Optoelectronic switch

• US 9,781,059 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockley Photonics Limited
• Original Assignee: Rockley Photonics Limited
• Inventors: Rickman, Andrew, Farrington, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): RAHLL, JERRY T
• Application Number:
  US14/715,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20160094487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0256 at the optical channel layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/10 characterised by the switching fabric construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/111 Switch interfaces, e.g. port details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/112 Switch control, e.g. arbitration
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0071 Provisions for the electrical-optical layer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0032 using static wavelength routers (e.g. arrayed waveguide grating router [AWGR] )
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/006 Full mesh

Abstract

An optoelectronic switch comprising: a first plurality of detector remodulators (DRMs) (C3, D1), each DRM having an integer number M of optical inputs and an integer number N of optical outputs; a second plurality of DRMs (C7, D5), each DRM having N optical inputs and M optical outputs; a passive optical switch fabric (C4+C5+C6, D2+D3+D4) connecting the N optical outputs of each of the first plurality of DRMs with the N optical inputs of each of the second plurality of DRMs, the path of an optical signal through the optical switch fabric depending upon its wavelength; wherein each DRM (C3, D1) of the first plurality of DRMs is configured to act as a tunable wavelength converter to select the desired path of an optical signal through the optical switch fabric (C4+C5+C6, D2+D3+D4); and wherein each of the first plurality of DRMs (C3, D1) includes a concentrator, the concentrator configured to aggregate optical signals received from any of the M inputs of that DRM and to buffer them according to the one of the plurality of second DRMs (C7, D5) that includes their destination port.

Claims

1. An optoelectronic switch comprising:

a first plurality of detector remodulators (DRMs), each DRM having an integer number M of optical inputs and an integer number N of optical outputs;

a passive optical switch fabric connected to the N optical outputs of each of the first plurality of DRMs;

wherein each DRM of the first plurality of DRMs is configured to act as a selectable wavelength converter to select a desired path of an optical signal through the optical switch fabric; and

wherein each of the first plurality of DRMs includes a concentrator.

2. The optoelectronic switch of claim 1, further comprising a second plurality of DRMs each having N optical inputs,

wherein the passive optical switch fabric comprises:

an optical full-mesh fabric;

a pre-mesh arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) stage configured to connect each output of each of the first plurality of DRMs to the optical full-mesh fabric; and

a post-mesh AWG stage configured to connect the optical full-mesh fabric to each input of each of the second plurality of DRMs.

3. The optoelectronic switch of claim 2, wherein the pre-mesh AWG stage comprises a plurality of AWGs.

4. The optoelectronic switch of claim 3, wherein the pre-mesh AWG comprises one AWG for each of the first plurality of DRMs.

5. The optoelectronic switch of claim 2, wherein the post-mesh AWG stage comprises a plurality of AWGs.

6. The optoelectronic switch of claim 5, wherein the post-mesh AWG stage comprises one AWG for each of the second plurality of DRMs.

7. The optoelectronic switch of claim 2, wherein each DRM of the first plurality of DRMs comprises:

one or more detector(s), each detector configured to convert an optical input signal into an electrical output signal;

one or more modulator(s), each modulator having an electrical input and being configured to receive an unmodulated laser input and to generate a modulated optical signal having the wavelength of the laser input and containing information from the electrical output signal from a respective detector; and

an ASIC electrically connecting the electrical output of the detector(s) to the electrical input of the modulator(s), the ASIC configured;

to control the path of the optical signal through the passive optical switch fabric by selecting the wavelength.

8. The optoelectronic switch according to claim 2, wherein each DRM of the second plurality of DRMs comprises:

one or more detector(s), each detector configured to convert an optical input signal into an electrical output signal;

one or more modulator(s), each modulator having an electrical input and being configured to receive an unmodulated laser input and to generate a modulated optical signal having the wavelength of the laser input and containing information from the electrical output signal from a respective detector; and

an ASIC electrically connecting the electrical output of the detector(s) to the electrical input of the modulator(s), the ASIC configured;

to select which output port within that DRM a signal corresponding to the optical input signal should be sent to; and

to control the wavelength of the output signal.

9. The optoelectronic switch of claim 1, further comprising a second plurality of DRMs,

wherein the passive optical router switch fabric comprises:

an AWG;

a pre-AWG optical full-mesh fabric; and

a post-AWG optical full-mesh fabric.

10. The optoelectronic switch of claim 9, wherein the AWG comprises one AWG for each of the first plurality of DRMs.

11. The optoelectronic switch of claim 9, wherein each DRM of the first plurality of DRMs comprises:

one or more detector(s) configured to convert an optical input signal into an electrical output signal;

one or more modulator(s) each having an electrical input and being configured to receive an unmodulated laser input and to generate a modulated optical signal having the wavelength of the laser input and containing information from the electrical output signal from a respective detector; and

an ASIC electrically connecting the electrical output of the detector(s) to the electrical input of the modulator(s), the ASIC configured;

to control the path of the optical signal through the passive optical switch fabric by selecting the wavelength required.

12. The optoelectronic switch according to claim 9, wherein each DRM of the second plurality of DRMs comprises:

one or more detector(s) configured to convert an optical input signal into an electrical output signal;

one or more modulator(s) each having an electrical input and being configured to receive an unmodulated laser input and to generate a modulated optical signal having the wavelength of the laser input and containing information from the electrical output signal from a respective detector; and

an ASIC electrically connecting the electrical output of the detector(s) to the electrical input of the modulator(s), the ASIC configured;

to select which output port within that DRM a signal corresponding to the optical input signal should be sent to; and

to control the wavelength of the output signal.

13. The optoelectronic switch of claim 1, wherein M=N.

14. The optoelectronic switch of claim 1, wherein M≠

N.

15. The optoelectronic switch of claim 1, configured to function as an optoelectronic circuit switch.

16. The optoelectronic switch of claim 1, configured to function as an optoelectronic packet switch.

17. A detector remodulator for use in controlling a path through an optical router of an optoelectronic switch, the detector remodulator comprising:

one or more detector(s) configured to convert an optical input signal into an electrical output signal;

one or more modulator(s) each having an electrical input and being configured to receive an unmodulated laser input and to generate a modulated optical signal having the wavelength of the laser input and containing information from the electrical output signal from a respective detector; and

an ASIC electrically connecting the electrical output of the detector(s) to the electrical input of the modulator(s), the ASIC configured;

to control the concentration of signals destined for a group of outputs of the optical router; and

to control the path of the optical signal through the optical router by selecting the wavelength.