摘要:
Systems and methods for modifying, switching, rearranging or otherwise controlling the individual wavelength components of DWDM optical signals are described, which employ compact refolding and reshaping of these dimensionally patterned beams within a confined volume. The wavelength components of the beam are diffractively dispersed with high diffraction efficiency, and then reversely converged to beam waists incident on different ones of an array of control elements such as liquid crystal cells, MEMs and other spatial light modulators, or fixed distributed patterns. With reflective control elements the wavelength components may be reversely refolded along reciprocal paths with rediffraction, to form a reconstituted and revised DWDM output signal. If the control elements transmit at least one of the wavelength components, a separate, adjacent three dimensional beam refolding path, with rediffraction, is used to feed recombined signals to a separate output. High diffraction efficiency and minimal optical aberrations are achieved by employing a diffraction grating and opposed Mangin mirror system as the principal elements for beam refolding. The approach is useful in systems servicing narrow channel separations, and in a wide variety of applications including channel equalization, interleaving, channel blocking, and channel grouping.
摘要:
Wavelength selective devices and subsystems having various applications in the field of optical communications are disclosed. These devices and subsystems are composed of bi-directional grating assisted mode couplers. The high add/drop efficiency and low loss of this coupler enable low loss wavelength selective elements such as optical switches, amplifiers, routers, and sources to be fabricated. The grating assisted mode coupler can be wavelength tuned by modifying the optical properties of the coupler interaction region. A programmable, wavelength selective router composed of multiple grating assisted mode couplers is also disclosed.
摘要:
For systems which disperse individual wavelength components of a DWDM beam into an array of converging beams, the individual wavelength signals are modified for blocking, equalization or other purposes by reflective liquid crystal cells. Thus modulated or modified components are then recombined by the system into an output beam, as by reverse passage through the system. Controlled full extinction or linear attenuation may be introduced by converging asymmetrical beams of separate polarization components for each wavelength into superposed relation on zero twist nematic crystal cells which are voltage controlled so as to retard for extinction of greater than 40 dB or to transform the state of polarization to a selected angle for attenuation. Polarization sensitive elements in the return paths of the reflected beams then filter the rejected components.
摘要:
A wavelength selective optical fiber coupler having various applications in the field of optical communications is disclosed. The coupler is composed of dissimilar waveguides in close proximity. A light induced, permanent index of refraction grating is recorded in the coupler waist. The grating filters and transfers energy within a particular range of wavelengths from a first waveguide to a second waveguide. Transversely asymmetric gratings provide an efficient means of energy transfer. The coupler can be used to combine or multiplex a plurality of lasers operating at slightly different wavelengths into a single fiber. Other embodiments such as a dispersion compensator and gain flattening filter are disclosed.