US20020061160A1 - Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch - Google Patents
Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20020061160A1 US20020061160A1 US09/928,237 US92823701A US2002061160A1 US 20020061160 A1 US20020061160 A1 US 20020061160A1 US 92823701 A US92823701 A US 92823701A US 2002061160 A1 US2002061160 A1 US 2002061160A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- wavelength dispersive
- optic
- fiber optic
- fiber
- dispersive element
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 title claims description 50
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 claims description 114
- 239000013307 optical fiber Substances 0.000 claims 5
- 238000003491 array Methods 0.000 abstract description 31
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 abstract description 3
- 238000003745 diagnosis Methods 0.000 abstract description 2
- 239000011159 matrix material Substances 0.000 description 18
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 14
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 13
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 10
- 239000010410 layer Substances 0.000 description 8
- 238000005459 micromachining Methods 0.000 description 8
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 7
- 230000010287 polarization Effects 0.000 description 7
- 229910052705 radium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 7
- HCWPIIXVSYCSAN-UHFFFAOYSA-N radium atom Chemical compound [Ra] HCWPIIXVSYCSAN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 7
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 5
- 230000035945 sensitivity Effects 0.000 description 5
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 5
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 4
- 229910021420 polycrystalline silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 229920005591 polysilicon Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 4
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000002356 single layer Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000003990 capacitor Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000006880 cross-coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000004744 fabric Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000003595 spectral effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012790 confirmation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000011161 development Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000916 dilatatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005686 electrostatic field Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004973 liquid crystal related substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004806 packaging method and process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011160 research Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000002269 spontaneous effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001360 synchronised effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000026676 system process Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04Q—SELECTING
- H04Q11/00—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems
- H04Q11/0001—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems using optical switching
- H04Q11/0005—Switch and router aspects
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01J—MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY
- G01J3/00—Spectrometry; Spectrophotometry; Monochromators; Measuring colours
- G01J3/28—Investigating the spectrum
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/351—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements
- G02B6/3512—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror
- G02B6/3516—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror the reflective optical element moving along the beam path, e.g. controllable diffractive effects using multiple micromirrors within the beam
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/351—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements
- G02B6/3512—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror
- G02B6/3518—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror the reflective optical element being an intrinsic part of a MEMS device, i.e. fabricated together with the MEMS device
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/354—Switching arrangements, i.e. number of input/output ports and interconnection types
- G02B6/356—Switching arrangements, i.e. number of input/output ports and interconnection types in an optical cross-connect device, e.g. routing and switching aspects of interconnecting different paths propagating different wavelengths to (re)configure the various input and output links
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/3592—Means for removing polarization dependence of the switching means, i.e. polarization insensitive switching
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/32—Optical coupling means having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/351—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements
- G02B6/3512—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/351—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements
- G02B6/3534—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements the optical element being diffractive, i.e. a grating
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/354—Switching arrangements, i.e. number of input/output ports and interconnection types
- G02B6/3542—Non-blocking switch, e.g. with multiple potential paths between multiple inputs and outputs, the establishment of one switching path not preventing the establishment of further switching paths
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/354—Switching arrangements, i.e. number of input/output ports and interconnection types
- G02B6/3544—2D constellations, i.e. with switching elements and switched beams located in a plane
- G02B6/3546—NxM switch, i.e. a regular array of switches elements of matrix type constellation
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/354—Switching arrangements, i.e. number of input/output ports and interconnection types
- G02B6/3554—3D constellations, i.e. with switching elements and switched beams located in a volume
- G02B6/3556—NxM switch, i.e. regular arrays of switches elements of matrix type constellation
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/3564—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details
- G02B6/3566—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details involving bending a beam, e.g. with cantilever
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/3564—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details
- G02B6/3568—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details characterised by the actuating force
- G02B6/357—Electrostatic force
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/3564—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details
- G02B6/3582—Housing means or package or arranging details of the switching elements, e.g. for thermal isolation
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
- G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
- G02B6/3564—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details
- G02B6/3584—Mechanical details of the actuation mechanism associated with the moving element or mounting mechanism details constructional details of an associated actuator having a MEMS construction, i.e. constructed using semiconductor technology such as etching
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04Q—SELECTING
- H04Q11/00—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems
- H04Q11/0001—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems using optical switching
- H04Q11/0005—Switch and router aspects
- H04Q2011/0007—Construction
- H04Q2011/0024—Construction using space switching
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04Q—SELECTING
- H04Q11/00—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems
- H04Q11/0001—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems using optical switching
- H04Q11/0005—Switch and router aspects
- H04Q2011/0007—Construction
- H04Q2011/0026—Construction using free space propagation (e.g. lenses, mirrors)
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04Q—SELECTING
- H04Q11/00—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems
- H04Q11/0001—Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems using optical switching
- H04Q11/0062—Network aspects
- H04Q2011/0079—Operation or maintenance aspects
- H04Q2011/0083—Testing; Monitoring
Definitions
- This invention relates to a cross-connect switch for fiber-optic communication networks including wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks, and more particularly to such an optical switch using a matrix of individually tiltable micro-mirrors.
- WDM wavelength division multiplexed
- Multi-port, multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switches with characteristics of large cross-talk rejection and flat passband response have been desired for use in wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) networks.
- WDM wavelength-division multiplexed
- Four-port multi-wavelength cross-bar switches based on the acousto-optic tunable filter have been described (“Integrated Acoustically-tuned Optical Filters for Filtering and Switching Applications,” D. A. Smith, et al., IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings, IEEE, New York, 1991, pp. 547-558), but they presently suffer from certain fundamental limitations including poor cross-talk rejection and an inability to be easily scaled to a larger number of ports.
- Another object of the invention to provide such an optical switch which can be produced by known technology.
- Another object of this invention to provide such an optical switch with high performance characteristics such as basic low loss, high cross-talk rejection and flat passband characteristics.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using two arrays of actuated mirrors to switch or rearrange signals from N input fibers onto N output fibers, where the number of fibers, N, can be two, or substantially larger than 2.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using 1-D arrays of actuated mirrors.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using 2-D arrays of actuated mirrors.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using mirror arrays (1-D or 2-D) fabricated using micromachining technology.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using mirror arrays (1-D or 2-D) fabricated using polysilicon surface micromachining technology.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using arrays (1-D or 2-D) of micromirrors suspended by torsion bars and fabricated using polysilicon surface micromachining technology.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch with no lens or other beam forming or imaging optical device or system between the mirror arrays.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using macroscopic optical elements to image or position the optical beams from the input fibers onto the mirror arrays, and likewise using macroscopic optical elements to image or position the optical beams from the mirror arrays onto the output fibers.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using microoptics to image or position the optical beams from the input fibers onto the mirror arrays, and likewise using microoptics to image or position the optical beams from the mirror arrays onto the output fibers.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using a combination of macrooptics and microoptics to image or position the optical beams from the input fibers onto the mirror arrays, and likewise using combination of macrooptics and microoptics to image or position the optical beams from the mirror arrays onto the output fibers.
- Another object of invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch in which the components (fibers, gratings, lenses and mirror arrays) are combined or integrated to a working switch using Silicon-Optical-Bench technology.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using 2-D arrays of actuated mirrors and dispersive elements to switch or rearrange signals from N input fibers onto N output fibers in such a fashion that the separate wavelength channels on each input fiber are switched independently.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch as described above, using diffraction gratings as wavelength dispersive elements.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch as described above, using micromachined diffraction gratings as wavelength dispersive elements.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using fiber Bragg gratings as wavelength dispersive elements.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using prisms as wavelength dispersive elements.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic based MEMS switched spectrometer that does not require mechanical motion of bulk components nor large diode arrays, with readout capability for WDM network diagnosis.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic based MEMS switched spectrometer that does not require mechanical motion of bulk components nor large diode arrays, with readout capability for general purpose spectroscopic applications.
- An optical switch embodying this invention may be characterized as comprising a wavelength dispersive element, such as a grating, and a stack of regular (non-wavelength selective) cross bar switches using a pair of two-dimensional arrays of micromachined, electrically actuated, controlled deflection micro-mirrors for providing multiport switching capability for a plurality of wavelengths.
- a wavelength dispersive element such as a grating
- a stack of regular (non-wavelength selective) cross bar switches using a pair of two-dimensional arrays of micromachined, electrically actuated, controlled deflection micro-mirrors for providing multiport switching capability for a plurality of wavelengths.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical switch in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a single layer of the switching matrix portion of the optical switch shown in FIG. 1.
- FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of a row of individually tiltable micro-mirrors employed in the switch array portion of the optical switch shown in FIG. 1.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing switching matrix geometry in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a grating made in silicon by anisotropic etching.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment of the optical switch shown in FIG. 1 employing a mirror in the symmetry plane.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a single layer of the switching matrix portion of the optical switch shown in FIG. 6.
- FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a WDM spectrometer employing an optical switch in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 1 through FIG. 8 where like reference numerals denote like parts. It will be appreciated that the apparatus may vary as to configuration and as to details of the parts without departing from the basic concepts as disclosed herein.
- the wavelength channels 12 a, 12 b, 12 c of three input fibers 14 a, 14 b, 14 c are collimated and spatially dispersed by a first (or input) diffraction grating-lens system 16 .
- the grating-lens system 16 separates the wavelength channels in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper, and the dispersed wavelength channels are then focused onto a corresponding layer 18 a, 18 b, 18 c of a spatial micromechanical switching matrix 20 .
- the spatially reorganized wavelength channels are finally collimated and recombined by a second (or output) diffraction grating-lens system 22 onto three output fibers 24 a, 24 b, 24 c.
- the input and output lens systems are each composed of a lenslet array 26 ( 32 ) and a pair of bulk lenses 28 , 30 ( 34 , 36 ) such that the spot size and the spot separation on the switching matrix 20 can be individually controlled.
- Two quarter-wave plates 38 , 40 are inserted symmetrically around the micromechanical switching matrix 20 to compensate for the polarization sensitivity of the gratings 42 , 44 , respectively.
- FIG. 2 a schematic plan view of a single layer 18 a of the switching matrix 20 of FIG. 1 is shown.
- six micromirrors 46 a through 46 f are arranged in two arrays 48 a, 48 b that can be individually controlled so as to optically “couple” any of the three input fibers 14 a, 14 b, 14 c to any of the three output fibers 24 a, 24 b, 24 c.
- FIG. 3 an example of the structural configuration of a row of individually tiltable micromirrors on the switch array can be seen. As shown in FIG.
- each mirror 46 a 46 b, 46 c is suspended by a pair of torsion bars or flexing beams 50 a, 50 b attached to posts 52 a, 52 b, respectively.
- each mirror also includes a landing electrode 54 on which the mirrors land when they are deflected all the way down to the substrate.
- the advantages of this switching matrix arrangement include low cross talk because cross coupling between channels must go through two mirrors, both of which are set up to reject cross talk, low polarization sensitivity, and scalability to larger numbers of input fibers than two (which is the limit for polarization-based switches).
- the preferred fabrication technology for the micromirror arrays is surface micromachining as disclosed, for example, in Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B, Vol. 6, pp. 1809-1813,1988 because they can be made by this method as small as the optical design will allow, they can be batch-fabricated inexpensively, they can be integrated with on-chip micromachinery from materials such as polysilicon and they can be miniaturized so as to reduce the cost of packaging.
- FIG. 4 shows an example of two mirror arrays 56 a, 56 b where each array comprises a plurality of mirrors, Na through Nn.
- the basic parameters are the Gaussian beam radium ( ⁇ 0 ) at the center of the switch, the mirror size in the horizontal direction (s), the distance between the mirror arrays (p), the incident angle on the mirror arrays ( ⁇ ), and the maximum deflection of the micromirrors (t).
- Conditions that must be satisfied include: (i) the optical beams must be sufficiently separated on the mirrors to keep cross-talk at reasonable levels; (ii) the sizes of the arrays must be small enough such that no shadowing occurs; and (iii) the path length differences through the switch must not introduce significant variations in insertion loss.
- N 1+ ⁇ 4 ⁇ cos ⁇ / C 2 ⁇ t
- the minimum mirror separation in the wavelength-channel dimension may be smaller than the mirror separation s given above by the factor of cos ⁇ because the mirrors are not tilted in that direction.
- ⁇ g C w ⁇ 2 /2 ⁇ tan ⁇ c
- C ⁇ w is the ratio of beam separation to beam radium in the wavelength dimension
- ⁇ is the wavelength separation between channels
- ⁇ c is the incident angle (which equals the diffraction angle in the Littrow configuration).
- C w 5.2 (25 micron beam radium and 130 micron wavelength-channel separation)
- k 1.55 micron
- ⁇ 1.6 nm (“the MONET standard”)
- ⁇ c 45 degrees
- ⁇ g is 1 .2 mm (the order of diffraction m being 1).
- the long side of the grating perpendicular to the grooves must be on the order of 5.3 mm and the focal length f 2 of the second lens (the one between the grating and the microswitches) should be about 60.8 mm.
- the magnification of the input plane onto the switching matrix is given by the ratio of the length f 2 of the second lens to the focal length f 1 of the first lens (e.g., lens 28 between the lenslets 26 and grating 42 ).
- the role of the lenslet is to allow a different magnification for the mode size and for the mode spacing.
- the mode radius therefore must be magnified 5.9 times more than the mode spacing. This can be accomplished in several ways.
- lenslets are used to magnify the fiber modes without changing the mode separation.
- the lenslets are placed less than one focal length in front of the fibers to form an imaginary magnified image of the fiber mode.
- the lenslet diameters should be comparable to or smaller than the fiber diameter, allowing the minimum fiber separation and a short focal length of the first lens to be maintained.
- the fiber mode is expanded adiabatically over the last part of its length by a heat treatment so as to out-diffuse the core. Mode size increase on the order of 4 times can be accomplished.
- the fibers are thinned down or microprisms are used to bring the modes closer together without changing the mode size.
- the first two methods require the same magnification or reduction of the input field.
- the switching matrix design shown is compatible with the MUMP (the Multiuser Micro Electro-Mechanical System Process at the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina) and its design rules.
- the full switching matrix includes two arrays each with eight rows of the mirrors shown. The mirrors are actuated by an electrostatic field applied between the mirror and an electrode underneath (not shown). Each of the mirrors in the switching matrix has three states, but the mirrors in the three rows do not operate identically.
