Optical cross connection switch using voltage-controlled interferometeric optical switching elements
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsKatsuhiro Aoki, Munenori Oizumi, Susumu Kato, Yukio Fukuda
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Abstract
An optical switch comprising an array of voltage-controlled interferometric switching elements. Different configurations and modes of operation are possible, but in each configuration the elements are arranged relative to the input and output fibers, such that a beam of light is incident or outgoing at an angle of 45 degrees to the surface of a corresponding element. This permits each element to be electronically controlled to either transmit or reflect light, such that the output beam exits the switch either parallel to or perpendicular to the input beam.
Claims27
An optical switch for switching a beam of light from an input fiber to an output fiber, the input fibers being parallel to the output fibers, the switch comprising:
- an array of voltage-controlled interferometric optical switching elements;
- and
- wherein the elements are arranged such that the axis of each input fiber and each output fiber is incident on an element at an angle of substantially 45 degrees.
A method of switching a beam of light from an input fiber to an output fiber, the input fibers being parallel to the output fibers, comprising the steps of:
- arranging an array of voltage-controlled interferometric optical switching elements, each element having an off state that transmits light and an on state that reflects light;
- and
- the arranging being performed such that the axis of each input fiber and of each output fiber is incident on an element at an angle of substantially 45 degrees.
An optical switch for switching a beam of light from an input fiber to at least one output fiber, the input fibers being perpendicular to the output fibers, the switch comprising:
- an array of voltage-controlled interferometric optical switching elements;
- wherein the elements are arranged such that the axes of each input fiber and each output fiber is incident on an element at an angle of substantially 45 degrees;
- and
- wherein the array has as many rows of elements as output fibers, and has as many columns of elements as input fibers.
A method of switching a beam of light from an input fiber to an output fiber, the input fibers being perpendicular to the output fibers, comprising the steps of:
- arranging an array of voltage-controlled interferometric optical switching elements, each element having an off state that transmits light and an on state that reflects light;
- and
- the arranging being performed such that the axis of each input fiber and of each output fiber is incident on an element at an angle of substantially 45 degrees, the array having as many rows of elements as output fibers, and has as many columns of elements as input fibers.
A method of switching a beam of light from an input fiber to multiple output fibers, the input fibers being perpendicular to the output fibers, comprising the steps of:
- arranging an array of voltage-controlled interferometric optical switching elements, each element having an off state that transmits light, an on state that reflects light, and a middle state that both transmits and reflects light;
- the arranging being performed such that the axis of each input fiber and of each output fiber is incident on an element at an angle of substantially 45 degrees, the array having as many rows of elements as output fibers, and has as many columns of elements as input fibers;
- setting to an off state, in an input column that corresponds to the input fiber, elements that do not correspond to a desired output fiber;
- setting to the middle state, elements in the input column that correspond to a desired output fiber;
- and
- setting to an off state, elements between the input column and the output fibers, in rows that correspond to the desired output fibers.
A voltage controlled interferometric switch element, comprising:
- a quartz substrate;
- a first transparent electrode fabricated over the substrate;
- a first dielectric mirror fabricated over the first transparent electrode;
- a ploymer layer fabricated over the first dielectric mirror, the polymer layer being made from a material whose optical reflective index varies in response to change in surrounding electric field magnitude;
- a second dielectric mirror fabricated over the polymer layer;
- and
- a second transparent electrode fabricated over the second dielectric mirror.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.