Manufacturable High Port Count Optical Cross Connect
AssigneeCiena Corporation
InventorsDavid W. Boertjes, Daniel Rivaud, Michael Y. Frankel, Vladimir Pelekhaty, Fabien Colton
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Abstract
A modular and manufacturable optical cross connect includes a plurality of subassemblies each including either of an array of collimators and an array of adjustable mirrors, wherein the plurality of subassemblies are configured to modularly scale a size of the optical cross connect, wherein the plurality of subassemblies are arranged relative to one another with an optical propagation region in between, and wherein the plurality of subassemblies with the array of collimators each include one or more probe ports configured to support an alignment signal for active alignment control.
Claims20
An optical cross connect comprising:
- a plurality of subassemblies each including either an array of collimators and an array of adjustable mirrors, wherein the plurality of subassemblies are configured to modularly scale a size of the optical cross connect,
- wherein the plurality of subassemblies are arranged relative to one another with an optical propagation region in between, and
- wherein the plurality of subassemblies with the array of collimators each include one or more probe ports configured to support an alignment signal for active alignment control.
A method of aligning an optical cross connect comprising steps of:
- in the optical cross connect that includes a plurality of arrays with each array including one or more of collimators and adjustable mirrors, transmitting an alignment signal from an input probe port on an input array of collimators to a first mirror probe port on a first mirror array;
- directing the alignment signal from the first mirror port to a second mirror probe port on a second mirror array;
- and
- receiving and measuring the alignment signal on an output probe port on an output array.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.