- the central mirror may send the beam to either side, while the outer mirrors only deflect to one side.
- the two on the sides are mirror images of each other, the center mirror being either in the flat state (no voltage applied) or brought down to the point where it touches the substrate on either side.
- the electrode under the central mirror is split in two to allow it to tilt either way.
- the side mirrors also have a state that is half way between the flat state and the fully pulled-down state. This may be achieved by having continuous control over the mirror angles. Although this is complicated by the electromechanical instability of parallel plate capacitors because, as the voltage on the plates is increased, the capacitance goes up and this leads to a spontaneous pulling down of the mirror when the voltage is increased past a certain value, this effect can be avoided either by controlling the charge rather than the voltage on the capacitors, or by using an electrode geometry that pushes the instability point past the angle to be accessed. Charge control utilizes the full range of motion of the mirrors but complicates the driver circuitry for the switch. It may be preferable to use electrode geometry to achieve the required number of states.
- the mirror size has a lower limit imposed by the minimum cross section that can be defined in this process.
- the flexing beams must be kept short. The shorter the flexing beam, the larger the mirrors must be for the electrostatic force to be able to pull the mirrors down. Calculations show that the two side mirrors have the required angle when pulled down if use is made of beams that are 15 to 20 micron long, depending on the exact value of the material constants. For the voltage requirement to be acceptable, the mirror size must be on the order of 100 ⁇ 100 micron.
- the beams of the central mirror may be slightly longer, the maximum angle for the central mirror being half that of the side mirrors.
- the geometry as shown in FIG. 3 ensures that the side mirrors can be tilted to half their maximum angles before reaching the electrostatic instability.
- the corresponding resonance frequencies are on the order of 20 to 50 Khz.
- FIG. 3 shows one of 8 layers of micromirrors in the switching matrix described above; that is, the mirrors are separated by 110 micron in the horizontal (fiber-channel) direction and by 130 micron in the vertical (wavelength-channel) direction. Two such arrays make up a switching matrix as shown in FIG. 2.
- the mirrors are shown on landing electrodes, that are shorted to the mirrors, when deflected all the way down to the substrate. Addressing lines and shorts are not shown in FIG. 3.
- the whole switch may be fabricated in so-called silicon-optical bench technology.
- the lenses, the switching arrays and the in/out modules may be integrated, but commercially available dielectric gratings are too bulky for this technology.
- Microgratings may be developed, based on anisotropic etching of silicon. Etching of the ⁇ 100> surface of silicon through rectangular etch masks that are aligned with the [111] directions of the substrate, creates V-shaped grooves defined by the ⁇ 111> crystallographic planes of silicon.
- An array of such V-grooves 56 constitutes a grating that can be used in the Littrow configuration as shown in FIG. 5.
- the spacing between grooves can be made arbitrarily small (e.g., 1 micron) by under-etching the mask and subsequently removing this layer.
- the Littrow angle which is determined by the crystalline planes of silicon, is equal to 54.7 degrees.
- V-grooves with this spacing can be easily patterned and etched by using standard micromachining technology.
- V-groove gratings fabricated in this way can be metallized and used as gratings directly, or be used as a mold for polysilicon microgratings that can be rotated out of the plane by using micro-hinges.
- a potentially very important additional advantage of higher-order gratings, as described here, is the reduced polarization sensitivity as compared to first-order gratings. Since the periodicity is much larger than the wavelength, the diffraction will be close to being independent of polarization. Still, two wave plates may be used to compensate for residual polarization sensitivity due to oblique angle reflections.
- the fiber-optic switch being symmetric about it's center, can be implemented with a symmetry mirror 58 in the symmetry plane 60 .
- This essentially cuts the component count in half.
- the output channels may either be on the input fibers and separable by optical rotators (not shown) or on a separate output fiber array (not shown) that is placed above the input array. In the latter case, the micromirror array 62 and the symmetry mirror 58 are slightly tilted about an axis, such that the light is directed to the output fiber array.
- the fiber-optic switch of the present invention can serve network functions other than a traditional N ⁇ N ⁇ M (where M is the number of wavelengths in a WDM system).
- the fiber-optic switch of the present invention can be used in connection with diagnostic tools for WDM networks.
- WDM network management systems and software require knowledge of the state of the entire network. Knowledge of the state of the many distributed optical channels is especially important. The manager requires confirmation of whether or not a channel is active, it power and how much a channel optical frequency has drifted as well as the noise power level. Furthermore, this knowledge permits management software to identify, isolate, and potentially rectify or route around physical layer faults.
- FIG. 8 an in-line WDM spectrometer 64 in accordance with the present invention is shown.
- WDM optical signals 66 emanating from an input fiber 68 would be collimated and diffracted from the grating 70 forming a high resolution spatially dispersed spectrum at the lens 72 focal plane.
- a single MEMS switch array 74 would be placed at the lens focal plane, thus permitting the deflection of individual optical channels or portions of a channel by one or more mirrors in the array.
- a quarter-wave plate 76 is inserted symmetrically around the switching array 74 to compensate for the polarization sensitivity of the gratings 70 .
- a single infrared diode detector 78 and focusing lens would be placed in the return path of the reflected, and suitably displaced, return beam after a second grating diffraction from grating 70 .
- a full spectrum can then obtained by scanning a deflection across the mirror array. Hence, a synchronized readout of the single photo diode yields the full spectrum to the management software.
- the input fiber 68 and output fiber 80 can be arranged in a variety of ways. For example, they can be arranged side by side in the plane as shown in FIG. 8. An alternative would be to place the output fiber over or under the input fiber. A further alternative would be to use the same fiber for the input and output paths, and separate the signals using an optical circulator or the like.
- the micromirror array 74 is preferably a one-dimensional array with one mirror per wavelength. Each mirror would thus operate in one of two states; the mirror either sends its corresponding wavelength to the output fiber 78 or is tilted (actuated) so that its corresponding wavelength is sent to the detector 76 . In normal operation, only one of the mirrors is set up to deflect its wavelength to the detector.
- the beam radius in the switching matrix may be reduced.
- the micromachining technology may be improved to place the mirrors closer.
- the posts (as shown in FIG. 3) and addressing lines may be moved under the mirrors to reduce the beam radium on the grating by a factor of 1.2.
- the focal lengths of the lenses can be reduced by a factor of 1.7.
- advanced designs may reduce the number of required components.
- the switch may be designed so as to be foldable about its symmetry point such that the same lenses and the same grating will be used both on the input and output sides.
Abstract
A cross-connect switch for fiber-optic communication networks employing a wavelength dispersive element, such as a grating, and a stack of regular (non-wavelength selective) cross bar switches using two-dimensional arrays of micromachined, electrically actuated, individually-tiltable, controlled deflection micro-mirrors for providing multiport switching capability for a plurality of wavelengths. Using a one-dimensional micromirror array, a fiber-optic based MEMS switched spectrometer that does not require mechanical motion of bulk components or large diode arrays can be constructed with readout capability for WDM network diagnosis or for general purpose spectroscopic applications.
Description
- This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application serial No. 60/038,172 filed on Feb. 13, 1997.
- Not Applicable
- Not Applicable
- 1 . Field of the Invention
- This invention relates to a cross-connect switch for fiber-optic communication networks including wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks, and more particularly to such an optical switch using a matrix of individually tiltable micro-mirrors.
- 2. Description of the Background Art
- Multi-port, multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switches with characteristics of large cross-talk rejection and flat passband response have been desired for use in wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) networks. Four-port multi-wavelength cross-bar switches based on the acousto-optic tunable filter have been described (“Integrated Acoustically-tuned Optical Filters for Filtering and Switching Applications,” D. A. Smith, et al., IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings, IEEE, New York, 1991, pp. 547-558), but they presently suffer from certain fundamental limitations including poor cross-talk rejection and an inability to be easily scaled to a larger number of ports. Attempts are being made to address to this problem by dilating the switch fabric, both in wavelength and in switch number, to provide improved cross-talk rejection and to expand the number of switched ports so as to provide an add-drop capability to the 2×2 switch fabric. This strategy, however, adds to switch complexity and cost. Recently, Patel and Silberberg disclosed a device employing compactly packaged, free-space optical paths that admit multiple WDM channels spatially differentiated by gratings and lenses (“Liquid Crystal and Grating-Based Multiple-Wavelength Cross-Connect Switch,” IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 7, pp. 514-516, 1995). This device, however, is limited to four (2×2) ports since it relies on the two-state nature of polarized light.
- It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch which is scalable in port number beyond 2×2.
- Another object of the invention to provide such an optical switch which can be produced by known technology.
- Another object of this invention to provide such an optical switch with high performance characteristics such as basic low loss, high cross-talk rejection and flat passband characteristics.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using two arrays of actuated mirrors to switch or rearrange signals from N input fibers onto N output fibers, where the number of fibers, N, can be two, or substantially larger than 2.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using 1-D arrays of actuated mirrors.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using 2-D arrays of actuated mirrors.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using mirror arrays (1-D or 2-D) fabricated using micromachining technology.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using mirror arrays (1-D or 2-D) fabricated using polysilicon surface micromachining technology.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using arrays (1-D or 2-D) of micromirrors suspended by torsion bars and fabricated using polysilicon surface micromachining technology.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch with no lens or other beam forming or imaging optical device or system between the mirror arrays.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using macroscopic optical elements to image or position the optical beams from the input fibers onto the mirror arrays, and likewise using macroscopic optical elements to image or position the optical beams from the mirror arrays onto the output fibers.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using microoptics to image or position the optical beams from the input fibers onto the mirror arrays, and likewise using microoptics to image or position the optical beams from the mirror arrays onto the output fibers.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using a combination of macrooptics and microoptics to image or position the optical beams from the input fibers onto the mirror arrays, and likewise using combination of macrooptics and microoptics to image or position the optical beams from the mirror arrays onto the output fibers.
- Another object of invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch in which the components (fibers, gratings, lenses and mirror arrays) are combined or integrated to a working switch using Silicon-Optical-Bench technology.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using 2-D arrays of actuated mirrors and dispersive elements to switch or rearrange signals from N input fibers onto N output fibers in such a fashion that the separate wavelength channels on each input fiber are switched independently.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch as described above, using diffraction gratings as wavelength dispersive elements.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch as described above, using micromachined diffraction gratings as wavelength dispersive elements.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using fiber Bragg gratings as wavelength dispersive elements.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic switch using prisms as wavelength dispersive elements.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic based MEMS switched spectrometer that does not require mechanical motion of bulk components nor large diode arrays, with readout capability for WDM network diagnosis.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a fiber-optic based MEMS switched spectrometer that does not require mechanical motion of bulk components nor large diode arrays, with readout capability for general purpose spectroscopic applications.
- Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodiments of the invention without placing limitations thereon.
- An optical switch embodying this invention, with which the above and other objects can be accomplished, may be characterized as comprising a wavelength dispersive element, such as a grating, and a stack of regular (non-wavelength selective) cross bar switches using a pair of two-dimensional arrays of micromachined, electrically actuated, controlled deflection micro-mirrors for providing multiport switching capability for a plurality of wavelengths.
- The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical switch in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a single layer of the switching matrix portion of the optical switch shown in FIG. 1.
- FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of a row of individually tiltable micro-mirrors employed in the switch array portion of the optical switch shown in FIG. 1.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing switching matrix geometry in accordance with the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a grating made in silicon by anisotropic etching.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an alternative embodiment of the optical switch shown in FIG. 1 employing a mirror in the symmetry plane.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a single layer of the switching matrix portion of the optical switch shown in FIG. 6.
- FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a WDM spectrometer employing an optical switch in accordance with the present invention.
- Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposes the present invention is embodied in the apparatus generally shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 8, where like reference numerals denote like parts. It will be appreciated that the apparatus may vary as to configuration and as to details of the parts without departing from the basic concepts as disclosed herein.
- Referring first to FIG. 1, a multi-port (N×N ports), multi-wavelength (M wavelength)
WDM cross-connect switch 10 embodying this invention is schematically shown where, in the example shown, N=3. In thisswitch 10, thewavelength channels input fibers lens system 16. The grating-lens system 16 separates the wavelength channels in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper, and the dispersed wavelength channels are then focused onto acorresponding layer micromechanical switching matrix 20. The spatially reorganized wavelength channels are finally collimated and recombined by a second (or output) diffraction grating-lens system 22 onto threeoutput fibers bulk lenses 28, 30 (34, 36 ) such that the spot size and the spot separation on theswitching matrix 20 can be individually controlled. Two quarter-wave plates micromechanical switching matrix 20 to compensate for the polarization sensitivity of thegratings - Referring now to FIG. 2, a schematic plan view of a
single layer 18 a of theswitching matrix 20 of FIG. 1 is shown. As can be seen in FIG. 2, sixmicromirrors 46 a through 46 f are arranged in twoarrays input fibers output fibers mirror 46 a 46 b, 46 c is suspended by a pair of torsion bars or flexingbeams posts landing electrode 54 on which the mirrors land when they are deflected all the way down to the substrate. - The advantages of this switching matrix arrangement include low cross talk because cross coupling between channels must go through two mirrors, both of which are set up to reject cross talk, low polarization sensitivity, and scalability to larger numbers of input fibers than two (which is the limit for polarization-based switches). The preferred fabrication technology for the micromirror arrays is surface micromachining as disclosed, for example, in Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology B, Vol. 6, pp. 1809-1813,1988 because they can be made by this method as small as the optical design will allow, they can be batch-fabricated inexpensively, they can be integrated with on-chip micromachinery from materials such as polysilicon and they can be miniaturized so as to reduce the cost of packaging.
