N×N optical switch

• US 9,575,259 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2014
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Finisar Corporation (II-VI Incorporated)
• Inventors: Frisken, Steven James
• Primary Examiner(s): Petkovsek, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/320,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20150331198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/32 having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/34 utilising prism or grating G02B6/293 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3512 the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3518 the reflective optical element being an intrinsic part of a MEMS device, i.e. fabricated together with the MEMS device MEMS devices in general B81B; manufacture of MEM devices in general B81C; micromechanical devices controlling the direction of light G02B26/0833
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3546 NxM switch, i.e. a regular array of switches elements of matrix type constellation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3556 NxM switch, i.e. regular arrays of switches elements of matrix type constellation
• 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

Abstract

An optical cross-connect connecting a series of optical input ports to a series of optical output ports includes at least a first group of input/output port arrays, each including a series of optical input/output ports disposed horizontally and configured to project or receive optical signals. A plurality of steering elements selectively steer optical signals along switching trajectories between the input and output ports. An angle-to-offset conversion unit converts optical signals propagating at the horizontal intra-array angles to corresponding spatial offset signals in the horizontal dimension. An optical interconnect includes a series of input/output regions, each being specific to a corresponding input/output port array and the input/output regions being divided vertically into elongated switching rows. Each input/output region receives spatial offset signals from the angle-to-offset conversion unit and optically interconnects each spatial offset signal from a first input/output region to a second input/output region.

Claims

1. An optical cross-connect connecting a series of optical input ports to a series of optical output ports, the cross-connect including:

at least a first group of input/output port arrays located at spatially separated locations in at least a first horizontal dimension;

each of the input/output port arrays having a series of optical input/output ports disposed horizontally and configured to project or receive optical signals;

a plurality of steering elements configured to selectively steer optical signals along switching trajectories between the input and output ports by tilting vertically at predetermined inter-array angles to select a desired input/output port array and by tilting horizontally at predetermined intra-array angles to select a desired input/output port within the desired input/output port array;

an angle-to-offset conversion unit for converting optical signals propagating at the horizontal intra-array angles to corresponding spatial offset signals in the horizontal dimension; and

an optical interconnect having a series of input/output regions, each of the input/output regions being specific to a corresponding input/output port array and the input/output regions being divided vertically into elongated switching rows, each input/output region receiving spatial offset signals from the angle-to-offset conversion unit and optically interconnecting each spatial offset signal from a first input/output region to a second input/output region with predetermined interconnects interconnecting the input/output regions based on the inter-array angles of the spatial offset signals.

2. An optical cross-connect according to claim 1 wherein the angle-to-offset conversion unit includes a pair of cylindrical lenses having optical power in the first dimension and being disposed symmetrically about the optical interconnect.

3. An optical cross-connect according to claim 2 wherein the pair of cylindrical lenses define a compound lens system.

4. An optical cross-connect according to claim 3 wherein the compound lens system has a focal length off and the interconnect is disposed a distance of substantially f/2 from the plurality of steering elements.

5. An optical cross-connect according to claim 2 including a pair of collimating lenses disposed about the switching matrix unit and having optical power in the second dimension for collimating the optical signals onto the optical interconnect.

6. An optical cross-connect according to claim 5 wherein the pair of collimating lenses are separate to the cylindrical lenses.

7. An optical cross-connect according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of steering elements include micro-electromechanical mirrors (MEMs) configured to be electromechanically tiltable in two dimensions.

8. An optical cross-connect according to claim 7 wherein the number of inter-array angles corresponds to the number of input/output port arrays in the cross-connect.

9. An optical cross-connect according to claim 1 wherein the number of intra-array angles corresponds to the number of optical input/output ports within each input/output port array.

10. An optical cross-connect according to claim 1 wherein a first subset of the input/output port arrays are disposed along a first horizontal plane and a second subset of the input/output port arrays are disposed along a second horizontal plane vertically separated from the first horizontal plane.

11. An optical cross-connect according to claim 1 wherein at least a subset of the input/output port arrays are disposed at angles with respect to each other.

12. An optical cross-connect according to claim 11 wherein the first group of input/output port arrays are disposed along a primary axis and the second group of input/output port arrays are disposed along a secondary axis at an angle relative to the primary axis.

13. An optical cross-connect according to claim 12 including at least one optical coupling device for directing optical signals between the primary axis and the secondary axis.

14. An optical cross-connect according to claim 13 wherein the at least one coupling device includes a reflective mirror.