Apparatus and method for directing optical signals using a movable optical switching element
AssigneeAgilent Technologies, Inc.
InventorShih-Yuan Wang
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Abstract
An improved optical switch includes a movable optical switching element configured to selectively direct optical signals traveling in an optical input path to one of at least two optical output paths. The movable optical switching element may include waveguide portions and/or mirrors to direct the optical signals. In an alternative embodiment, the moveable optical switching element may include waveguide grating couplers to allow the selective reflection of a particular wavelength of light from an optical waveguide carrying a number of such of optical wavelengths.
Claims7
A method for selectively directing an optical signal, comprising the steps of:
- providing an optical input path;
- providing an optical switching element on a rotatable turntable;
- directing the optical signal from said optical input path to said movable optical switching element disposed in said optical input path;
- and
- selectively rotating said rotatable turntable to cause said optical switching element to direct said optical signal to one of at least three optical output paths, where at least two of the three optical output paths are non-orthogonal to the optical input path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.