Multi-port circulator
AssigneeOplink Communications, Inc.
InventorWei-Zhong Li
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An extendable four-port circulator includes a middle birefringent crystal, a first birefringent crystal, a first non-reciprocal device, a second birefringent crystal, and a second non-reciprocal device. The first non-reciprocal device is coupled to the first birefringent crystal. The second non-reciprocal device is coupled to the second birefringent crystal. The middle birefringent crystal includes a first surface, a second surface, a third surface, and a fourth surface. The first surface is coupled to the first non-reciprocal device. The second surface is coupled to the second non-reciprocal device. The third surface defines first and second extension interfaces. The fourth surface defines third and fourth extension interfaces. A multi-port circulator includes at least one extendable four-port circulator.
Claims11
An extendable four-port circulator comprising:
- a first port;
- a second port;
- a third port;
- a fourth port;
- a first extension interface;
- wherein a signal provided to the first port exits at the second port,
- a signal provided to the second port exits at the third port,
- a signal provided to the third port exits at the fourth port and
- a signal provided to the first extension interface exits at the first port.
An optical circulator system comprising:
- a plurality optical circulator modules, each optical circulator module comprising
- a first port;
- a second port;
- a third port;
- a fourth port;
- a first extension interface;
- a second extension interface;
- each optical circulator module configured such that
- a signal provided to the first port exits at the second port,
- a signal provided to the second port exits at the third port,
- a signal provided to the third port exits at the fourth port,
- a signal provided to the first extension interface exits at the first port, and
- a signal provided to the fourth port exits at the second extension interface, and
- a first optical circulator module's second extension interface communicates with a second adjacent optical circulator module's first extension interface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.