- Referring now to FIG. 4, there are several factors to consider for designing the switching
matrix 20. FIG. 4 shows an example of twomirror arrays - If a Gaussian-beam formalism is used, the cross coupling of two parallel beams of radius ω0 offset by d is given as exp{-(d/ω0)2}. If this should be less than 40 dB, for example, the ratio C=d/ω0 must be larger than 3. This minimum ratio applies to both fiber-channel (horizontal) separation and wavelength channel (vertical) separation. Since the beam radii are larger at the mirrors due to diffraction than at the focus, the above conclusion does not strictly apply, but it may be required that the spacing of the beams must be at least three times larger than the optical beam radius also at the mirrors. This requirement also reduces the losses due to aperture effects to insignificant levels. The minimum mirror spacing (which is larger or equal to the mirror size) is then expressed as:
- s=Cω/cos β=C(ω0/cos β){1+(λp/2πω0 2)2}½
- where C is a factor greater than 3, ω is the beam size at the mirrors, and λ is the wavelength of the light. This requirement, together with the restrictions on angular deflection, puts an upper limit on the number of fiber channels (=N) in the switch. If the maximum deflection angle is assumed small, the maximum number of channels is:
- N=1+{4πcos β/C 2 λ}t
- The corresponding array separation and mirror spacing are:
- p=2πω0 2/λ
- and
- s=2½ Cω 0/cos β
- If C=3, β=0.3 radian and λ=1.55 micron, N is given by N=1 +0.86 t where t is in micron. The conclusion is that the simple geometry of FIG. 4 can be used to design relatively large switches. Using known surface micromachining techniques, switches with three fiber channels can be fabricated with a total sacrificial layer thickness of 2.75 micron. Larger switching matrices will require thicker sacrificial layers, such as 8.1 micron for N=8 and 17.4 micron for N=16. These thicknesses can be obtained by simply using thicker sacrificial layers or by using out-of-plane structures, or through a combination of these.
- The minimum beam radium ω is determined from the requirement that the first mirror array should not obstruct the beams after they are reflected from the second mirror, and that the second mirror array should not obstruct the beams before they reach the second mirror. If N is maximized, C=3, ⊕=0.3 radian and λ=1.55 micron, the beam radium in micron must be larger than the number of fiber channels, or ω0>N micron. The requirement of maximum path length difference is less restrictive (ω0>0.8(N-1) micron). In general, the mirrors should be made as small as possible because miniaturization of the mirrors leads to increased resonance frequencies, lower voltage requirements and better stability. For N=3, ω0 should preferably be on the order of 3 micron, leading to a mirror spacing of s=13.3 micron. Mirrors of this size, as well as mirrors suitable for larger matrices are easily fabricated by a standard surface micromachining process. This implies that micromachined switching matrices can be scaled to large numbers of fiber channels (e.g., N=16).
- The minimum mirror separation in the wavelength-channel dimension may be smaller than the mirror separation s given above by the factor of cos β because the mirrors are not tilted in that direction. The spacing, however, may be larger because there is no switching in the wavelength direction and there is no maximum angle requirement. It may be preferred to add 20 to 30 micron of space between the mirrors for mirror posts (see FIG. 3) and addressing lines. For a switch with N=3 and s=110 micron, for example, a preferred separation in the wavelength dimension may be on the order of 130 micron. If the Littrow configuration is used, the required size of the Gaussian-beam radium on the grating is:
- ωg =C wλ2/2πΔλtan θc
- where Cωw is the ratio of beam separation to beam radium in the wavelength dimension, Δλ is the wavelength separation between channels and θc is the incident angle (which equals the diffraction angle in the Littrow configuration). With Cw=5.2 (25 micron beam radium and 130 micron wavelength-channel separation), k=1.55 micron, Δλ=1.6 nm (“the MONET standard”) and θc=45 degrees, ωg is 1 .2 mm (the order of diffraction m being 1). This means that the long side of the grating perpendicular to the grooves must be on the order of 5.3 mm and the focal length f2 of the second lens (the one between the grating and the microswitches) should be about 60.8 mm.
- The rotation of the grating about an axis perpendicular to the optical axis and the grating grooves require a corresponding reduction of the grating period by Λ=mλ cos φ(2 sin θ0) where φ is the rotation angle of the grating. If m=1, λ=1.55 micron, θ0=45 degrees and φ=30 degrees, the grating period is 0.95 micron.
- In a simple system without the microlens arrays shown in FIG. 1, the magnification of the input plane onto the switching matrix is given by the ratio of the length f2 of the second lens to the focal length f1 of the first lens (e.g.,
lens 28 between the lenslets 26 and grating 42). The role of the lenslet is to allow a different magnification for the mode size and for the mode spacing. In the optimized geometry described above, the ratio of the mode separation to mode radius is 2{fraction (1/2 )}C=4.24. If the fibers are as close together as practically possible (e.g., 125 micron equal to the fiber diameter), the ratio on the input is 125/5=25. The mode radius therefore must be magnified 5.9 times more than the mode spacing. This can be accomplished in several ways. - According to one method, lenslets are used to magnify the fiber modes without changing the mode separation. The lenslets are placed less than one focal length in front of the fibers to form an imaginary magnified image of the fiber mode. Ideally, the lenslet diameters should be comparable to or smaller than the fiber diameter, allowing the minimum fiber separation and a short focal length of the first lens to be maintained. According to another method, the fiber mode is expanded adiabatically over the last part of its length by a heat treatment so as to out-diffuse the core. Mode size increase on the order of 4 times can be accomplished.
- According to still another method, the fibers are thinned down or microprisms are used to bring the modes closer together without changing the mode size.
- The first two methods require the same magnification or reduction of the input field. The third method has the advantage that less reduction is needed, leading to smaller systems. If N=3, ω0=25 micron, s=110 micron and f2=60.8 mm, the required magnification is 0.84. If lenslets of 125 micron diameter are used, the required focal length f1, of the first lens is 72.4 mm. If lenslets of 200 micron diameter are used, the required magnification is 0.525 and the required focal length f1, of the first lens is 115.8 mm.
- Parameters of a switch according to one embodiment of this invention with three input channels and three output channels are summarized in Table 1.
- Referring again to FIG. 3, the switching matrix design shown is compatible with the MUMP (the Multiuser Micro Electro-Mechanical System Process at the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina) and its design rules. The full switching matrix includes two arrays each with eight rows of the mirrors shown. The mirrors are actuated by an electrostatic field applied between the mirror and an electrode underneath (not shown). Each of the mirrors in the switching matrix has three states, but the mirrors in the three rows do not operate identically. The central mirror may send the beam to either side, while the outer mirrors only deflect to one side. According to one design, the two on the sides are mirror images of each other, the center mirror being either in the flat state (no voltage applied) or brought down to the point where it touches the substrate on either side. The electrode under the central mirror is split in two to allow it to tilt either way. The side mirrors also have a state that is half way between the flat state and the fully pulled-down state. This may be achieved by having continuous control over the mirror angles. Although this is complicated by the electromechanical instability of parallel plate capacitors because, as the voltage on the plates is increased, the capacitance goes up and this leads to a spontaneous pulling down of the mirror when the voltage is increased past a certain value, this effect can be avoided either by controlling the charge rather than the voltage on the capacitors, or by using an electrode geometry that pushes the instability point past the angle to be accessed. Charge control utilizes the full range of motion of the mirrors but complicates the driver circuitry for the switch. It may be preferable to use electrode geometry to achieve the required number of states.
- When the MUMP process is used, the mirror size has a lower limit imposed by the minimum cross section that can be defined in this process. To achieve large tilt angles without too much deflection of the rotation axis of the mirror, the flexing beams must be kept short. The shorter the flexing beam, the larger the mirrors must be for the electrostatic force to be able to pull the mirrors down. Calculations show that the two side mirrors have the required angle when pulled down if use is made of beams that are 15 to 20 micron long, depending on the exact value of the material constants. For the voltage requirement to be acceptable, the mirror size must be on the order of 100×100 micron. The beams of the central mirror may be slightly longer, the maximum angle for the central mirror being half that of the side mirrors. The geometry as shown in FIG. 3 ensures that the side mirrors can be tilted to half their maximum angles before reaching the electrostatic instability. The corresponding resonance frequencies are on the order of 20 to 50 Khz. FIG. 3 shows one of 8 layers of micromirrors in the switching matrix described above; that is, the mirrors are separated by 110 micron in the horizontal (fiber-channel) direction and by 130 micron in the vertical (wavelength-channel) direction. Two such arrays make up a switching matrix as shown in FIG. 2. The mirrors are shown on landing electrodes, that are shorted to the mirrors, when deflected all the way down to the substrate. Addressing lines and shorts are not shown in FIG. 3.
- The whole switch may be fabricated in so-called silicon-optical bench technology. The lenses, the switching arrays and the in/out modules may be integrated, but commercially available dielectric gratings are too bulky for this technology. Microgratings may be developed, based on anisotropic etching of silicon. Etching of the <100> surface of silicon through rectangular etch masks that are aligned with the [111] directions of the substrate, creates V-shaped grooves defined by the <111> crystallographic planes of silicon. An array of such V-
grooves 56 constitutes a grating that can be used in the Littrow configuration as shown in FIG. 5. The spacing between grooves can be made arbitrarily small (e.g., 1 micron) by under-etching the mask and subsequently removing this layer. The Littrow angle, which is determined by the crystalline planes of silicon, is equal to 54.7 degrees. By taking advantage of the well-defined shape of a unit cell of the grating, it is possible to obtain high diffraction efficiency in higher order diffraction modes, the V-grooves constituting a blazed grating operated on higher orders. Higher-order operation means that the wavelength dependence of the diffraction efficiency increases. It can be shown that with 8 wavelengths separated by 1.6 nm centered at 1.55 micron and the grating geometry of FIG. 5, the diffraction order can be increased to m=15 with less than 1 % variation in the diffraction efficiency between wavelength channels. With m=15, λ=1.55 micron, θ0=54.7 degrees and φ=30 degrees, the grating period is calculated to be Λ=12.3 micron. V-grooves with this spacing can be easily patterned and etched by using standard micromachining technology. V-groove gratings fabricated in this way can be metallized and used as gratings directly, or be used as a mold for polysilicon microgratings that can be rotated out of the plane by using micro-hinges. A potentially very important additional advantage of higher-order gratings, as described here, is the reduced polarization sensitivity as compared to first-order gratings. Since the periodicity is much larger than the wavelength, the diffraction will be close to being independent of polarization. Still, two wave plates may be used to compensate for residual polarization sensitivity due to oblique angle reflections. - Referring now to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the fiber-optic switch, being symmetric about it's center, can be implemented with a
symmetry mirror 58 in thesymmetry plane 60. This essentially cuts the component count in half. The output channels may either be on the input fibers and separable by optical rotators (not shown) or on a separate output fiber array (not shown) that is placed above the input array. In the latter case, themicromirror array 62 and thesymmetry mirror 58 are slightly tilted about an axis, such that the light is directed to the output fiber array. - It will be appreciated that the fiber-optic switch of the present invention can serve network functions other than a traditional N×N×M (where M is the number of wavelengths in a WDM system).
- It will further be appreciated that the fiber-optic switch of the present invention can be used in connection with diagnostic tools for WDM networks. WDM network management systems and software require knowledge of the state of the entire network. Knowledge of the state of the many distributed optical channels is especially important. The manager requires confirmation of whether or not a channel is active, it power and how much a channel optical frequency has drifted as well as the noise power level. Furthermore, this knowledge permits management software to identify, isolate, and potentially rectify or route around physical layer faults.
- Clearly network management requires numerous channel spectrometers that may be deployed in large number at affordable prices. Traditionally, such spectrometers are fabricated from gratings and lenses while an electronically scanned diode array or a mechanically scanned grating provide spectral information. Unfortunately, diode array technology at 1.55 microns, and 1.3 microns, the preferred communications wavelengths, is immature. Such arrays are much more costly and unreliable than those available for the visible spectral region. Moving gratings are bulky and commercial system based on this approach are too costly for wide spread use in production networks.
- Accordingly, a variation of the network switch described above can be employed to provide the desired functionality. Referring to FIG. 8, an in-
line WDM spectrometer 64 in accordance with the present invention is shown. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, WDMoptical signals 66 emanating from aninput fiber 68 would be collimated and diffracted from the grating 70 forming a high resolution spatially dispersed spectrum at thelens 72 focal plane. A singleMEMS switch array 74 would be placed at the lens focal plane, thus permitting the deflection of individual optical channels or portions of a channel by one or more mirrors in the array. A quarter-wave plate 76 is inserted symmetrically around the switchingarray 74 to compensate for the polarization sensitivity of thegratings 70. A singleinfrared diode detector 78 and focusing lens (not shown) would be placed in the return path of the reflected, and suitably displaced, return beam after a second grating diffraction from grating 70. A full spectrum can then obtained by scanning a deflection across the mirror array. Hence, a synchronized readout of the single photo diode yields the full spectrum to the management software. - The
input fiber 68 andoutput fiber 80 can be arranged in a variety of ways. For example, they can be arranged side by side in the plane as shown in FIG. 8. An alternative would be to place the output fiber over or under the input fiber. A further alternative would be to use the same fiber for the input and output paths, and separate the signals using an optical circulator or the like. - The
micromirror array 74 is preferably a one-dimensional array with one mirror per wavelength. Each mirror would thus operate in one of two states; the mirror either sends its corresponding wavelength to theoutput fiber 78 or is tilted (actuated) so that its corresponding wavelength is sent to thedetector 76. In normal operation, only one of the mirrors is set up to deflect its wavelength to the detector. - Note also that, if the output fiber if removed and replaced by a beam sink (not shown), the spectrometer will still function although such an embodiment could not be used in an in-line application.
- The invention has been described above by way of only a limited number of examples, but the invention is not intended to be limited by these examples. Many modifications and variations, as well as design changes to significantly reduce the overall size, are possible within the scope of this invention. For example, the beam radius in the switching matrix may be reduced. The no-obstruction criterion allows a change to ω0=5 micron for a 4-fiber switch, and this allows the focal length of both lenses to be reduced by a factor of 5. As another example, the micromachining technology may be improved to place the mirrors closer. The posts (as shown in FIG. 3) and addressing lines may be moved under the mirrors to reduce the beam radium on the grating by a factor of 1.2. Together with the increased diffraction angle of a micromachine grating (say, to 54.7 degrees from 45 degrees), the focal lengths of the lenses can be reduced by a factor of 1.7. As a third example, the fiber modes may be brought closer together on the in/out modules. If the mode spacing is reduced from 200 micron to 22.2 micron, the first and second lenses may have the same focal length (such that magnification =1). In addition, advanced designs may reduce the number of required components. The switch may be designed so as to be foldable about its symmetry point such that the same lenses and the same grating will be used both on the input and output sides. In summary, it is to be understood that all such modifications and variations that may be apparent to an ordinary person skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of this invention.
- Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus the scope of this invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
TABLE 1 Components Parameter Values Input/output fibers Fiber channels: 3 Standard single mode fiber Input-output MONET standard: wavelengths Center wavelength: 1.55 micron Wavelength channels: 8 Wavelength separation: 1.6 nm Lenslets Ball lens, 200-micron-diameter n < 1.6 First lens Bulk lens f1 = 125.5 mm Grating Period: 0.95 micron Diffraction angle: 45 degrees Size: >6 mm Second Lens Bulk lens f2 = 78.5 mm Switching matrix N = 3 Mirror spacing: Fiber dimension: 110 micron Wavelength dimension: 130 micron Array spacing: 2.5 mm Thickness of sacrificial layer: 2.75 micron
Claims (30)
1. A fiber optic switch, comprising an array of actuated mirrors for switching optic signals from a plurality of input optic fibers onto a plurality of output optic fibers.
2. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 1 , wherein separate wavelength channels on each input optic fiber are switched independently by said array of mirrors.
3. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of optical elements for positioning optical beams from said input optic fibers onto said array of mirrors.
4. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of optical elements for positioning optical beams reflected from said array of mirrors onto said output fibers.
5. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
(a) a wavelength dispersive element; and
(b) a plurality of lenses associated with said first wavelength dispersive element;
(c) wherein said wavelength dispersive element and said plurality of lenses position optical beams from said input optical fibers onto said array of mirrors.
6. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 5 , wherein said wavelength dispersive element comprises a diffraction grating.
7. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 5 , wherein said wavelength dispersive element comprises a prism.
8. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 5 , further comprising:
(a) a second wavelength dispersive element; and
(b) a second plurality of lenses associated with said second wavelength dispersive element;
(c) wherein said second wavelength dispersive element and said second plurality of lenses position optical beams reflected by said array of mirrors onto said output optic fibers.
9. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 8 , wherein at least one of said wavelength dispersive elements comprises a diffraction grating.
10. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 8 , wherein at least one of said wavelength dispersive elements comprises a prism.
11. A fiber optic switch, comprising:
(a) an array of actuated mirrors for switching optic signals from a plurality of input optic fibers onto a plurality of output optic fibers;
(b) a wavelength dispersive element; and
(c) a plurality of lenses associated with said wavelength dispersive element;
(d) wherein said wavelength dispersive element and said plurality of lenses position optical beams from said input optical fibers onto said array of mirrors.
12. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 12 , wherein separate wavelength channels on each input optic fiber are switched independently by said array of mirrors.
13. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 1 1, wherein said wavelength dispersive element comprises a diffraction grating.
14. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 11 , wherein said wavelength dispersive element comprises a prism.
15. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 11 , further comprising:
(a) a second wavelength dispersive element; and
(b) a second plurality of lenses associated with said second wavelength dispersive element;
(c) wherein said second wavelength dispersive element and said second plurality of lenses position optical beams reflected by said array of mirrors onto said output optic fibers.
16. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 15 , wherein at least one of said wavelength dispersive elements comprises a diffraction grating.
17. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 15 , wherein at least one of said wavelength dispersive elements comprises a prism.
18. A fiber optic switch, comprising:
(a) an array of actuated mirrors for switching optic signals from a plurality of input optic fibers onto a plurality of output optic fibers;
(b) a first wavelength dispersive element;
(c) a first plurality of lenses associated with said first wavelength dispersive element;
(d) a second wavelength dispersive element; and
(e) a second plurality of lenses associated with said second wavelength dispersive element;
(f) wherein said first wavelength dispersive element and said first plurality of lenses position optical beams from said input optical fibers onto said array of mirrors and wherein said second wavelength dispersive element and said second plurality of lenses position optical beams reflected by said array of mirrors onto said output optic fibers.
19. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 18 , wherein separate wavelength channels on each input optic fiber are switched independently by said array of mirrors.
20. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 18 , wherein at least one of said wavelength dispersive elements comprises a diffraction grating.
21. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 18 , wherein at least one of said wavelength dispersive elements comprises a prism.
22. A fiber optic switch, comprising:
(a) a plurality of input optic fibers;
(b) a plurality of output optic fibers:
(c) an array of actuated mirrors for switching optic signals from said input optic fibers onto said output optic fibers;
(d) a first wavelength dispersive element;
(e) a first plurality of lenses associated with said first wavelength dispersive element;
(f) a second wavelength dispersive element; and
(g) a second plurality of lenses associated with said second wavelength dispersive element;
(h) wherein said first wavelength dispersive element and said first plurality of lenses position optical beams from said input optical fibers onto said array of mirrors and wherein said second wavelength dispersive element and said second plurality of lenses position optical beams reflected by said array of mirrors onto said output optic fibers.
23. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 22 , wherein separate wavelength channels on each input optic fiber are switched independently by said array of mirrors.
24. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 22 , wherein at least one of said wave length dispersive elements comprises a diffraction grating.
25. A fiber optic switch as recited in claim 22 , wherein at least one of said wavelength dispersive elements comprises a prism.
26. A fiber optic spectrometer, comprising:
(a) a fiber optic input path;
(b) a fiber optic output path;
(c) a detector; and
(d) an array of actuated mirrors for switching optic signals from said fiber optic input path to said fiber optic output path or said detector.
27. A fiber optic spectrometer as recited in claim 26 , further comprising:
(a) a wavelength dispersive element; and
(b) a lens associated with said wavelength dispersive element;
(c) wherein said wavelength dispersive element and said lens positions optical beams from said fiber optic input path onto said array of mirrors.
28. A fiber optic spectrometer as recited in claim 27 , wherein said fiber optic input path and said fiber optic output path share a single optic fiber.
29. A fiber optic spectrometer as recited in claim 27 , wherein said fiber optic input path and said fiber optic output path are carried by separate optic fibers.
30. A fiber optic spectrometer, comprising:
(a) an input optic fiber;
(b) an output optic fiber;
(c) a detector;
(d) an array of actuated mirrors for switching optic signals from said input optic fibers onto said output optic fiber or said detector;
(e) a wavelength dispersive element; and
(f) a lens associated with said wavelength dispersive element;
(g) wherein said wavelength dispersive element and said lens positions optical beams from said input optical fiber onto said array of mirrors.
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/928,237 US20020061160A1 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2001-08-10 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US10/293,897 US6922239B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2002-11-12 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US10/293,949 US6711320B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2002-11-12 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US3817297P | 1997-02-13 | 1997-02-13 | |
US09/022,591 US6097859A (en) | 1998-02-12 | 1998-02-12 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/618,320 US6289145B1 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2000-07-18 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/928,237 US20020061160A1 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2001-08-10 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/618,320 Continuation US6289145B1 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2000-07-18 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
Related Child Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/293,897 Continuation US6922239B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2002-11-12 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US10/293,949 Division US6711320B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2002-11-12 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20020061160A1 true US20020061160A1 (en) | 2002-05-23 |
Family
ID=21810393
Family Applications (11)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/022,591 Expired - Lifetime US6097859A (en) | 1997-02-13 | 1998-02-12 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/618,320 Expired - Lifetime US6289145B1 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2000-07-18 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/748,025 Expired - Lifetime US6327398B1 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2000-12-21 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/766,529 Expired - Lifetime US6389190B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2001-01-19 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/780,122 Expired - Lifetime US6374008B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2001-02-08 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/813,446 Expired - Lifetime US6834136B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2001-03-20 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/849,096 Expired - Lifetime US6819823B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2001-05-04 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/928,237 Abandoned US20020061160A1 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2001-08-10 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US10/293,949 Expired - Lifetime US6711320B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2002-11-12 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US10/293,897 Expired - Lifetime US6922239B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2002-11-12 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US10/910,560 Abandoned US20050058393A1 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2004-08-02 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
Family Applications Before (7)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/022,591 Expired - Lifetime US6097859A (en) | 1997-02-13 | 1998-02-12 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/618,320 Expired - Lifetime US6289145B1 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2000-07-18 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/748,025 Expired - Lifetime US6327398B1 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2000-12-21 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/766,529 Expired - Lifetime US6389190B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2001-01-19 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/780,122 Expired - Lifetime US6374008B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2001-02-08 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/813,446 Expired - Lifetime US6834136B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2001-03-20 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US09/849,096 Expired - Lifetime US6819823B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2001-05-04 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
Family Applications After (3)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/293,949 Expired - Lifetime US6711320B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2002-11-12 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US10/293,897 Expired - Lifetime US6922239B2 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2002-11-12 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US10/910,560 Abandoned US20050058393A1 (en) | 1997-02-13 | 2004-08-02 | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (11) | US6097859A (en) |
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20030086139A1 (en) * | 2001-08-20 | 2003-05-08 | Wing So John Ling | Optical system and method |
US20030133095A1 (en) * | 1997-02-13 | 2003-07-17 | Olav Solgaard | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US6707959B2 (en) * | 2001-07-12 | 2004-03-16 | Jds Uniphase Inc. | Wavelength switch |
US20040070755A1 (en) * | 2002-07-06 | 2004-04-15 | Thomas Fuhrmann | Optical spectrometer with several spectral bandwidths |
US20040080807A1 (en) * | 2002-10-24 | 2004-04-29 | Zhizhang Chen | Mems-actuated color light modulator and methods |
US20040234201A1 (en) * | 2003-05-23 | 2004-11-25 | Yury Logvin | Passband flattened demultiplexer employing segmented reflectors and other devices derived therefrom |
US20050008283A1 (en) * | 2003-05-31 | 2005-01-13 | Brophy Christopher P. | Multiport wavelength-selective optical switch |
US20130272650A1 (en) * | 2012-04-11 | 2013-10-17 | National Institute Of Advanced Industrial Science And Technology | Wavelength cross connect device |
