Reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers with servo control and dynamic spectral power management capabilities
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. An optical add-drop apparatus comprisingan input port for an input multi-wavelength optical signal having first spectral channels;
- one or more other ports for second spectral channels;
an output port for an output multi-wavelength optical signal;
a wavelength-selective device for spatially separating said spectral channels;
anda spatial array of beam-deflecting elements positioned such that each element receives a corresponding one of said spectral channels, each of said elements being individually and continuously controllable in two dimensions to reflect its corresponding spectral channel to a selected one of said ports and to control the power of the spectral channel reflected to said selected port.
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Abstract
This invention provides a novel wavelength-separating-routing (WSR) apparatus that uses a diffraction grating to separate a multi-wavelength optical signal by wavelength into multiple spectral channels, which are then focused onto an array of corresponding channel micromirrors. The channel micromirrors are individually controllable and continuously pivotable to reflect the spectral channels into selected output ports. As such, the inventive WSR apparatus is capable of routing the spectral channels on a channel-by-channel basis and coupling any spectral channel into any one of the output ports. The WSR apparatus of the present invention may be further equipped with servo-control and spectral power-management capabilities, thereby maintaining the coupling efficiencies of the spectral channels into the output ports at desired values. The WSR apparatus of the present invention can be used to construct a novel class of dynamically reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (OADMs) for WDM optical networking applications.
31 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An optical add-drop apparatus comprising
an input port for an input multi-wavelength optical signal having first spectral channels; -
one or more other ports for second spectral channels;
an output port for an output multi-wavelength optical signal;a wavelength-selective device for spatially separating said spectral channels;
anda spatial array of beam-deflecting elements positioned such that each element receives a corresponding one of said spectral channels, each of said elements being individually and continuously controllable in two dimensions to reflect its corresponding spectral channel to a selected one of said ports and to control the power of the spectral channel reflected to said selected port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An optical add-drop apparatus, comprising
an input port for an input multi-wavelength optical signal having multiple spectral channels; -
an output port for an output multi-wavelength optical signal; one or more drop ports for selected spectral channels dropped from said multi-wavelength optical signal; a wavelength-selective device for spatially separating said multiple spectral channels; and a spatial array of beam-deflecting elements positioned such that each element receives a corresponding one of said spectral channels, each of said elements being individually and continuously controllable in two dimensions to reflect its corresponding spectral channel to a selected one of said ports and to control the power of the spectral channel reflected to said selected port, whereby a subset of said spectral channels is directed to said drop ports.
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16. An optical add-drop apparatus, comprising
an input port for an input multi-wavelength optical signal having multiple spectral channels; -
an output port for an output multi-wavelength optical signal; one or more add ports for selected spectral channels to be added to said output multi-wavelength optical signal; a wavelength-selective device for reflecting said multiple and said selected spectral channels; and a spatial array of beam-deflecting elements positioned such that each element receives a corresponding one of said spectral channels, each of said elements being individually and continuously controllable in two dimensions to reflect its corresponding spectral channel to a selected one of said ports and to control the power of the spectral channel reflected to said selected port, whereby said spectral channels from said add ports are selectively provided to said output port.
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17. A method of performing dynamic add and drop in a WDM optical network, comprising
separating an input multi-wavelength optical signal into spectral channels; -
imaging each of said spectral channels onto a corresponding beam-deflecting element; and controlling dynamically and continuously said beam-deflecting elements in two dimensions so as to combine selected ones of said spectral channels into an output multi-wavelength optical signal and to control the power of the spectral channels combined into said output multi-wavelength optical signal. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification