Reconfigurable optical space switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10162121-B2
Application number	US-201815907777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2018
Priority date	Mar 3, 2017
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A method and switch are provided for reconfigurable optical space switch. The method includes receiving a control signal, from a controller, to configure a path through the reconfigurable optical space switch. The method also includes applying a voltage to one or more direction changing devices at each intersection between each of the east-west optical waveguides and each of the north-south optical waveguides to form the path through the reconfigurable optical space switch. The method additionally includes receiving an optical signal in one of a plurality of passive waveguides at a beginning of the path, including the plurality of east-west optical waveguides and the plurality of north-south optical waveguides. The method further includes outputting the optical signal out on of the plurality of passive waveguides at an end of the path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reconfigurable optical space switch, comprising:
a plurality of passive waveguides to transmit optical signals, including a plurality of east (E)-west (W) optical waveguides and a plurality of north (N)-south (S) optical waveguides; and
one or more direction changing devices at each intersection between each of the east-west optical waveguides and each of the north-south optical waveguides configurable to alter a path of an optical signal along one or more of the plurality of passive waveguides, wherein the one or more direction changing devices support full-duplex operation along the passive waveguides.

2. The reconfigurable optical space switch as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more direction changing devices are microelectromechanical system mirrors.

3. The reconfigurable optical space switch as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more direction changing devices includes four microelectromechanical system mirrors to enable traffic along E-N, E-S, W-N, and W-S paths.

4. The reconfigurable optical space switch as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more direction changing devices includes two microelectromechanical system mirrors.

5. The reconfigurable optical space switch as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more direction changing devices are active vertical coupler units.

6. The reconfigurable optical space switch as recited in claim 5 , wherein the active vertical coupler units include two active vertical couplers with a total internal reflection mirror.

7. The reconfigurable optical space switch as recited in claim 6 , wherein the active vertical couplers include material with a latcheabie index of refraction.

8. The reconfigurable optical space switch as recited in claim 6 , wherein the total internal reflection mirror enables 90° redirection between the two active vertical couplers.

9. The reconfigurable optical space switch as recited in claim 1 , wherein the one or more direction changing devices includes active vertical coupler units on top of the plurality of passive waveguides and two vertical coupler units on the bottom of the plurality of waveguides.

10. A method for a reconfigurable optical space switch, comprising:
receiving a control signal, from a controller, to configure a path through the reconfigurable optical space switch;
applying a voltage to one or more direction changing devices at each intersection between each of the east-west optical waveguides and each of the north-south optical waveguides to form the path through the reconfigurable optical space switch;
receiving an optical signal in one of a plurality of passive waveguides at a beginning of the path, including the plurality of east-west optical waveguides and the plurality of north-south optical waveguides; and
outputting the optical signal out on one of the plurality of passive waveguides at an end of the path, wherein the one or more direction changing devices support full-duplex operation along the passive waveguides.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the one or more direction changing devices are microelectromechanical system mirrors.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the one or more direction changing devices includes four microelectromechanical system mirrors to enable traffic along E-N, E-S, W-N, and W-S paths.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the one or more direction changing devices includes two microelectromechanical system mirrors.

14. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the one or more direction changing devices are active vertical coupler units.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 , wherein the active vertical coupler units include two active vertical couplers and a total internal reflection mirror.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the active vertical couplers include material with a latchable index of refraction.

17. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the total internal reflection mirror enables 90° redirection between the two active vertical couplers.

18. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the one or more direction changing devices includes active vertical coupler units on top of the plurality of passive waveguides and two vertical coupler units on the bottom of the plurality of waveguides.

19. A reconfigurable optical space switch, comprising:
a plurality of passive waveguides to transmit optical signals, including a plurality of east (E)-west (W) optical waveguides and a plurality of north (N)-south (S) optical waveguides; and

one or more direction changing devices at each intersection between each of the east-west optical waveguides and each of the north-south optical waveguides configurable to alter a path of an optical signal along one or more of the plurality of passive waveguides, wherein the one or more direction changing devices includes active vertical coupler units on top of the plurality of passive waveguides and two vertical coupler units on the bottom of the plurality of waveguides.

Assignees

• Nec Lab America Inc
• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Djordjevic Ivan B
• Zhang Shaoliang
• Wang Ting

Classifications

• G02B5/32

  Holograms used as optical elements · CPC title

• H04J14/06

  Polarisation multiplex systems · CPC title

• H04Q11/0062

  Network aspects · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0081

  Fault tolerance; Redundancy; Recovery; Reconfigurability · CPC title

• G02B6/3546

  NxM switch, i.e. a regular array of switches elements of matrix type constellation · CPC title