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US 5,002,350 AGranted
Optical multiplexer/demultiplexer
AssigneeAT&T Bell Laboratories
InventorCorrado Dragone
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention is an optical Multiplexer/Demultiplexer, built from a plurality of optical waveguides. Each waveguide differs in length from its neighboring waveguide by a predetermined amount. The waveguides are strongly coupled to one another at their respective ends, and substantially uncoupled therebetween, allowing for high efficiency.
Claims16
An optical multiplexer/demultiplexer comprising:
- a plurality of N optical waveguides, each waveguide including a first end for receiving optical energy and a second end for transmitting optical energy,
- each waveguide further being of a predetermined different length substantially equal to I+nl, where I is a predetermined initial length, n is an integer such that 0.ltoreq.n.ltoreq.N-1, and 1 is a predetermined value greater than zero, the waveguides being substantially coupled to each other at their respective first ends, and at their respective second ends, and substantially uncoupled therebetween such that a single wavefront of optical energy incident upon the first ends is transformed within the waveguides to a plurality of substantially uncoupled propagating waves, and the plurality of uncoupled propagating waves is transformed into substantially a single propagating wavefront before reaching the second ends.
An optical multiplexer/demultiplexer comprising:
- a plurality of optical waveguides, each having a first end for receiving optical energy and a second end for launching the optical energy, and a predetermined length,
- means for injecting optical energy into the first ends, and
- a plurality of receivers, each for receiving optical energy which emanates from the second ends, wherein the length of each waveguide is such that optical energy emanates from the second ends at a predetermined angle that varies with wavelength,
- each of the receivers is associated with a predetermined wavelength and is positioned at the predetermined angle relative to the second ends of the waveguides, such that substantially all optical energy emanated from the second ends of the optical waveguides in a predetermined frequency band centered at the associated wavelength emanates at the predetermined angle, and
- the waveguides are substantially coupled at their first ends and at their second ends, and substantially uncoupled therebetween such that a single wavefront of optical energy incident upon the first ends is transformed within the waveguides to a plurality of substantially uncoupled propagating waves, and the plurality of uncoupled propagating waves is transformed into substantially a single propagating wavefront before reaching the second ends.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.