US20140118604A1 (en) * | 2012-11-01 | 2014-05-01 | Raytheon Company | Multispectral imaging camera |
Families Citing this family (352)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6522404B2 (en) * | 1998-04-29 | 2003-02-18 | Agilent Technologies, Inc. | Grating based communication switching |
FR2779535B1 (en) * | 1998-06-04 | 2000-09-01 | Instruments Sa | COMPACT MULTIPLEXER |
US6430332B1 (en) | 1998-06-05 | 2002-08-06 | Fiber, Llc | Optical switching apparatus |
MXPA00012024A (en) * | 1998-06-05 | 2003-04-14 | Afn Llc | Planar array optical switch and method. |
WO1999063531A1 (en) | 1998-06-05 | 1999-12-09 | Herzel Laor | Optical switch for disk drive |
AU4830699A (en) * | 1998-06-23 | 2000-01-10 | Ditech Corporation | Optical network monitor |
US6721508B1 (en) | 1998-12-14 | 2004-04-13 | Tellabs Operations Inc. | Optical line terminal arrangement, apparatus and methods |
US6263123B1 (en) * | 1999-03-12 | 2001-07-17 | Lucent Technologies | Pixellated WDM optical components |
US6292281B1 (en) * | 1999-03-24 | 2001-09-18 | Tellium, Inc. | Protection for MEMS cross-bar switch |
US6215222B1 (en) * | 1999-03-30 | 2001-04-10 | Agilent Technologies, Inc. | Optical cross-connect switch using electrostatic surface actuators |
US6415070B1 (en) * | 1999-03-31 | 2002-07-02 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method and apparatus for switching optical signals within an optoelectric computer network |
US6396976B1 (en) * | 1999-04-15 | 2002-05-28 | Solus Micro Technologies, Inc. | 2D optical switch |
US6430333B1 (en) * | 1999-04-15 | 2002-08-06 | Solus Micro Technologies, Inc. | Monolithic 2D optical switch and method of fabrication |
US6760506B2 (en) | 1999-06-04 | 2004-07-06 | Herzel Laor | Optical switch and servo mechanism |
AU7982100A (en) * | 1999-06-17 | 2001-01-09 | Mustafa A.G. Abushagur | Optical switch |
US6636657B1 (en) * | 1999-07-07 | 2003-10-21 | Lucent Technolgies Inc. | Channelized wavelength division multiplex equalizer using reflective attenuators |
US6694072B1 (en) | 1999-07-21 | 2004-02-17 | Armand P. Neukermans | Flexible, modular, compact fiber switch improvements |
US6826330B1 (en) * | 1999-08-11 | 2004-11-30 | Lightconnect, Inc. | Dynamic spectral shaping for fiber-optic application |
US6424756B1 (en) * | 1999-09-15 | 2002-07-23 | Oni Systems Corp. | Fourier optical switch |
US6445844B1 (en) * | 1999-09-15 | 2002-09-03 | Xros, Inc. | Flexible, modular, compact fiber optic switch |
US6288821B1 (en) * | 1999-10-01 | 2001-09-11 | Lucent Technologies, Inc. | Hybrid electro-optic device with combined mirror arrays |
US6909826B2 (en) * | 1999-10-28 | 2005-06-21 | Princeton Lightwave, Inc. | Multiple grating optical waveguide monitor |
US6792174B1 (en) | 1999-11-02 | 2004-09-14 | Nortel Networks Limited | Method and apparatus for signaling between an optical cross-connect switch and attached network equipment |
US6597826B1 (en) | 1999-11-02 | 2003-07-22 | Xros, Inc. | Optical cross-connect switching system with bridging, test access and redundancy |
US6882765B1 (en) | 1999-11-02 | 2005-04-19 | Xros, Inc. | Connection protection between clients and optical cross-connect switches |
US6650803B1 (en) * | 1999-11-02 | 2003-11-18 | Xros, Inc. | Method and apparatus for optical to electrical to optical conversion in an optical cross-connect switch |
US6571030B1 (en) * | 1999-11-02 | 2003-05-27 | Xros, Inc. | Optical cross-connect switching system |
US6577418B1 (en) * | 1999-11-04 | 2003-06-10 | International Business Machines Corporation | Optical internet protocol switch and method therefor |
US6501877B1 (en) * | 1999-11-16 | 2002-12-31 | Network Photonics, Inc. | Wavelength router |
US6947220B1 (en) | 1999-11-22 | 2005-09-20 | Ksm Associates, Inc. | Devices for information processing in optical communications |
AU4900201A (en) * | 1999-11-22 | 2001-06-25 | Ksm Associates, Inc. | Devices for information processing in optical communications |
CA2325611C (en) | 1999-12-01 | 2004-04-20 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | An optical cross connect employing a curved optical component |
US6535311B1 (en) * | 1999-12-09 | 2003-03-18 | Corning Incorporated | Wavelength selective cross-connect switch using a MEMS shutter array |
AU2435301A (en) * | 1999-12-15 | 2001-06-25 | American Holographic, Inc. | Grating based communication switching |
US6753638B2 (en) * | 2000-02-03 | 2004-06-22 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Electrostatic actuator for micromechanical systems |
US6477290B1 (en) * | 2000-02-15 | 2002-11-05 | Optic Net, Inc. | Fiber optic switch using MEMS |
US6498872B2 (en) * | 2000-02-17 | 2002-12-24 | Jds Uniphase Inc. | Optical configuration for a dynamic gain equalizer and a configurable add/drop multiplexer |
US6567575B1 (en) * | 2000-03-03 | 2003-05-20 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Method and apparatus for determining loss parameters for optical cross-connects |
WO2001071402A1 (en) * | 2000-03-17 | 2001-09-27 | Xros, Inc. | Variable attenuation of free-space light beams |
US6744173B2 (en) * | 2000-03-24 | 2004-06-01 | Analog Devices, Inc. | Multi-layer, self-aligned vertical combdrive electrostatic actuators and fabrication methods |
US6330102B1 (en) | 2000-03-24 | 2001-12-11 | Onix Microsystems | Apparatus and method for 2-dimensional steered-beam NxM optical switch using single-axis mirror arrays and relay optics |
US6629461B2 (en) | 2000-03-24 | 2003-10-07 | Onix Microsystems, Inc. | Biased rotatable combdrive actuator methods |
US7023604B2 (en) | 2000-03-25 | 2006-04-04 | Analog Devices, Inc. | Three dimensional optical switches and beam steering modules |
US6456751B1 (en) | 2000-04-13 | 2002-09-24 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Feedback stabilization of a loss optimized switch |
US6430331B1 (en) | 2000-04-14 | 2002-08-06 | C Speed Corporation | Double hermetic package for fiber optic cross connect |
TW434419B (en) * | 2000-04-24 | 2001-05-16 | Ind Tech Res Inst | Structure of optical switches of multiple mirror reflection |
AU2001280434A1 (en) * | 2000-05-12 | 2001-11-20 | University Of Southern California | Reflector for laser interrogation of three-dimensional objects |
JP2004501395A (en) * | 2000-05-16 | 2004-01-15 | フォトゥリス,インク | Reconfigurable optical switch |
US6449098B1 (en) | 2000-05-16 | 2002-09-10 | Calient Networks, Inc. | High uniformity lens arrays having lens correction and methods for fabricating the same |
US6631222B1 (en) | 2000-05-16 | 2003-10-07 | Photuris, Inc. | Reconfigurable optical switch |
US6585383B2 (en) | 2000-05-18 | 2003-07-01 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Micromachined apparatus for improved reflection of light |
US6483962B1 (en) | 2000-05-24 | 2002-11-19 | Vlad J. Novotny | Optical cross connect switching array system with optical feedback |
US6905614B1 (en) | 2000-05-24 | 2005-06-14 | Active Optical Networks, Inc. | Pattern-transfer process for forming micro-electro-mechanical structures |
US6963679B1 (en) | 2000-05-24 | 2005-11-08 | Active Optical Networks, Inc. | Micro-opto-electro-mechanical switching system |
US7190854B1 (en) | 2000-05-24 | 2007-03-13 | Active Optical Networks, Inc. | Methods for forming an array of MEMS optical elements |
US6625341B1 (en) | 2000-06-12 | 2003-09-23 | Vlad J. Novotny | Optical cross connect switching array system with electrical and optical position sensitive detection |
US6827866B1 (en) | 2000-05-24 | 2004-12-07 | Active Optical Networks, Inc. | Deep-well lithography process for forming micro-electro-mechanical structures |
US6516109B2 (en) | 2000-05-30 | 2003-02-04 | Siwave, Inc. | Low insertion loss non-blocking optical switch |
US6560384B1 (en) | 2000-06-01 | 2003-05-06 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Optical switch having mirrors arranged to accommodate freedom of movement |
US6970245B2 (en) * | 2000-08-02 | 2005-11-29 | Honeywell International Inc. | Optical alignment detection system |
US20060263888A1 (en) * | 2000-06-02 | 2006-11-23 | Honeywell International Inc. | Differential white blood count on a disposable card |
US7471394B2 (en) * | 2000-08-02 | 2008-12-30 | Honeywell International Inc. | Optical detection system with polarizing beamsplitter |
US7630063B2 (en) * | 2000-08-02 | 2009-12-08 | Honeywell International Inc. | Miniaturized cytometer for detecting multiple species in a sample |
US7215425B2 (en) * | 2000-08-02 | 2007-05-08 | Honeywell International Inc. | Optical alignment for flow cytometry |
US8329118B2 (en) | 2004-09-02 | 2012-12-11 | Honeywell International Inc. | Method and apparatus for determining one or more operating parameters for a microfluidic circuit |
US7242474B2 (en) * | 2004-07-27 | 2007-07-10 | Cox James A | Cytometer having fluid core stream position control |
US7641856B2 (en) * | 2004-05-14 | 2010-01-05 | Honeywell International Inc. | Portable sample analyzer with removable cartridge |
US8071051B2 (en) * | 2004-05-14 | 2011-12-06 | Honeywell International Inc. | Portable sample analyzer cartridge |
US6668108B1 (en) * | 2000-06-02 | 2003-12-23 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Optical cross-connect switch with integrated optical signal tap |
US6483961B1 (en) | 2000-06-02 | 2002-11-19 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Dual refraction index collimator for an optical switch |
US6594082B1 (en) * | 2000-06-05 | 2003-07-15 | Avanex Corporation | Optical wavelength router using reflective surfaces to direct output signals |
US6728016B1 (en) * | 2000-06-05 | 2004-04-27 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Safe procedure for moving mirrors in an optical cross-connect switch |
US6610974B1 (en) | 2000-06-05 | 2003-08-26 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Positioning a movable reflector in an optical switch |
US6587611B1 (en) * | 2000-06-06 | 2003-07-01 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Maintaining path integrity in an optical switch |
US6449096B1 (en) * | 2000-07-13 | 2002-09-10 | Network Photonics, Inc. | Diffraction grating with reduced polarization-dependent loss |
US6763163B1 (en) * | 2000-07-26 | 2004-07-13 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Method and apparatus for spatial-shift wavelength multiplexing in communication systems |
WO2002010836A2 (en) | 2000-07-27 | 2002-02-07 | Holl Technologies, Inc. | Flexureless magnetic micromirror assembly |
US6434290B1 (en) * | 2000-07-27 | 2002-08-13 | Ciena Corporation | Optical switch having substantially equal output powers |
US7061595B2 (en) * | 2000-08-02 | 2006-06-13 | Honeywell International Inc. | Miniaturized flow controller with closed loop regulation |
US7277166B2 (en) * | 2000-08-02 | 2007-10-02 | Honeywell International Inc. | Cytometer analysis cartridge optical configuration |
US6943950B2 (en) * | 2000-08-07 | 2005-09-13 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Two-dimensional blazed MEMS grating |
US6580845B1 (en) | 2000-08-11 | 2003-06-17 | General Nutronics, Inc. | Method and device for switching wavelength division multiplexed optical signals using emitter arrays |
US6643425B1 (en) | 2000-08-17 | 2003-11-04 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Optical switch having switch mirror arrays controlled by scanning beams |
AU2001260581A1 (en) * | 2000-09-07 | 2002-03-22 | Terra-Op Ltd. | Method and system for ultra-fast switching of optical signals |
AU2001288810A1 (en) * | 2000-09-07 | 2002-03-22 | Teraop (Usa) Inc. | Optical switch |
US6845187B1 (en) | 2000-09-08 | 2005-01-18 | Pts Corporation | Linear optical beam translator for optical routing |
US20020033976A1 (en) * | 2000-09-20 | 2002-03-21 | Holmes Richard B. | Method and device for switching wavelength division multiplexed optical signals using gratings |
US6707594B2 (en) | 2000-09-20 | 2004-03-16 | General Nutronics, Inc. | Method and device for switching wavelength division multiplexed optical signals using two-dimensional micro-electromechanical mirrors |
US6538818B2 (en) * | 2000-09-20 | 2003-03-25 | General Nutronics, Inc. | Method and device for wavelength switching, wavelength division multiplexing, and time division multiplexing |
US6687428B2 (en) | 2000-09-21 | 2004-02-03 | Tera Op (Usa) Inc. | Optical switch |
WO2002025358A2 (en) * | 2000-09-22 | 2002-03-28 | Movaz Networks, Inc. | Variable transmission multi-channel optical switch |
US6816640B2 (en) * | 2000-09-29 | 2004-11-09 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Optical add drop multiplexer |
US6825967B1 (en) | 2000-09-29 | 2004-11-30 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Shaped electrodes for micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) devices to improve actuator performance and methods for fabricating the same |
US6567574B1 (en) * | 2000-10-06 | 2003-05-20 | Omm, Inc. | Modular three-dimensional optical switch |
AU2002212634A1 (en) * | 2000-10-12 | 2002-04-22 | Nir Karasikov | Infra-red communication apparatus, system and method |
US6445514B1 (en) | 2000-10-12 | 2002-09-03 | Honeywell International Inc. | Micro-positioning optical element |
US20020176658A1 (en) * | 2000-10-13 | 2002-11-28 | John Prohaska | Re-configurable wavelength and dispersion selective device |
US6496291B1 (en) * | 2000-10-17 | 2002-12-17 | Intel Corporation | Optical serial link |
US6532318B1 (en) * | 2000-10-18 | 2003-03-11 | Corning Incorporated | Symmetric wavelength selective switch for interconnecting two WDM rings |
DE10053498A1 (en) * | 2000-10-27 | 2002-05-16 | Zeiss Carl | Cross coupler for optical communications |
US6751415B1 (en) | 2000-11-03 | 2004-06-15 | Pts Corporation | Reduction of polarization-dependent loss from grating used in double-pass configuration |
US8457501B2 (en) * | 2000-11-03 | 2013-06-04 | Altera Corporation | Reduction of polarization-dependent loss in double-pass grating configurations |
US6760505B1 (en) * | 2000-11-08 | 2004-07-06 | Xerox Corporation | Method of aligning mirrors in an optical cross switch |
US6600849B2 (en) | 2000-11-20 | 2003-07-29 | Jds Uniphase Inc. | Control system for optical cross-connect switches |
CA2326362A1 (en) | 2000-11-20 | 2002-05-20 | Thomas Ducellier | Optical switch |
CA2327862A1 (en) | 2000-11-20 | 2002-05-20 | Thomas Ducellier | Optical switch |
