Wavelength selective switching apparatus and related method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12532094-B2
Application number	US-202318239482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2023
Priority date	Mar 15, 2021
Publication date	Jan 20, 2026
Grant date	Jan 20, 2026

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a wavelength selective switching apparatus and a related method thereof. The apparatus includes: at least one input port and a plurality of output ports; a dispersion assembly, configured to respectively disperse a received first-band optical signal and a received second-band optical signal into a plurality of first optical sub-signals and a plurality of second optical sub-signals in a dispersion plane; a first-band filter, configured to reflect the plurality of first optical sub-signals and transmit the plurality of second optical sub-signals; and a light redirection device, configured to make each of a plurality of sub-band optical signals to be emitted toward the first-band filter in a redirected manner. In a port plane, a plurality of optical sub-signals are respectively incident to the first-band filter at an incidence angle within a first predetermined angle range in a backward propagation direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A wavelength selective switching apparatus, comprising:
at least one input port and a plurality of output ports, wherein the at least one input port is configured to receive a first-band optical signal and a second-band optical signal, each of the plurality of output ports is configured to output an optical signal within a predetermined band range; a dispersion assembly, configured to respectively disperse the first-band optical signal and the second-band optical signal that are received from the at least one input port into a plurality of first optical sub-signals and a plurality of second optical sub-signals in a dispersion plane, wherein the plurality of first optical sub-signals respectively correspond to a plurality of first sub-bands in a first band, the plurality of second optical sub-signals respectively correspond to a plurality of second sub-bands in a second band, and the dispersion plane is a plane in which a light propagation direction and a dispersion direction are located; a first-band filter, configured to reflect the plurality of first optical sub-signals and transmit the plurality of second optical sub-signals; and a light redirection device, configured to: receive the plurality of first optical sub-signals and the plurality of second optical sub-signals in a forward propagation direction from the first-band filter, and make, in a port plane in which a predetermined arrangement direction of the plurality of output ports and the light propagation direction are located, the plurality of first optical sub-signals and the plurality of second optical sub-signals be respectively incident to the first-band filter at a first backward incidence angle and a second backward incidence angle in a backward propagation direction in a redirected manner, to propagate the plurality of redirected first optical sub-signals and the plurality of redirected second optical sub-signals to a predetermined output port in the plurality of output ports through the first-band filter, wherein the forward propagation direction is an optical propagation direction from the input port to the light redirection device, and the backward propagation direction is an optical propagation direction from the light redirection device to the output port; and wherein both the first backward incidence angle and the second backward incidence angle are within a first predetermined angle range.

2 . The wavelength selective switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first predetermined angle range is a range of 0±20 degrees.

3 . The wavelength selective switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the port plane, the plurality of first optical sub-signals and the plurality of second optical sub-signals are respectively incident to the first-band filter at a first forward incidence angle and a second forward incidence angle in the forward propagation direction, and both the first forward incidence angle and the second forward incidence angle fall within a second predetermined angle range.

4 . The wavelength selective switching apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the second predetermined angle range is a range of 0±10 degrees.

5 . The wavelength selective switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the port plane, the plurality of first optical sub-signals and the plurality of second optical sub-signals are respectively emitted from the light redirection device at a first emission angle and a second emission angle, the first emission angle is approximately equal to or equal to the first backward incidence angle, and the second emission angle is approximately equal to or equal to the second backward incidence angle.

6 . The wavelength selective switching apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a first lens assembly, disposed between the light redirection device and the output port on an optical path, wherein the first lens assembly is configured to convert optical sub-signals that are emitted from the light redirection device in a redirected manner at different angles into optical sub-signals having different positions in a port direction, so that the optical sub-signals at different positions are output from different output ports, and the port direction is the predetermined arrangement direction of the plurality of output ports.

7 . The wavelength selective switching apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a second lens assembly, disposed between the dispersion assembly and the light redirection device on an optical path, wherein the second lens assembly is configured to convert the first optical sub-signal and the second optical sub-signal that are emitted from the dispersion assembly at different angles into optical signals having different positions in a dispersion plane of the light redirection device.

8 . The wavelength selective switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the dispersion assembly comprises a first grating, a second-band filter, and a second grating, wherein the second-band filter is configured to reflect the first-band optical signal from the input port to the first grating and is configured to transmit the second-band optical signal from the input port to the second grating; wherein
the first grating and the second grating are configured to: respectively disperse the first-band optical signal and the second-band optical signal in the forward propagation direction into the plurality of first optical sub-signals and the plurality of second optical sub-signals at different angles, and emit the plurality of first optical sub-signals and the plurality of second optical sub-signals to the second-band filter; and the second-band filter is configured to: reflect the plurality of first optical sub-signals to the first-band filter, and transmit the plurality of second optical sub-signals to the first-band filter.

9 . The wavelength selective switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first optical sub-signals and the plurality of second optical sub-signals are dispersed in a same position in the first-band filter in the dispersion direction.

10 . The wavelength selective switching apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in the dispersion plane, the plurality of first optical sub-signals and the plurality of second optical sub-signals are respectively incident to the first-band filter at a third forward incidence angle and a fourth forward incidence angle in the forward propagation direction, both the third forward incidence angle and the fourth forward incidence angle fall within a third predetermined angle range, and the third predetermined angle range does not comprise 0 degree and 90 degrees.

11 . A reconfigurable optical add drop module (ROADM), comprising one or more wavelength selective switching apparatuses, wherein each of the one or more wavelength selective switching apparatuses comprises:
at least one input port and a plurality of output ports, wherein the at least one input port is configured to receive a first-band optical signal and a second-band optical signal, each of the plurality of output ports is configured to output an optical signal within a predetermined band range; a dispersion assembly, configured to respectively disperse the first-band optical signal and the second-band optical signal that are received from the at least one input port into a plurality of first optical sub-signals and a plurality of second optical sub-signals in a dispersion plane, wherein the plurality of first optical sub-signals respectively correspond to a plurality of first sub-bands in a first band, the plurality of second optical sub-signals respectively correspond to a plurality of second sub-band

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jia Wei
• Wu Yunfei
• Duan Yuhua

Classifications

• H04Q2011/0009

  using wavelength filters · CPC title

• H04J14/0212

  using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS] · CPC title

• G02B6/2931

  Diffractive element operating in reflection · CPC title

• G02B6/29311

  Diffractive element operating in transmission · CPC title

• H04J14/02122

  Colourless, directionless or contentionless [CDC] arrangements · CPC title