into constituent channels, the constituent channels being supplied to the wavelength filter resonator.

14. A WDM router comprising a chip, the chip including a tunable photonic crystal superprism for changing propagation directions of different wavelengths of collimated rays of light;

wherein the superprism receives an optical input including wavelength bands of lower power WDM signals and wavelength bands of higher power WDM signals and separates the lower power WDM signals from the higher power WDM signals.

15. The WDM router of claim 14, wherein the superprism includes programmable interfaces.

16. The WDM router of claim 14, wherein the superprism includes a photonic crystal having defects made of electro-optic polymers;

and wherein the index of refraction of a defect is changed by subjecting the electro-optical polymer to an electrical voltage, whereby the superprism is dynamically programmable.

17. The WDM router of claim 14, wherein the superprism includes a photonic crystal that is wavelength tunable by changing index of photonic crystal defect to change effective cavity length.

18. The WDM router of claim 14, wherein the superprism receives an optical input and separates the input into constituent channels.