US7039267B2 (en) * | 2000-11-20 | 2006-05-02 | Jds Uniphase Inc. | Optical switch |
CA2328759A1 (en) * | 2000-11-20 | 2002-05-20 | Thomas Ducellier | Optical switch |
US6762876B2 (en) * | 2000-11-20 | 2004-07-13 | Terraop Ltd. | Optical converter with a designated output wavelength |
US6560000B2 (en) | 2000-11-20 | 2003-05-06 | Jds Uniphase Inc. | Wavelength-dependent optical signal processing using an angle-to-offset module |
US20020081070A1 (en) * | 2000-11-30 | 2002-06-27 | Tew Claude E. | Micromirror wavelength equalizer |
US6671428B1 (en) * | 2000-12-01 | 2003-12-30 | Bayspec, Inc. | Wavelength selective optical cross switch and optical add/drop multiplexer using volume phase grating and array of micro electro mechanical mirrors |
US20030021526A1 (en) * | 2000-12-05 | 2003-01-30 | Oleg Bouevitch | Dynamic dispersion compensator |
US6522802B2 (en) * | 2000-12-11 | 2003-02-18 | Agilent Technologies, Inc. | Optical switch using support structures with both fixed mirrors and pivotable mirrors |
DE60130150T2 (en) | 2000-12-13 | 2008-05-15 | Bae Systems Information And Electronic Systems Integration Inc. | PHOTONIC SIGNAL MATRIX IN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT |
US6542657B2 (en) * | 2000-12-20 | 2003-04-01 | Network Photonics, Inc. | Binary switch for an optical wavelength router |
US6873755B2 (en) | 2000-12-20 | 2005-03-29 | Pts Corporation | Wavelength router with staggered input/output fibers |
US6628851B1 (en) | 2000-12-20 | 2003-09-30 | Harris Corporation | MEMS reconfigurable optical grating |
US6535664B1 (en) * | 2000-12-20 | 2003-03-18 | Network Photonics, Inc. | 1×2 optical wavelength router |
US6731833B2 (en) * | 2001-01-16 | 2004-05-04 | T-Rex Enterprises Corp. | Optical cross connect switch |
KR20020065799A (en) * | 2001-02-07 | 2002-08-14 | 엘지전자 주식회사 | Optical switch |
US6788981B2 (en) * | 2001-02-07 | 2004-09-07 | Movaz Networks, Inc. | Multiplexed analog control system for electrostatic actuator array |
US6804429B2 (en) * | 2001-02-09 | 2004-10-12 | The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford Junior University | Reconfigurable wavelength multiplexers and filters employing micromirror array in a gires-tournois interferometer |
US6766081B2 (en) * | 2001-02-13 | 2004-07-20 | Pts Corporation | Focal length dispersion compensation for field curvature |
US7800639B2 (en) * | 2001-02-15 | 2010-09-21 | Joseph Dale Udy | Laser pulse image switches |
FR2821681B1 (en) * | 2001-03-02 | 2004-07-09 | Teem Photonics | OPTICAL ROUTERS USING ANGULAR POSITION AMPLIFIER MODULES |
JP2002267956A (en) * | 2001-03-08 | 2002-09-18 | Sony Corp | Micromirror and method of manufacturing the same |
US6792177B2 (en) | 2001-03-12 | 2004-09-14 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Optical switch with internal monitoring |
US6545792B2 (en) | 2001-03-13 | 2003-04-08 | Reveo, Inc. | Polarization independent non-blocking all-optical switching device |
JP2004533150A (en) * | 2001-03-16 | 2004-10-28 | フォトゥリス,インク | WDM optical communication system with reconfigurable optical switch and backup tunable laser transmitter |
US7676157B2 (en) * | 2001-03-16 | 2010-03-09 | Meriton Networks Us Inc. | Method and apparatus for providing gain equalization to an optical signal in an optical communication system |
US6970616B2 (en) * | 2001-03-18 | 2005-11-29 | Touchdown Technologies, Inc. | Optical cross-connect assembly |
US20020176657A1 (en) * | 2001-03-19 | 2002-11-28 | Elliot Burke | Beam convergence system for optical switching cores |
CN1239933C (en) * | 2001-03-19 | 2006-02-01 | 卡佩拉光子学公司 | Reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers |
US6751372B2 (en) | 2001-03-19 | 2004-06-15 | At&T Corp | Four-port wavelength-selective crossbar switches (4WCS) using reciprocal WDM MUX-DEMUX and optical circulator combination |
US7027733B2 (en) * | 2001-03-19 | 2006-04-11 | At&T Corp. | Delivering multicast services on a wavelength division multiplexed network using a configurable four-port wavelength selective crossbar switch |
US6625346B2 (en) | 2001-03-19 | 2003-09-23 | Capella Photonics, Inc. | Reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers with servo control and dynamic spectral power management capabilities |
US6433933B1 (en) * | 2001-03-29 | 2002-08-13 | Palm, Inc. | Internal diffuser for a charge controlled mirror screen display |
US6636654B2 (en) * | 2001-03-30 | 2003-10-21 | Optical Research Associates | Programmable optical switching add/drop multiplexer |
US7019883B2 (en) * | 2001-04-03 | 2006-03-28 | Cidra Corporation | Dynamic optical filter having a spatial light modulator |
CA2443664A1 (en) * | 2001-04-03 | 2002-10-17 | Cidra Corporation | Variable optical source |
US6704475B2 (en) * | 2001-04-03 | 2004-03-09 | Agere Systems Inc. | Mirror for use with a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) optical device and a method of manufacture therefor |
US20030095307A1 (en) * | 2001-09-25 | 2003-05-22 | Cidra Corporation | Reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer having an array of micro-mirrors |
US20030081321A1 (en) * | 2001-09-25 | 2003-05-01 | Cidra Corporation | Optical cross-connect having an array of micro-mirrors |
US6490384B2 (en) * | 2001-04-04 | 2002-12-03 | Yoon-Joong Yong | Light modulating system using deformable mirror arrays |
US6694073B2 (en) | 2001-04-13 | 2004-02-17 | Movaz Networks, Inc. | Reconfigurable free space wavelength cross connect |
US6842553B2 (en) * | 2001-04-17 | 2005-01-11 | Creo Srl | Method for cross-connecting optical signals at high speed |
US6608712B2 (en) | 2001-05-15 | 2003-08-19 | Network Photonics, Inc. | Hidden flexure ultra planar optical routing element |
US6859578B2 (en) * | 2001-05-18 | 2005-02-22 | Nuonics, Inc. | Fault-tolerant fiber-optical multiwavelength processor |
US6819824B1 (en) * | 2001-05-21 | 2004-11-16 | Calient Networks | Optical switch package |
WO2002097500A2 (en) * | 2001-05-25 | 2002-12-05 | Intel Corporation | High density optical fiber array |
US6543087B2 (en) | 2001-06-01 | 2003-04-08 | Aip Networks, Inc. | Micro-electromechanical hinged flap structure |
US6549695B2 (en) * | 2001-06-05 | 2003-04-15 | Marconi Communications, Inc. | Method and apparatus for optically switching data |
US6882766B1 (en) | 2001-06-06 | 2005-04-19 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Optical switch fabric with redundancy |
US6600591B2 (en) | 2001-06-12 | 2003-07-29 | Network Photonics, Inc. | Micromirror array having adjustable mirror angles |
US6704476B2 (en) * | 2001-06-29 | 2004-03-09 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Optical MEMS switch with imaging system |
US6882770B2 (en) * | 2001-06-29 | 2005-04-19 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Imaging technique for use with optical MEMS devices |
US6757458B2 (en) * | 2001-06-29 | 2004-06-29 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Optical MEMS switch with converging beams |
US6535319B2 (en) | 2001-07-03 | 2003-03-18 | Network Photonics, Inc. | Free-space optical wavelength routing element based on stepwise controlled tilting mirrors |
US6625342B2 (en) | 2001-07-03 | 2003-09-23 | Network Photonics, Inc. | Systems and methods for overcoming stiction using a lever |
US6701037B2 (en) | 2001-07-03 | 2004-03-02 | Pts Corporation | MEMS-based noncontacting free-space optical switch |
US6873447B2 (en) * | 2001-07-03 | 2005-03-29 | Pts Corporation | Two-dimensional free-space optical wavelength routing element based on stepwise controlled tilting mirrors |
US7042609B2 (en) * | 2001-07-03 | 2006-05-09 | Pts Corporation | Two-dimensional stepwise-controlled microstructure |
US6614581B2 (en) | 2001-07-03 | 2003-09-02 | Network Photonics, Inc. | Methods and apparatus for providing a multi-stop micromirror |
US6657759B2 (en) | 2001-07-03 | 2003-12-02 | Pts Corporation | Bistable micromirror with contactless stops |
US6674584B2 (en) | 2001-07-03 | 2004-01-06 | Pts Corporation | Optical surface-mount lens cell |
US6778739B1 (en) | 2001-07-05 | 2004-08-17 | Calient Networks | Wavelength selective optical switch with aligned input and output substrates |
US6711316B2 (en) * | 2001-07-25 | 2004-03-23 | Jds Uniphase Inc. | Wavelength cross-connect |
US6778728B2 (en) * | 2001-08-10 | 2004-08-17 | Corning Intellisense Corporation | Micro-electro-mechanical mirror devices having a high linear mirror fill factor |
US7110633B1 (en) | 2001-08-13 | 2006-09-19 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Method and apparatus to provide alternative paths for optical protection path switch arrays |
US7298540B2 (en) * | 2001-08-22 | 2007-11-20 | Avanex Corporation | Equalizing optical wavelength routers |
US6439728B1 (en) | 2001-08-28 | 2002-08-27 | Network Photonics, Inc. | Multimirror stack for vertical integration of MEMS devices in two-position retroreflectors |
US7164859B2 (en) * | 2001-08-29 | 2007-01-16 | Capella Photonics, Inc. | Free-space dynamic wavelength routing systems with interleaved channels for enhanced performance |
US6947628B1 (en) * | 2001-08-30 | 2005-09-20 | Avanex Corporation | Dynamic wavelength-selective optical add-drop switches |
US7016098B2 (en) * | 2001-08-31 | 2006-03-21 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Optical device with configurable channel allocation |
GB0121308D0 (en) | 2001-09-03 | 2001-10-24 | Thomas Swan & Company Ltd | Optical processing |
US6711319B2 (en) * | 2001-09-07 | 2004-03-23 | Agilent Technologies, Inc. | Optical switch with converging optical element |
AU2002339997A1 (en) * | 2001-09-25 | 2003-04-07 | Cidra Corporation | Optical channel monitor having an array of micro-mirrors |
US7177368B2 (en) * | 2001-09-26 | 2007-02-13 | General Atomics | Data transfer using frequency notching of radio-frequency signals |
US6813057B2 (en) | 2001-09-27 | 2004-11-02 | Memx, Inc. | Configurations for an optical crossconnect switch |
US6640023B2 (en) * | 2001-09-27 | 2003-10-28 | Memx, Inc. | Single chip optical cross connect |
US6794793B2 (en) * | 2001-09-27 | 2004-09-21 | Memx, Inc. | Microelectromechnical system for tilting a platform |
US7203421B2 (en) * | 2001-09-28 | 2007-04-10 | Optical Research Associates | Littrow grating based OADM |
US6738539B2 (en) * | 2001-10-03 | 2004-05-18 | Continuum Photonics | Beam-steering optical switching apparatus |
US6614954B2 (en) * | 2001-10-24 | 2003-09-02 | Transparent Networks, Inc. | Feedback control system for a MEMS based optical switching fabric |
US6922500B2 (en) * | 2001-10-24 | 2005-07-26 | Intel Corporation | Optical configuration for optical fiber switch |
US6882769B1 (en) | 2001-10-24 | 2005-04-19 | Intel Corporation | Control system for an optical fiber switch |
US6597825B1 (en) | 2001-10-30 | 2003-07-22 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Optical tap for an optical switch |
US6751395B1 (en) | 2001-11-09 | 2004-06-15 | Active Optical Networks, Inc. | Micro-electro-mechanical variable optical attenuator |
DE10155051B4 (en) * | 2001-11-09 | 2014-03-27 | Carl Zeiss Ag | Optical switching arrangement and method for its operation |
US6747799B2 (en) | 2001-11-12 | 2004-06-08 | Pts Corporation | High-efficiency low-polarization-dependent-loss lamellar diffraction-grating profile and production process |
US6798951B2 (en) * | 2001-11-12 | 2004-09-28 | Pts Corporation | Wavelength router with a transmissive dispersive element |
US20030118281A1 (en) * | 2001-12-07 | 2003-06-26 | Li Chen | Method and system for pass band flattening and broadening of transmission spectra using grating based optical devices |
US7177496B1 (en) * | 2001-12-27 | 2007-02-13 | Capella Photonics, Inc. | Optical spectral power monitors employing time-division-multiplexing detection schemes |
US6944365B2 (en) * | 2002-01-03 | 2005-09-13 | Memx, Inc. | Off axis optical signal redirection architectures |
US6788841B2 (en) * | 2002-01-16 | 2004-09-07 | Genvac Corporation | Diamond-like carbon heat sink for reflective optical switches and devices |
US6831772B2 (en) | 2002-02-01 | 2004-12-14 | Analog Devices, Inc. | Optical mirror module |
US6856068B2 (en) * | 2002-02-28 | 2005-02-15 | Pts Corporation | Systems and methods for overcoming stiction |
US7079723B2 (en) * | 2002-03-08 | 2006-07-18 | Pts Corporation | Optical wavelength cross connect architectures using wavelength routing elements |
US6990268B2 (en) * | 2002-03-08 | 2006-01-24 | Pts Corporation | Optical wavelength cross connect architectures using wavelength routing elements |
US8086101B2 (en) * | 2002-03-08 | 2011-12-27 | Altera Corporation | Multi-city DWDM wavelength link architectures and methods for upgrading |
US6813408B2 (en) * | 2002-03-08 | 2004-11-02 | Pts Corporation | Methods for performing in-service upgrades of optical wavelength cross connects |
US6781730B2 (en) * | 2002-03-11 | 2004-08-24 | Pts Corporation | Variable wavelength attenuator for spectral grooming and dynamic channel equalization using micromirror routing |
US6690853B1 (en) | 2002-03-11 | 2004-02-10 | Pts Corporation | Tunable DWDM demultiplexer |
US7177498B2 (en) * | 2002-03-13 | 2007-02-13 | Altera Corporation | Two-by-two optical routing element using two-position MEMS mirrors |
US6959132B2 (en) * | 2002-03-13 | 2005-10-25 | Pts Corporation | One-to-M wavelength routing element |
US20040207893A1 (en) * | 2002-03-14 | 2004-10-21 | Miller Samuel Lee | Channel processing unit for WDM network |
US7379668B2 (en) * | 2002-04-02 | 2008-05-27 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Optical amplification in photonic switched crossconnect systems |
US6665463B2 (en) | 2002-04-02 | 2003-12-16 | Tera Op, Inc. | Optical switching system |
US6859574B2 (en) * | 2002-04-03 | 2005-02-22 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | N×N switching arrangement of two planar arrays without waveguide crossings |
EP1365267A1 (en) * | 2002-04-29 | 2003-11-26 | Alcatel | An optical switch unit and a method therefore |
US20030206694A1 (en) * | 2002-05-02 | 2003-11-06 | Vyoptics, Inc. | Photonic multi-bandgap lightwave device and methods for manufacturing thereof |
US20030206681A1 (en) * | 2002-05-02 | 2003-11-06 | Vyoptics, Inc. | Integrating element for optical fiber communication systems based on photonic multi-bandgap quasi-crystals having optimized transfer functions |
