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US 7,099,086 B2Granted
Wavelength division multiplexing system and method using reconfigurable diffraction grating
AssigneeInterScience, Inc.
InventorMikhail A. Gutin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improvement in a wavelength division multiplexer and/or a dense wavelength division multiplexer (WDM/DWDM) is achieved by incorporating an electronically reconfigurable diffraction grating (108). The introduction of the electronically reconfigurable diffraction grating (108), which is typically fabricated using MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) technology, improves the compact design, durability, and dynamic functionality of the WDM/DWDM system.
Claims24
A combined optical wavelength division multiplexing and optical switching system, comprising:
- a reconfigurable diffraction grating (108) diffracting at least one input light beam (106) into diffracted light beams of N wavebands (110, 112, 114, 116) wherein N is an integer greater than zero;
- and further diffracting each of said input light beams (106) into diffracted light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) across X diffraction orders wherein X is an integer greater than zero, for each of said N wavebands;
- at least X sets of at least N light output means (140,144) each, each one of said X sets corresponding with one of said X diffraction orders, and for each said diffraction order, each one of said N light output means (120, 122) corresponding with one of said N wavebands at said order;
- wherein:
- said N is greater than one;
- said X is greater than one;
- for each given one of said X diffraction orders, all of the diffracted light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) of a given one of said N wavebands, from all of said input light beams (106), are focused on the one of said N light output means (120, 122) corresponding with said given waveband within the one of said X sets of output means corresponding with said given one of said X diffraction orders;
- diffraction beams (256) of said reconfigurable diffraction grating (108) are selectively movable relatively to one another;
- and
- said reconfigurable diffraction grating (108) is reconfigurable to optically switch at least one specified waveband to a specified subset of said output means (120, 122) corresponding with a specified subset of said diffraction orders.
7 more elements
A combined optical wavelength division multiplexing and optical switching system, comprising:
- a reconfigurable diffraction grating (108) diffracting at least one input light beam (106) into diffracted light beams of N wavebands (110, 112, 114, 116) wherein N is an integer greater than zero;
- and further diffracting each of said input light beams (106) into diffracted light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) across X diffraction orders wherein X is an integer greater than zero, for each of said N wavebands;
- at least X optical detectors (142, 146), each one of said X optical detectors (142, 146) corresponding with and detecting diffracted light (110, 112, 114, 116) from one of said X diffraction orders, wherein:
- said N is greater than one;
- said X is greater than one;
- for each given one of said X diffraction orders, all of the diffracted light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) at said given diffraction order, from all of said input light beams (106), are focused on the optical detector (142) corresponding with said given diffraction order;
- for each given one of said X diffraction orders, all of the diffracted light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) of a given one of said N wavebands, from all of said input light beams (106), are focused on one of at least N light output regions (120, 122) of the optical detector (140) corresponding with said given diffraction order
- diffraction beams (256) of said reconfigurable diffraction grating (108) are selectively movable relatively to one another;
- and
- said reconfigurable diffraction grating (108) is reconfigurable to optically switch at least one specified waveband to a specified subset of said optical detectors (142, 146) corresponding with a specified subset of said diffraction orders.
7 more elements
A method of optical wavelength division multiplexing in combination with optical switching, comprising the steps of:
- diffracting at least one input light beam (106) into diffracted light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) of N wavebands wherein N is an integer greater than zero, by selectively moving diffraction beams (256) of a reconfigurable diffraction grating (108) relatively to one another;
- further diffracting each of said input light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) 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 (108);
- providing at least X sets of at least N light output means (140) each, each one of said X sets corresponding with one of said X diffraction orders, and for each said diffraction order, each one of said N light output means (140) corresponding with one of said N wavebands at said order;
- for each given one of said X diffraction orders, focusing all of the diffracted light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) of a given one of said N wavebands, from all of said input light beams (106), on the one of said N light output means (140) corresponding with said given waveband within the one of said X sets of output means (140) corresponding with said given one of said X diffraction orders;
- and
- optically switching at least one specified waveband to a specified subset of said output means (120, 122) corresponding with a specified subset of said diffraction orders by reconfiguring said reconfigurable diffraction grating (108);
- wherein:
- said N is greater than one;
- and
- said X is greater than one.
7 more elements
A method of optical wavelength division multiplexing in combination with optical switching, comprising the steps of:
- diffracting at least one input light beam (106) into diffracted light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) of N wavebands wherein N is an integer greater than zero, by selectively moving diffraction beams (256) of a reconfigurable diffraction grating (108) relatively to one another;
- further diffracting each of said input light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) 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 (108);
- providing at least X optical detectors (142, 146), each one of said X optical detectors (142, 146) corresponding with and detecting diffracted light (110, 112, 114, 116) from one of said X diffraction orders;
- for each given one of said X diffraction orders, focusing all of the diffracted light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) at said given diffraction order, from all of said input light beams (106), on the optical detector (142) corresponding with said given diffraction order;
- for each given one of said X diffraction orders, focusing all of the diffracted light beams (110, 112, 114, 116) of a given one of said N wavebands, from all of said input light beams (106), on one of at least N light output regions (120, 122) of the optical detector (142) corresponding with said given diffraction order;
- and
- optically switching at least one specified waveband to a specified subset of said optical detectors (142, 146) corresponding with a specified subset of said diffraction orders by reconfiguring said reconfigurable diffraction grating (108);
- wherein:
- said N is greater than one;
- and
- said X is greater than one.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.