Waveguide network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12298567-B2
Application number	US-202117904788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2021
Priority date	Mar 26, 2020
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

A multimode optical waveguide network comprises a parent waveguide and a plurality of child waveguides. Each waveguide is a multimode optical waveguide having a first surface region, multiple second surface regions, and at least one guiding element attached to a surface of the waveguide or embedded within the waveguide, each second surface region of the parent waveguide optically coupled to the first surface region of a corresponding child waveguide. The guiding element(s) of the parent waveguide is arranged to guide a beam, from or to its first surface region, to or from any selected second surface region of its multiple second surface regions. The guiding element(s) of each of the waveguides is configurable for selecting the second surface region of that waveguide and/or responsive to at least one beam characteristic for selecting the second surface region of that waveguide via modulation of the at least one beam characteristic.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A multimode optical waveguide network comprising:
a parent waveguide; and
first and second child waveguides;
wherein each of the parent waveguide and the first and second child waveguides is a multimode optical waveguide having a first surface region, at least two second surface regions, and at least one guiding element, wherein at least one of the second surface regions of the parent waveguide is optically coupled to the first surface region of the first child waveguide, and wherein at least one other of the second surface regions of the parent waveguide is optically coupled to the first surface region of the second child waveguide; and
wherein the at least one guiding element of the parent waveguide is arranged to guide a beam, from or to the first surface region of the parent waveguide, to or from any selected second surface region of the at least two second surface regions of the parent waveguide, the beam being coupled into or received from the corresponding first or second child waveguide whose first surface region is optically coupled to the selected second surface region of the parent waveguide, via the selected second surface region of the parent waveguide and the first surface region of the corresponding first or second child waveguide, the at least one guiding element of each of the first and second child waveguides is arranged to guide a beam, from or to the first surface region of the respective first or second child waveguide, to or from any selected second surface region of the at least two second surface regions of the respective first or second child waveguide, wherein the at least one guiding element of each of the parent waveguide and the first and second child waveguides is configurable for switching guidance of the beam between the at least two second surface regions of that waveguide via at least one of changing an optical property of the at least one guiding element or modulation of at least one beam characteristic.

2. The multimode optical waveguide network of claim 1 , comprising first and second grandchild waveguides, wherein each of the first and second grandchild waveguides is a multimode optical waveguide having a first surface region, at least two second surface regions, and at least one guiding element, wherein at least one of the second surface regions of the first child waveguide is optically coupled to the first surface region of the first grandchild waveguide, and wherein at least one of the second surface regions of the second child waveguide is optically coupled to the first surface region of the second grandchild waveguide; and
wherein the at least one guiding element of each of the first and second grandchild waveguides is arranged to guide a beam, from or to the first surface region of the respective first or second grandchild waveguide, to or from any selected second surface region of the at least two second surface regions of the respective first or second grandchild waveguide, the beam being coupled into or out of the respective first or second grandchild waveguide via the first surface region of the respective first or second grandchild waveguide and the selected second surface region of the corresponding first or second child waveguide optically coupled thereto, the at least one guiding element of each of the first and second grandchild waveguides being configurable for switching guidance of the beam between the at least two second surface regions of that respective first or second grandchild waveguide via at least one of changing an optical property of the at least one guiding element or modulation of at least one beam characteristic.

3. The multimode optical waveguide network of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the guiding elements comprises an active guiding element.

4. The multimode optical waveguide network of claim 3 , wherein the active guiding element comprises at least one of: a configurable transmissivity or reflectivity, a configurable refractive index, a switchable grating, or a switchable grating region.

5. The multimode optical waveguide network of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the guiding elements is responsive to the at least one beam characteristic.

6. The multimode optical waveguide network of claim 1 , wherein the parent waveguide comprises at least one wavelength-responsive guiding element, such that a beam within a first wavelength range is guided, from or to the first surface region of the parent waveguide, into or from the first child waveguide, and a beam within a second wavelength range is guided, from or to the first surface region of the parent waveguide, to or from the second child waveguide;
wherein the first child waveguide has at least one wavelength responsive guiding element, such that a beam within a first sub-range of the first wavelength range is guided, from or to the first surface region of the first child waveguide, to or from one of the at least two second surface regions of the first child waveguide, and a beam within a second sub-range of the first wavelength range is guided, from or to the first surface region of the first child waveguide, to or from another of the at least two second surface regions of the first child waveguide; and
wherein the second child waveguide has at least one wavelength-responsive guiding element, such that a beam within a first sub-range of the second wavelength range is guided, from or to the first surface region of the second child waveguide, to or from one of the at least two second surface regions of the second child waveguide, and a beam within a second sub-range of the second wavelength range is guided, from or to the first surface region of the second child waveguide, to or from another of the at least two second surface regions of the second child waveguide.

7. The multimode optical waveguide network of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the guiding elements comprises an active guiding element, and at least another of the guiding elements comprises a guiding element responsive to the at least one beam characteristic.

8. The multimode optical waveguide network of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the guiding elements comprises at least one of a wavelength or polarization filter having at least one of a fixed wavelength response, a configurable wavelength response, a fixed axis of polarization, or a configurable axis of polarization.

9. The multimode optical waveguide network of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the parent waveguide, the first child waveguide, or the second child waveguide has two or more guiding elements and three or more second surface regions.

10. An optical system comprising:
a first optical system component;
second optical system components;
at least one multimode optical waveguide network, the multimode optical waveguide network arranged to guide a beam, from or to the first optical system component, to or from any selected second optical system component of the second optical system components, the at least one multimode optical waveguide network comprising:
a parent waveguide;
first and second child waveguides;
wherein each of the parent waveguide and the first and second child waveguides is a multimode optical waveguide having a first surface region, at least two second surface regions, and at least one guiding element, wherein at least one of the second surface regions of the parent waveguide is optically coupled to the first surface region of the first child waveguide, and wherein at least one other of the second surface regions of the parent waveguide is optically coupled to the first surface region of the second child waveguide; and
wherein the at least one guiding element of the parent waveguide is arranged to guide a beam, from or to the f

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Kelly Douglas James
• Thomsen Benn Charles
• Narayanan Dushyanth
• Rowstron Antony Ian Taylor
• Georgiou Andreas

Classifications

• G02B27/283

  used for beam splitting or combining · CPC title

• G02B6/35 Primary

  having switching means (by changing the optical properties of the medium G02F1/00) · CPC title

• G11B7/135

  Means for guiding the beam from the source to the record carrier or from the record carrier to the detector · CPC title

• G11B7/0065

  Recording, reproducing or erasing by using optical interference patterns, e.g. holograms · CPC title

• G02B6/3512

  the optical element being reflective, e.g. mirror · CPC title