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US 6,421,179 B1Granted
Wavelength division multiplexing system and method using a reconfigurable diffraction grating
AssigneeInterScience, Inc.
InventorsMikhail A. Gutin, James Castracane
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Abstract
The present invention provides an improvement in a wavelength division multiplexer and/or a dense wavelength division multiplexer (WDM/DWDM) by incorporating an electronically reconfigurable diffraction grating. The introduction of the electronically reconfigurable diffraction grating, which is typically fabricated using MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) technology, improves the compact design, durability, and dynamic functionality of the WDM/DWDM system.
Claims66
An optical wavelength division multiplexing system, comprising:
- a reconfigurable diffraction grating diffracting at least one input light beam into diffracted light beams of N wavebands wherein N is an integer greater than zero;
- and further diffracting each of said input light beams into diffracted light beams across X diffraction orders wherein X is an integer greater than zero, for each of said N wavebands;
- wherein
- X is greater than one and said X diffraction orders include at least one diffraction order other than a first diffraction order of said reconfigurable diffraction grating.
1 more element
A method of optical wavelength division multiplexing, comprising the steps of:
- diffracting at least one input light beam into diffracted light beams of N wavebands wherein N is an integer greater than zero, using a reconfigurable diffraction grating;
- and further diffracting each of said input light beams into diffracted light beams across X diffraction orders wherein X is an integer greater than zero, for each of said N wavebands, also using said reconfigurable diffraction grating;
- wherein
- X is greater than one and said X diffraction orders include at least one diffraction order other than a first diffraction order of said reconfigurable diffraction grating.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.