US 2025/0158709 A1 · OPTICAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING DIFFRACTION GRATINGS AS A DIRECTIONAL FILTER

Abstract

An optical communication system is provided with a sequence of diffraction gratings interposed between an external signal pathway and both an internal transmitting unit and an internal receiving unit. A plurality of diffraction gratings arranged into the sequence define a reciprocal optical directional filter. The diffraction gratings, transmitting unit, receiving unit and external signal pathway are arranged such that the transmitted signals from the transmitting unit are transmitted through the sequence of gratings to the external signal pathway based on the wavelength and angle of incidence of the transmitted signals and the received signals from the external signal pathway are transmitted through the sequence of gratings to the receiving unit based on the wavelength and angle of incidence of the received signals. The gratings can be volume Bragg gratings formed within a solid transparent volume interposed between the external signal pathway, the internal transmitting unit and the internal receiving unit.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An optical communication system comprising:

a transmitting unit coupled to an optical transmitting pathway;
a receiving unit coupled to an optical receiving pathway;
an external optical assembly unit coupled to an external optical pathway;
and
a sequence of diffraction gratings coupling the optical transmitting pathway and the optical receiving pathway to the external optical pathway, wherein the sequence of diffraction gratings comprises a plurality of diffraction gratings, wherein the plurality of diffraction gratings comprises a first subset of diffraction gratings adapted to transmit a transmitted signal received at a first side of the sequence from the transmitting unit through a second side of the sequence to the external optical assembly unit and a second subset of diffraction gratings adapted to transmit a received signal received at the second side of the sequence from the external optical assembly to the receiving unit.

2 more elements

A method of routing optical signals in an optical communication system, the method comprising:

receiving a first optical signal at a first side of a sequence of diffraction gratings at a first angle of incidence;
diffracting, by a first diffraction grating of the sequence of diffraction gratings, the first optical signal based on the first angle of incidence and a first wavelength of the first optical signal, wherein the diffraction gratings of the sequence of diffraction gratings other than the first diffraction grating are transparent to optical signals of the first wavelength received at the first angle of incidence;
outputting the first optical signal from a second side of the sequence of diffraction gratings;
receiving a second optical signal at a second side of the sequence of diffraction gratings at a second angle of incidence;
diffracting, by a second diffraction grating of the sequence of diffraction gratings, the second optical signal based on the second angle of incidence and a second wavelength of the second optical signal, wherein the diffraction gratings of the sequence of diffraction gratings other than the second diffraction grating are transparent to optical signals of the second wavelength received at the second angle of incidence;
and
outputting the second optical signal from the sequence of diffraction gratings.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Optical communication system using diffraction gratings as a directional filter

Life of this patent

Optical communication system using diffraction gratings as a directional filter

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20