# US 12,181,772 B2 · Optical switch device configured for topological light steering and related methods

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- Number: US 12,181,772 B2
- Document ID: US12181772B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/642,396
- Filed: 2020-09-14
- Published: 2022-11-10
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2019-09-12
- Assignees: The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
- Applicants: The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
- Inventors: Liang Feng; Han Zhao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181772B2

## CPC

- G02F 1/311: {Cascade arrangement of plural switches}
- G02F 1/313: in an optical waveguide structure
- G02F 2202/102: In×P and alloy
- G02F 2203/24: beam steering
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS

## Abstract

An optical switch device and a related method for defining a topological light transport channel in a photonic lattice are provided. An exemplary optical switch device includes a photonic lattice including a photonic topological microring array comprising a plurality of site rings coupled via a plurality of anti-resonant link rings, a plurality of input light ports and a plurality of output light ports located at the plurality of site rings, wherein the plurality of input light ports and the plurality of output light ports are respectively connected by a plurality of topological light transport channels. The optical switch device is further configured such that each of the topological light transport channels is defined by a gain domain area that is produced by a corresponding patterned optical pumping beam emitted onto the photonic topological microring array.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An optical switch device comprising:
a photonic lattice including a photonic topological microring array comprising a plurality of site rings coupled via a plurality of anti-resonant link rings;
a plurality of input light ports and a plurality of output light ports located at the plurality of site rings, wherein the plurality of input light ports and the plurality of output light ports are respectively connected by a plurality of topological light transport channels; and
a spatial light modulator located between a light source and the photonic lattice for producing an optical pumping beam that forms an optical pumping pattern of a desired shape on the photonic lattice that defines a gain domain on the photonic lattice, the shape of the optical pumping pattern having a border and the optical pumping pattern creating a topological light transport channel through the site rings along the border.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The optical switch device of claim 1 wherein a shape of the topological light transport channel is dynamically changeable by adjusting the shape of the optical pumping pattern created by the optical pumping beam on the photonic lattice.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The optical switch device of claim 1 wherein an area on the photonic lattice that is not subjected to the optical pumping pattern results in a distributed loss domain.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The optical switch device of claim 1 wherein an arrangement of the coupled plurality of site rings coupled and plurality of anti-resonant link rings produces a topological feature of the topological light transport channels.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The optical switch device of claim 1 wherein the photonic topological microring array is composed of an Indium gallium arsenide phosphide (InGaAsP) material.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The optical switch device of claim 1 wherein non-Hermitian control is utilized to steer the topological light transport channel on the photonic lattice.

### Claim 7

A method for defining a topological light transport channel in a photonic lattice comprising:
providing a photonic lattice including a photonic topological microring array comprising a plurality of site rings coupled via a plurality of anti-resonant link rings, a plurality of input light ports and a plurality of output light ports located at the plurality of site rings, wherein the plurality of input light ports and the plurality of output light ports are respectively connected by a plurality of topological light transport channels;
emitting light through a spatial light modulator to produce an optical pumping beam that forms an optical pumping pattern of a desired shape on the photonic topological microring array of the photonic lattice, the shape of the optical pumping pattern defining a gain domain on the photonic lattice, the shape of the optical pumping pattern having a border and the optical pumping pattern creating a topological light transport channel through the site rings along the border; and
wherein the topological light transport channel connects at least one input light port and at least one output light port of an optical switch device.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7 comprising dynamically adjusting a shape of the light transport channel by adjusting the shape of the optical pumping pattern that is emitted onto the photonic lattice.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7 wherein an area on the photonic lattice that is not subjected to the optical pumping pattern results in a distributed loss domain.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7 wherein an arrangement of the coupled plurality of site rings coupled and plurality of anti-resonant link rings produces a topological feature of the topological light transport channel.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7 wherein the photonic topological microring array is composed of an Indium gallium arsenide phosphide (InGaAsP) material.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7 wherein non-Hermitian control is utilized to steer the topological light transport channel on the photonic lattice.