US7194206B2 (en) * | 2002-05-15 | 2007-03-20 | Altera Corporation | Variable-density optical cross-connect architectures and upgrades |
EP1506633A2 (en) * | 2002-05-20 | 2005-02-16 | Metconnex Canada Inc. | Reconfigurable optical add-drop module, system and method |
WO2003098962A2 (en) * | 2002-05-20 | 2003-11-27 | Metconnex Canada Inc. | Wavelength cross-connect |
US7013058B1 (en) | 2002-05-24 | 2006-03-14 | Cypress Semiconductor Corporation | Optical switch cascading system and method with fixed incidence angle correction |
US6983087B1 (en) * | 2002-05-24 | 2006-01-03 | Cypress Semiconductor Corporation | Cascading optical switch multi-plane system and method |
US6853762B1 (en) | 2002-05-24 | 2005-02-08 | Cypress Semiconductor Corporation | Optical switch cascading system and method with variable incidence angle correction |
US6785039B2 (en) | 2002-06-03 | 2004-08-31 | Pts Corporation | Optical routing elements |
US6984917B2 (en) * | 2002-06-06 | 2006-01-10 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Optical element having two axes of rotation for use in tightly spaced mirror arrays |
WO2003107045A2 (en) * | 2002-06-12 | 2003-12-24 | Optical Research Associates | Wavelength selective optical switch |
WO2004010175A2 (en) * | 2002-07-23 | 2004-01-29 | Optical Research Associates | East-west separable, reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer |
US6859324B2 (en) * | 2002-07-31 | 2005-02-22 | Agere Systems Inc. | Optical demultiplexer/multiplexer architecture |
US20040021931A1 (en) * | 2002-07-31 | 2004-02-05 | Stanton Stuart T. | Article including an optical gain equalizer |
WO2004015469A1 (en) * | 2002-08-08 | 2004-02-19 | The Regents Of The University Of California | Wavelength-selective 1xn2 switches with two-dimensional input/output fiber arrays |
US6898342B2 (en) * | 2002-08-08 | 2005-05-24 | Intel Corporation | Fiber-aligning optical switch |
US6922529B2 (en) * | 2002-08-09 | 2005-07-26 | Corvis Corporation | Optical communications systems, devices, and methods |
WO2004015459A2 (en) * | 2002-08-13 | 2004-02-19 | The Regents Of The University Of California | Compact wavelength-selective optical crossconnect |
US6870982B1 (en) | 2002-08-23 | 2005-03-22 | Cypress Semiconductor Corporation | Cascading optical switch three dimensional switch fabric system and method |
US6825988B2 (en) * | 2002-09-04 | 2004-11-30 | Intel Corporation | Etched silicon diffraction gratings for use as EUV spectral purity filters |
US7292786B1 (en) * | 2002-09-24 | 2007-11-06 | Avanex Corporation | Method and system for a re-configurable optical multiplexer, de-multiplexer and optical add-drop multiplexer |
US6798560B2 (en) * | 2002-10-11 | 2004-09-28 | Exajoula, Llc | Micromirror systems with open support structures |
US6825968B2 (en) * | 2002-10-11 | 2004-11-30 | Exajoule, Llc | Micromirror systems with electrodes configured for sequential mirror attraction |
US6870659B2 (en) * | 2002-10-11 | 2005-03-22 | Exajoule, Llc | Micromirror systems with side-supported mirrors and concealed flexure members |
KR100499273B1 (en) * | 2002-10-21 | 2005-07-01 | 한국전자통신연구원 | Silicon optical bench for packaging optical switch device, optical switch package and method for fabricating the silicon optical bench |
US6760145B1 (en) | 2003-01-23 | 2004-07-06 | Corning Incorporated | Actuator for dual-axis rotation micromirror |
US6900922B2 (en) * | 2003-02-24 | 2005-05-31 | Exajoule, Llc | Multi-tilt micromirror systems with concealed hinge structures |
US6906848B2 (en) * | 2003-02-24 | 2005-06-14 | Exajoule, Llc | Micromirror systems with concealed multi-piece hinge structures |
US7203398B2 (en) * | 2003-03-20 | 2007-04-10 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Compact DMD-based optical module |
TWI222534B (en) * | 2003-03-27 | 2004-10-21 | Walsin Lihhwa Corp | Micro actuated blazed grating |
US6954563B2 (en) * | 2003-03-28 | 2005-10-11 | Pts Corporation | Optical routing mechanism with integral fiber input/output arrangement on MEMS die |
US6917733B1 (en) * | 2003-04-03 | 2005-07-12 | Glimmerglass Networks, Inc. | Three-dimensional optical switch with offset input-output ports |
US6930817B2 (en) * | 2003-04-25 | 2005-08-16 | Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated | Configurable grating based on surface relief pattern for use as a variable optical attenuator |
US20040223684A1 (en) * | 2003-05-09 | 2004-11-11 | Creo Srl | Calibration of optical cross-connect switches |
US6754410B1 (en) * | 2003-05-29 | 2004-06-22 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Integrated wavelength-selective cross connect |
US8639069B1 (en) | 2003-06-30 | 2014-01-28 | Calient Technologies, Inc. | Wavelength dependent optical switch |
US7254293B1 (en) * | 2003-06-30 | 2007-08-07 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Wavelength routing optical switch |
CA2514924A1 (en) * | 2003-07-28 | 2005-02-03 | Olympus Corporation | Optical switch and method of controlling optical switch |
US20050078345A1 (en) * | 2003-10-09 | 2005-04-14 | Turner Arthur Monroe | Scanning device with improved magnetic drive |
US20050078911A1 (en) * | 2003-10-14 | 2005-04-14 | Mikes Thomas L. | System and method for using a concentric spectrometer to multiplex or demultiplex optical signals |
US7092599B2 (en) * | 2003-11-12 | 2006-08-15 | Engana Pty Ltd | Wavelength manipulation system and method |
FR2864258B1 (en) * | 2003-12-23 | 2006-02-17 | Commissariat Energie Atomique | SIMPLIFIED OPTIC SWITCH |
US20060088242A1 (en) * | 2003-12-31 | 2006-04-27 | Vlad Novotny | Optical switches with uniaxial mirrors |
US7265830B2 (en) * | 2004-02-25 | 2007-09-04 | Bwt Property, Inc. | Fourier Transform spectrometer apparatus using multi-element MEMS |
JP2005257778A (en) * | 2004-03-09 | 2005-09-22 | Alps Electric Co Ltd | Fine grating manufacturing method |
US20060159395A1 (en) * | 2004-04-20 | 2006-07-20 | Alan Hnatiw | Optical compensator array for dispersive element arrays |
US7408639B1 (en) | 2004-04-23 | 2008-08-05 | Nistica, Inc. | Tunable optical routing systems |
US7257288B1 (en) | 2004-04-23 | 2007-08-14 | Nistica, Inc. | Tunable optical routing systems |
US8323564B2 (en) | 2004-05-14 | 2012-12-04 | Honeywell International Inc. | Portable sample analyzer system |
WO2005119313A2 (en) * | 2004-05-29 | 2005-12-15 | Polatis Ltd | Optical switches & actuators |
US7272278B2 (en) * | 2004-06-04 | 2007-09-18 | Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. | Optical multiplexer/demultiplexer |
US7630075B2 (en) | 2004-09-27 | 2009-12-08 | Honeywell International Inc. | Circular polarization illumination based analyzer system |
US7787720B2 (en) * | 2004-09-27 | 2010-08-31 | Optium Australia Pty Limited | Wavelength selective reconfigurable optical cross-connect |
JP4368286B2 (en) * | 2004-10-08 | 2009-11-18 | 富士通株式会社 | Optical switch device |
JP4530805B2 (en) * | 2004-11-02 | 2010-08-25 | 富士通株式会社 | Optical switch and optical transmission device |
KR100570840B1 (en) * | 2004-11-05 | 2006-04-13 | 한국전자통신연구원 | Optical add/drop multiplexer |
US7254292B2 (en) * | 2004-12-17 | 2007-08-07 | Fujitsu Limited | Directing optical channels using a reflective device |
US7054054B1 (en) | 2004-12-20 | 2006-05-30 | Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated | Optical modulator with a traveling surface relief pattern |
JP4830311B2 (en) * | 2005-02-21 | 2011-12-07 | 株式会社デンソー | Automotive radar equipment |
JP4451337B2 (en) * | 2005-03-24 | 2010-04-14 | 富士通株式会社 | Wavelength selective optical switch |
US7539371B2 (en) | 2005-04-11 | 2009-05-26 | Capella Photonics, Inc. | Optical apparatus with reduced effect of mirror edge diffraction |
US7362930B2 (en) * | 2005-04-11 | 2008-04-22 | Capella Photonics | Reduction of MEMS mirror edge diffraction in a wavelength selective switch using servo-based rotation about multiple non-orthogonal axes |
US7263253B2 (en) * | 2005-04-11 | 2007-08-28 | Capella Photonics, Inc. | Optimized reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer architecture with MEMS-based attenuation or power management |
US7352927B2 (en) | 2005-04-11 | 2008-04-01 | Capella Photonics | Optical add-drop multiplexer architecture with reduced effect of mirror edge diffraction |
US7346234B2 (en) * | 2005-04-11 | 2008-03-18 | Capella Photonics | Reduction of MEMS mirror edge diffraction in a wavelength selective switch using servo-based multi-axes rotation |
US7756368B2 (en) * | 2005-04-11 | 2010-07-13 | Capella Photonics, Inc. | Flex spectrum WSS |
CN101438143B (en) | 2005-04-29 | 2013-06-12 | 霍尼韦尔国际公司 | Cytometer cell counting and size measurement method |
US7439584B2 (en) * | 2005-05-19 | 2008-10-21 | Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. | Structure and method for RESURF LDMOSFET with a current diverter |
US8273294B2 (en) | 2005-07-01 | 2012-09-25 | Honeywell International Inc. | Molded cartridge with 3-D hydrodynamic focusing |
WO2007005973A2 (en) | 2005-07-01 | 2007-01-11 | Honeywell International, Inc. | A microfluidic card for rbc analysis |
US8361410B2 (en) | 2005-07-01 | 2013-01-29 | Honeywell International Inc. | Flow metered analyzer |
WO2007006142A1 (en) * | 2005-07-08 | 2007-01-18 | Jds Uniphase Corporation | Wavelength cross connect with per port performance characteristics |
US7567756B2 (en) * | 2005-08-03 | 2009-07-28 | Capella Photonics | Method of automatic adjustment of dither amplitude of MEMS mirror arrays |
US7843563B2 (en) * | 2005-08-16 | 2010-11-30 | Honeywell International Inc. | Light scattering and imaging optical system |
US7806604B2 (en) * | 2005-10-20 | 2010-10-05 | Honeywell International Inc. | Face detection and tracking in a wide field of view |
WO2007075922A2 (en) | 2005-12-22 | 2007-07-05 | Honeywell International Inc. | Portable sample analyzer cartridge |
EP1963866B1 (en) * | 2005-12-22 | 2018-05-16 | Honeywell International Inc. | Hematological analyzer system with removable cartridge |
JP5431732B2 (en) | 2005-12-29 | 2014-03-05 | ハネウェル・インターナショナル・インコーポレーテッド | Assay implementation in microfluidic format |
US7725027B2 (en) * | 2006-04-06 | 2010-05-25 | Jds Uniphase Corporation | Multi-unit wavelength dispersive device |
US20070272792A1 (en) * | 2006-05-26 | 2007-11-29 | Herzel Laor | Optical switching apparatus |
US7676125B2 (en) * | 2006-06-19 | 2010-03-09 | Calient Networks, Inc. | Method and apparatus to provide multi-channel bulk fiber optical power detection |
US7440650B2 (en) * | 2006-08-03 | 2008-10-21 | Jds Uniphase Corporation | Planar lightwave circuit based wavelength selective switch |
US7720329B2 (en) * | 2006-11-07 | 2010-05-18 | Olympus Corporation | Segmented prism element and associated methods for manifold fiberoptic switches |
US8000568B2 (en) * | 2006-11-07 | 2011-08-16 | Olympus Corporation | Beam steering element and associated methods for mixed manifold fiberoptic switches |
US7702194B2 (en) * | 2006-11-07 | 2010-04-20 | Olympus Corporation | Beam steering element and associated methods for manifold fiberoptic switches |
US7769255B2 (en) * | 2006-11-07 | 2010-08-03 | Olympus Corporation | High port count instantiated wavelength selective switch |
US7873246B2 (en) * | 2006-11-07 | 2011-01-18 | Olympus Corporation | Beam steering element and associated methods for manifold fiberoptic switches and monitoring |
US8131123B2 (en) * | 2006-11-07 | 2012-03-06 | Olympus Corporation | Beam steering element and associated methods for manifold fiberoptic switches and monitoring |
US8705960B2 (en) | 2007-02-08 | 2014-04-22 | Jds Uniphase Corporation | M×N wavelength selective switch (WSS) |
US8179581B1 (en) | 2007-03-28 | 2012-05-15 | University Of South Florida | Electrostatically-addressed MEMS array system and method of use |
US7864423B2 (en) * | 2007-08-10 | 2011-01-04 | Aegis Lightwave, Inc. | Spectrally adjustable filter |
US8284489B2 (en) * | 2007-09-11 | 2012-10-09 | Aegis Lightwave, Inc. | Spectrally adjustable filter |
JP2009083382A (en) * | 2007-10-01 | 2009-04-23 | Brother Ind Ltd | Image forming device and image processing program |
US7676126B2 (en) * | 2007-12-12 | 2010-03-09 | Jds Uniphase Corporation | Optical device with non-equally spaced output ports |
US7630599B2 (en) * | 2007-12-14 | 2009-12-08 | Jds Uniphase Corporation | Wavelength dispersive device with temperature compensation |
KR20090065160A (en) * | 2007-12-17 | 2009-06-22 | 한국전자통신연구원 | Wavelength selective switch |
US7664348B2 (en) * | 2007-12-21 | 2010-02-16 | Teledyne Scientific & Imaging, Llc | Optical switch with reconfigurable broadcasting and combining capabilities |
US8045854B2 (en) * | 2008-02-07 | 2011-10-25 | Jds Uniphase Corporation | M×N wavelength selective optical switch |
US8190025B2 (en) * | 2008-02-28 | 2012-05-29 | Olympus Corporation | Wavelength selective switch having distinct planes of operation |
US8014682B2 (en) * | 2008-04-18 | 2011-09-06 | Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. | Free-space optical communication system |
US8260151B2 (en) * | 2008-04-18 | 2012-09-04 | Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. | Optical communication integration |
US20090263122A1 (en) * | 2008-04-22 | 2009-10-22 | Roger Jonathan Helkey | Method and apparatus for network diagnostics in a passive optical network |
US7817272B2 (en) * | 2008-06-09 | 2010-10-19 | Aegis Lightwave, Inc. | High-resolution spectrally adjustable filter |
WO2010001734A1 (en) * | 2008-07-04 | 2010-01-07 | Nttエレクトロニクス株式会社 | Wavelength selection switch |
US20100034704A1 (en) * | 2008-08-06 | 2010-02-11 | Honeywell International Inc. | Microfluidic cartridge channel with reduced bubble formation |
US8037354B2 (en) | 2008-09-18 | 2011-10-11 | Honeywell International Inc. | Apparatus and method for operating a computing platform without a battery pack |
US20100129076A1 (en) * | 2008-11-24 | 2010-05-27 | Giovanni Barbarossa | Method and apparatus for spectral band management |
JP5345884B2 (en) * | 2009-03-27 | 2013-11-20 | 日本電信電話株式会社 | Light switch |
IT1395475B1 (en) | 2009-04-30 | 2012-09-21 | St Microelectronics Srl | ON-CHIP SYSTEM WITH OPTICAL INTERCONNECTIONS |
WO2011048599A1 (en) | 2009-10-22 | 2011-04-28 | Yissum Research Development Company Of The Hebrew University Of Jerusalem Ltd. | Method and system for switching optical channels |
