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US 6,243,517 B1Granted
Channel-switched cross-connect
AssigneeSparkolor Corporation
InventorDavid A. G. Deacon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The different embodiments of the invention include tunable add-drop and cross connect devices. The add-drop and cross connect devices include materials with negative dependence of refractive index on temperature and temperature independent coincidence between resonator modes and a set of specified frequencies, e.g. for DWDM telecommunications channels. The free spectral range may be adjusted to equal a rational fraction of the specified frequency interval. The operating frequency may be selected without substantially tuning the cavity modes. This can be accomplished by means of a waveguide pair with differential thermal response.
Claims27
A grating coupled add-drop device comprising:
- a resonator having a round trip optical path characterized by a round trip optical length defining a free spectral range and a plurality of longitudinal resonator mode frequencies;
- an intracavity waveguide segment disposed along the optical path of said resonator, said intracavity waveguide having an effective refractive index that is substantially independent of a variation in temperature;
- a thermo-optic waveguide segment disposed adjacent said intracavity waveguide, said thermo-optic waveguide having a temperature dependent refractive index;
- a resistive heater electrode characterized by a temperature thermally coupled to said thermo-optic waveguide;
- a grating disposed in overlapping relation with a light beam propagating in said thermo-optic waveguide and inducing a grating coupling between said intracavity and thermo-optic waveguides, wherein a grating frequency of the grating coupling is tuned by the variation in temperature and at least a first resonator mode frequency is substantially independent of the variation in temperature, and
- an external waveguide segment disposed adjacent the optical path of said resonator and optically coupled to said resonator in a broadband parallel coupler arrangement.
3 more elements
A grating coupled optical cross connect comprising:
- a resonator having a round trip optical path characterized by a round trip optical length defining a free spectral range and a plurality of longitudinal resonator mode frequencies;
- a first intracavity waveguide segment disposed along the optical path of the resonator, said first intracavity waveguide having a first effective refractive index that is substantially independent of a first variation in temperature;
- a first thermo-optic waveguide segment disposed adjacent said first intracavity waveguide, said first thermo-optic waveguide having a first temperature dependent refractive index;
- a first resistive heater electrode characterized by a first temperature disposed adjacent said first thermo-optic waveguide and thermally coupled for heating said first intracavity and thermo-optic waveguides;
- a first grating disposed in overlapping relation with light propagating in said first intracavity and thermo-optic waveguides and inducing a first grating coupling between said first intracavity and thermo-optic waveguides, wherein a first grating frequency of the first grating coupling is tuned by the first variation in the first electrode temperature and at least a first resonator mode frequency is substantially independent of the first variation in the first electrode temperature;
- a second intracavity waveguide segment disposed along the optical path of the resonator, said second intracavity waveguide having a second effective refractive index that is substantially independent of a second variation in temperature;
- a second thermo-optic waveguide segment disposed adjacent said second intracavity waveguide, said second thermo-optic waveguide having a second temperature dependent refractive index;
- a second resistive heater electrode characterized by a second temperature disposed adjacent said second thermo-optic waveguide and thermally coupled for heating said second intracavity and thermo-optic waveguides;
- a second grating disposed in overlapping relation with light propagating in said second intracavity and thermo-optic waveguides and inducing a second grating coupling between said second intracavity and thermo-optic waveguides, wherein a second grating frequency of the second grating coupling is tuned by the second variation in the second electrode temperature and the first resonator mode frequency is substantially independent of the second variation in the second electrode temperature.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.