Method and system for optical switching with integrated polarization diversity control
AssigneeII-Vi Delaware, Inc.
InventorsHaijun Yuan, Bingyi He, Helen Chen, Haiji Yuan, Qingyu Li
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Abstract
A method and system for optical switching with integrated polarization diversity control comprising a beam displacer to receive an input beam and split the input beam into a first beam and a second beam with linear polarization. The first and second beams may be received on a liquid crystal cell that may rotate the first or second beam so that both beams have the same polarization after traversing the liquid crystal cell. Based on the polarization, the output beam may be switched to a port.
Claims22
An optical processing system, said system comprising:
- a beam displacer, operable to receive an input beam and split said input beam into a first beam and a second beam with orthogonal linear polarization;
- a liquid crystal cell comprising a first location and a second location, operable to:
- receive said first beam in said first location and said second beam in said second location;
- and
- rotate said first beam into a first LC-output beam or said second beam into a second LC-output beam, wherein said first LC-output beam and said second LC-output beam are of a same polarization after traversing said liquid crystal cell;
- and
- a crystal wedge, operable to receive said first LC-output beam and said second LC-output beam and direct both in a spatial output direction, said spatial output direction being based on said same polarization of said first LC-output beam and said second LC-output beam, wherein:
- said liquid crystal cell comprises said first location and said second location in a single pixel,
- said liquid crystal cell comprises an array of said single pixels operable to support a plurality of said optical processing systems,
- each of said single pixels comprises a first location and a second location,
- a plurality of first locations can be commonly controlled and a plurality of second locations can be commonly controlled, and
- a common control is implemented by using an interleaved pattern on a bottom electrode across said single pixels.
An optical processing method, said method comprising:
- splitting a received input beam into a first beam and a second beam with orthogonal linear polarization;
- receiving said first beam in a first location and said second beam in a second location;
- rotating said first beam into a first LC-output beam or said second beam into a second LC-output beam, wherein said first LC-output beam and said second LC-output beam are of a same polarization;
- directing both said first LC-output beam and said second LC-output beam in a spatial output direction, said spatial output direction based on said same polarization of said first LC-output beam and said second LC-output beam, wherein:
- said first location and said second location are located on a single pixel of a liquid crystal cell,
- said liquid crystal cell comprises an array of said single pixels operable to support a plurality of said optical processing methods, and
- each of said single pixels comprises a first location and a second location;
- and
- commonly controlling a plurality of first locations and a plurality of second locations, wherein said commonly controlling is implemented by using an interleaved pattern on a bottom electrode across said single pixels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.