US20110109869A1 (en) * | 2009-11-06 | 2011-05-12 | Coadna Photonics, Inc. | Reconfigurable wavelength selective cross-connect switch using liquid crystal cells |
US8300995B2 (en) | 2010-06-30 | 2012-10-30 | Jds Uniphase Corporation | M X N WSS with reduced optics size |
US8854597B2 (en) * | 2011-03-16 | 2014-10-07 | Finisar Corporation | Wavelength selective switch |
EP2533077A1 (en) * | 2011-06-08 | 2012-12-12 | Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast -natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek TNO | Diffraction grating and method for producing same |
US8699024B2 (en) | 2011-08-23 | 2014-04-15 | Jds Uniphase Corporation | Tunable optical filter and spectrometer |
CN103748511B (en) * | 2011-09-16 | 2016-11-23 | 日本电信电话株式会社 | Photoswitch |
US9054828B2 (en) * | 2011-10-14 | 2015-06-09 | Glimmerglass Networks, Inc. | Method and system for managing optical distribution network |
TWI553364B (en) * | 2011-12-19 | 2016-10-11 | 鴻海精密工業股份有限公司 | Photoelectric converter |
US8741235B2 (en) | 2011-12-27 | 2014-06-03 | Honeywell International Inc. | Two step sample loading of a fluid analysis cartridge |
US8741234B2 (en) | 2011-12-27 | 2014-06-03 | Honeywell International Inc. | Disposable cartridge for fluid analysis |
US8663583B2 (en) | 2011-12-27 | 2014-03-04 | Honeywell International Inc. | Disposable cartridge for fluid analysis |
US8741233B2 (en) | 2011-12-27 | 2014-06-03 | Honeywell International Inc. | Disposable cartridge for fluid analysis |
US9188831B2 (en) * | 2012-02-17 | 2015-11-17 | Alcatel Lucent | Compact wavelength-selective cross-connect device having multiple input ports and multiple output ports |
US9369783B2 (en) | 2012-02-17 | 2016-06-14 | Alcatel Lucent | Wavelength-selective cross-connect device having astigmatic optics |
JP6019466B2 (en) * | 2012-07-17 | 2016-11-02 | サンテック株式会社 | Wavelength selective optical switch device |
US8977079B2 (en) * | 2012-07-18 | 2015-03-10 | Jds Uniphase Corporation | WSS with high port isolation and close spaced ports |
JP6321005B2 (en) | 2012-07-19 | 2018-05-09 | フィニサー コーポレイション | Polarization diversity wavelength selective switch |
GB2504970A (en) | 2012-08-15 | 2014-02-19 | Swan Thomas & Co Ltd | Optical device and methods to reduce cross-talk |
FR2996012A1 (en) * | 2012-09-21 | 2014-03-28 | France Telecom | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR GENERATING ELECTRIC SIGNALS CORRESPONDING TO WAVE LENGTH FROM POLY-CHROMATIC OPTICAL SIGNALS |
WO2014061103A1 (en) * | 2012-10-16 | 2014-04-24 | 住友電気工業株式会社 | Optical path control device |
US9575259B2 (en) | 2013-07-02 | 2017-02-21 | Finisar Corporation | N×N optical switch |
WO2015024238A1 (en) * | 2013-08-22 | 2015-02-26 | 华为技术有限公司 | Wavelength selective switch |
US9304259B1 (en) | 2014-03-13 | 2016-04-05 | Google Inc. | MEMS mirror arrays having multiple mirror units |
WO2015161452A1 (en) | 2014-04-22 | 2015-10-29 | 华为技术有限公司 | Optical communication apparatus and method |
US10228517B2 (en) * | 2015-03-03 | 2019-03-12 | Nistica, Inc. | Optical arrangement for managing diversity and isolation between ports in a wavelength selective switch |
US20180017735A1 (en) * | 2016-07-13 | 2018-01-18 | Futurewei Technologies, Inc. | Wavelength Division Multiplexer/Demultiplexer with Flexibility of Optical Adjustment |
US10338321B2 (en) | 2017-03-20 | 2019-07-02 | Analog Photonics LLC | Large scale steerable coherent optical switched arrays |
GB201719996D0 (en) * | 2017-11-30 | 2018-01-17 | Purelifi Ltd | Tuneable filter grating for OWC |
US11422431B2 (en) | 2019-06-17 | 2022-08-23 | Analog Photonics LLC | Optical switching using spatially distributed phase shifters |
CN112965442B (en) * | 2021-02-01 | 2022-09-20 | 中国航空制造技术研究院 | Cooperative motion control method and system for mirror milling |
CN113218505B (en) * | 2021-05-31 | 2022-02-22 | 中国科学院长春光学精密机械与物理研究所 | Static infrared polarization imaging spectrometer |
Family Cites Families (38)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3622792A (en) | 1969-12-29 | 1971-11-23 | Bell Telephone Labor Inc | Optical switching system |
US4012147A (en) | 1974-11-06 | 1977-03-15 | George Edouard Walrafen | Slit-less spectrometer |
US4022534A (en) | 1976-03-23 | 1977-05-10 | Kollmorgen Corporation | Reflectometer optical system |
US4678332A (en) | 1984-02-21 | 1987-07-07 | Dan Rock | Broadband spectrometer with fiber optic reformattor |
US4655547A (en) * | 1985-04-09 | 1987-04-07 | Bell Communications Research, Inc. | Shaping optical pulses by amplitude and phase masking |
US4866699A (en) * | 1987-06-22 | 1989-09-12 | Bell Communications Research, Inc. | Optical telecommunications system using code division multiple access |
US4790654A (en) | 1987-07-17 | 1988-12-13 | Trw Inc. | Spectral filter |
US4866547A (en) | 1988-04-01 | 1989-09-12 | Rodal David R | Circuit for detecting the end of a tape by counting reel revolutions |
JP2791038B2 (en) | 1988-06-24 | 1998-08-27 | 株式会社日立製作所 | Spectroscope, projection exposure apparatus and projection exposure method using the same |
WO1991013377A1 (en) * | 1990-02-20 | 1991-09-05 | British Telecommunications Public Limited Company | Tunable optical filters |
US5166818A (en) * | 1991-03-11 | 1992-11-24 | Bell Communications Research, Inc. | Optical pulse-shaping device and method, and optical communications station and method |
US5226099A (en) | 1991-04-26 | 1993-07-06 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Digital micromirror shutter device |
JP2617054B2 (en) | 1991-10-18 | 1997-06-04 | 日本電信電話株式会社 | Optical connection module |
US5233405A (en) | 1991-11-06 | 1993-08-03 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Optical spectrum analyzer having double-pass monochromator |
CA2084923A1 (en) | 1991-12-20 | 1993-06-21 | Ronald E. Stafford | Slm spectrometer |
US5255332A (en) * | 1992-07-16 | 1993-10-19 | Sdl, Inc. | NxN Optical crossbar switch matrix |
US5436986A (en) | 1993-03-09 | 1995-07-25 | Tsai; Jian-Hung | Apparatus for switching optical signals among optical fibers and method |
US5414540A (en) | 1993-06-01 | 1995-05-09 | Bell Communications Research, Inc. | Frequency-selective optical switch employing a frequency dispersive element, polarization dispersive element and polarization modulating elements |
US5673139A (en) | 1993-07-19 | 1997-09-30 | Medcom, Inc. | Microelectromechanical television scanning device and method for making the same |
US6204919B1 (en) | 1993-07-22 | 2001-03-20 | Novachem Bv | Double beam spectrometer |
US5581402A (en) * | 1993-11-22 | 1996-12-03 | Eastman Kodak Company | Method for producing an improved stereoscopic picture and stereoscopic picture obtained according to this method |
US5444801A (en) | 1994-05-27 | 1995-08-22 | Laughlin; Richard H. | Apparatus for switching optical signals and method of operation |
KR100213281B1 (en) * | 1994-10-31 | 1999-08-02 | 전주범 | The lightpath modulation device |
US5581643A (en) * | 1994-12-08 | 1996-12-03 | Northern Telecom Limited | Optical waveguide cross-point switch |
JPH08251520A (en) | 1995-03-08 | 1996-09-27 | Nikon Corp | Video projector |
US5627925A (en) | 1995-04-07 | 1997-05-06 | Lucent Technologies Inc. | Non-blocking optical cross-connect structure for telecommunications network |
US5671304A (en) * | 1995-12-21 | 1997-09-23 | Universite Laval | Two-dimensional optoelectronic tune-switch |
US6072923A (en) * | 1996-04-30 | 2000-06-06 | Wavefront Research, Inc. | Optical switching, routing, and time delay systems using switched mirrors |
WO1998008127A1 (en) * | 1996-08-21 | 1998-02-26 | Daewoo Electronics Co., Ltd. | Thin film actuated mirror array for use in an optical projection system |
US6028689A (en) | 1997-01-24 | 2000-02-22 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force | Multi-motion micromirror |
US5841917A (en) * | 1997-01-31 | 1998-11-24 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Optical cross-connect switch using a pin grid actuator |
US6097859A (en) * | 1998-02-12 | 2000-08-01 | The Regents Of The University Of California | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US5796479A (en) | 1997-03-27 | 1998-08-18 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Signal monitoring apparatus for wavelength division multiplexed optical telecommunication networks |
US5878177A (en) * | 1997-03-31 | 1999-03-02 | At&T Corp. | Layered switch architectures for high-capacity optical transport networks |
US5960132A (en) * | 1997-09-09 | 1999-09-28 | At&T Corp. | Fiber-optic free-space micromachined matrix switches |
US6212309B1 (en) | 1998-01-24 | 2001-04-03 | Mitel Corporation | Optical cross point switch using deformable micromirror |
US5960133A (en) * | 1998-01-27 | 1999-09-28 | Tellium, Inc. | Wavelength-selective optical add/drop using tilting micro-mirrors |
US6263123B1 (en) | 1999-03-12 | 2001-07-17 | Lucent Technologies | Pixellated WDM optical components |
-
1998
- 1998-02-12 US US09/022,591 patent/US6097859A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2000
- 2000-07-18 US US09/618,320 patent/US6289145B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2000-12-21 US US09/748,025 patent/US6327398B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2001
- 2001-01-19 US US09/766,529 patent/US6389190B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2001-02-08 US US09/780,122 patent/US6374008B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2001-03-20 US US09/813,446 patent/US6834136B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2001-05-04 US US09/849,096 patent/US6819823B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2001-08-10 US US09/928,237 patent/US20020061160A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2002
- 2002-11-12 US US10/293,949 patent/US6711320B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2002-11-12 US US10/293,897 patent/US6922239B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2004
- 2004-08-02 US US10/910,560 patent/US20050058393A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (18)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20030133095A1 (en) * | 1997-02-13 | 2003-07-17 | Olav Solgaard | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US6711320B2 (en) * | 1997-02-13 | 2004-03-23 | The Regents Of The University Of California | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch |
US6707959B2 (en) * | 2001-07-12 | 2004-03-16 | Jds Uniphase Inc. | Wavelength switch |
US20030086139A1 (en) * | 2001-08-20 | 2003-05-08 | Wing So John Ling | Optical system and method |
US6842549B2 (en) * | 2001-08-20 | 2005-01-11 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Optical system and method |
US7019832B2 (en) * | 2002-07-06 | 2006-03-28 | Acterna Eningen Gmbh | Optical spectrometer with several spectral bandwidths |
US20040070755A1 (en) * | 2002-07-06 | 2004-04-15 | Thomas Fuhrmann | Optical spectrometer with several spectral bandwidths |
US20040080807A1 (en) * | 2002-10-24 | 2004-04-29 | Zhizhang Chen | Mems-actuated color light modulator and methods |
US6747785B2 (en) | 2002-10-24 | 2004-06-08 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | MEMS-actuated color light modulator and methods |
US20040174583A1 (en) * | 2002-10-24 | 2004-09-09 | Zhizhang Chen | MEMS-actuated color light modulator and methods |
US6825969B2 (en) | 2002-10-24 | 2004-11-30 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | MEMS-actuated color light modulator and methods |
US20040234201A1 (en) * | 2003-05-23 | 2004-11-25 | Yury Logvin | Passband flattened demultiplexer employing segmented reflectors and other devices derived therefrom |
US6904203B2 (en) * | 2003-05-23 | 2005-06-07 | Metrophotonics Inc. | Passband flattened demultiplexer employing segmented reflectors and other devices derived therefrom |
US20050008283A1 (en) * | 2003-05-31 | 2005-01-13 | Brophy Christopher P. | Multiport wavelength-selective optical switch |
US7162115B2 (en) | 2003-05-31 | 2007-01-09 | Jds Uniphase Corporation | Multiport wavelength-selective optical switch |
US20130272650A1 (en) * | 2012-04-11 | 2013-10-17 | National Institute Of Advanced Industrial Science And Technology | Wavelength cross connect device |
US20140118604A1 (en) * | 2012-11-01 | 2014-05-01 | Raytheon Company | Multispectral imaging camera |
US9374563B2 (en) * | 2012-11-01 | 2016-06-21 | Raytheon Company | Multispectral imaging camera |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US6819823B2 (en) | 2004-11-16 |
US20030133095A1 (en) | 2003-07-17 |
US6389190B2 (en) | 2002-05-14 |
US20050058393A1 (en) | 2005-03-17 |
US6097859A (en) | 2000-08-01 |
US6922239B2 (en) | 2005-07-26 |
US6834136B2 (en) | 2004-12-21 |
US20030137660A1 (en) | 2003-07-24 |
US6711320B2 (en) | 2004-03-23 |
US20020012489A1 (en) | 2002-01-31 |
US6374008B2 (en) | 2002-04-16 |
US6327398B1 (en) | 2001-12-04 |
US20010009596A1 (en) | 2001-07-26 |
US20010014196A1 (en) | 2001-08-16 |
US6289145B1 (en) | 2001-09-11 |
US20010022876A1 (en) | 2001-09-20 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US6711320B2 (en) | Multi-wavelength cross-connect optical switch | |
US7072539B2 (en) | Wavelength-selective 1×N2 switches with two-dimensional input/output fiber arrays | |
EP1682931B1 (en) | Wavelength manipulation system and method | |
EP2153258B1 (en) | Optical switch module | |
US6694073B2 (en) | Reconfigurable free space wavelength cross connect | |
US8022379B2 (en) | Beam position sensor for optical switch modules | |
US7529441B2 (en) | Wavelength routing optical switch | |
US7548682B2 (en) | Optical fiber array alignment unit | |
JP4846713B2 (en) | Optical cross-connect switch with axial alignment beam | |
US7386201B1 (en) | Mems mirror array and controls | |
US8639069B1 (en) | Wavelength dependent optical switch | |
US6678436B2 (en) | Optical switch with moving lenses | |
US7777961B2 (en) | Optical switch with co-axial alignment beam | |
JP4718740B2 (en) | Optical add / drop multiplexer |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH & ENGINEERING CO., NEW JERSEY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:CHAKRABARTY, TAPAN;WITTENBRINK, ROBERT J;BERLOWITZ, PAUL J.;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:011605/0770;SIGNING DATES FROM 19980224 TO 19980311 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: EXPRESSLY ABANDONED -- DURING EXAMINATION |