Wavelength division multiplexer array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9575255-B2
Application number	US-201414146462-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 2, 2014
Priority date	Oct 10, 2013
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

In an example embodiment, a WDM array includes an optical filter, N common ports, N reflection ports, and N pass ports. The N common ports may be positioned to a first side of the optical filter. N may be greater than or equal to two. The N reflection ports may be positioned to the first side of the optical filter. The N pass ports may be positioned to a second side of the optical filter opposite the first side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) array, the WDM array comprising:
an optical filter;
N common ports positioned to a first side of the optical filter, wherein N is greater than or equal to two;
N reflection ports positioned to the first side of the optical filter; and
N pass ports positioned to a second side of the optical filter opposite the first side;
wherein the N common ports and N pass ports define a first plane that intersects the optical filter along an intersecting line and the first plane is oriented at an acute, non-zero angle θ relative to a plane of the optical filter.

2. The WDM array of claim 1 , wherein the N common ports, the optical filter, and the N reflection ports define N reflection paths, each of the N reflection paths extending from a corresponding one of the N common ports to the optical filter and from the optical filter to a corresponding one of the N reflection ports.

3. The WDM array of claim 1 , wherein the N common ports, the optical filter, and the N pass ports define N through paths, each of the N through paths extending from a corresponding one of the N common ports through the optical filter and to a corresponding one of the N pass ports.

4. The WDM array of claim 1 , wherein the optical filter comprises a thin film filter.

5. The WDM array of claim 1 , wherein:
the N common ports and the N reflection ports collectively comprise an array of 2N optical fibers and an array of N microlenses positioned between the array of 2N optical fibers and the optical filter;
the N pass ports comprise an array of N optical fibers and an array of N microlenses positioned between the array of N optical fibers and the optical filter;
the N common ports and the N reflection ports are arranged in a linear array of 2N ports spaced at a first pitch, each of the 2N ports including a corresponding optical fiber from the array of 2N optical fibers and a corresponding microlens from the array of N microlenses;
the N common ports alternate with the N reflection ports in the linear array of 2N ports; and
the N pass ports are arranged in a linear array of N ports spaced at a second pitch equal to two times the first pitch, each of the N ports including a corresponding optical fiber from the array of N optical fibers and a corresponding microlens from the array of N microlenses.

6. The WDM array of claim 5 , wherein the first pitch is about 127 micrometers (μm) and the second pitch is about 254 μm.

7. The WDM array of claim 1 , wherein:
the N common ports comprise a first array of N optical fibers and a first array of N microlenses positioned between the first array of N optical fibers and the optical filter;
the N reflection ports comprise a second array of N optical fibers and a second array of N microlenses positioned between the second array of N optical fibers and the optical filter; and
the N pass ports comprise a third array of N optical fibers and a third array of N microlenses positioned between the third array of N optical fibers and the optical filter.

8. The WDM array of claim 7 , wherein:
the N common ports are arranged in a linear array of N common ports;
the N reflection ports are arranged in a linear array of N reflection ports;
the N pass ports are arranged in a linear array of N pass ports;
the linear array of N reflection ports and the intersecting line define a second plane oriented at an angle −θ relative to the plane of the optical filter.

9. The WDM array of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first converging lens positioned between the optical filter and the N common ports and further positioned between the optical filter and the N reflection ports; and
a second converging lens positioned between the optical filter and the N pass ports.

10. The WDM array of claim 9 , wherein:
the N common ports and the N reflection ports are arranged in a linear array of 2N ports spaced at a first pitch, each of the 2N ports including a corresponding optical fiber from an array of 2N optical fibers and a corresponding microlens from an array of 2N microlenses;
the N common ports are aligned in sequence in a first portion of the linear array of 2N ports;
the N reflection ports are aligned in sequence in a second portion of the linear array of 2N ports, the second portion of the linear array of 2N ports being aligned in sequence with the first portion of the linear array of 2N ports; and
the N pass ports are arranged in a linear array of N ports spaced at the first pitch, each of the N ports including a corresponding optical fiber from the array of N optical fibers and a corresponding microlens from the array of N microlenses.

11. A wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) array, the WDM array comprising:
a thin film filter;
N common ports positioned to a first side of the thin film filter, wherein N is greater than or equal to two and wherein the N common ports each comprise an optical fiber and a microlens positioned between the thin film filter and the optical fiber of the corresponding common port;
N reflection ports positioned to the first side of the thin film filter, wherein the N reflection ports each comprise an optical fiber and a microlens positioned between the thin film filter and the optical fiber of the corresponding reflection port; and
N pass ports positioned to a second side of the thin film filter opposite the first side, wherein the N pass ports each comprise an optical fiber and a microlens positioned between the thin film filter and the optical fiber of the corresponding pass port;
wherein the N common ports and N pass ports define a first plane that intersects the thin film filter along an intersecting line and the first plane is oriented at an acute, non-zero angle θ relative to a plane of the thin film filter.

12. The WDM array of claim 11 , wherein the N common ports, the thin film filter, and the N reflection ports define N reflection paths, each of the N reflection paths extending from a corresponding one of the N common ports to the thin film filter and from the thin film filter to a corresponding one of the N reflection ports.

13. The WDM array of claim 11 , wherein the N common ports, the thin film filter, and the N pass ports define N through paths, each of the N through paths extending from a corresponding one of the N common ports through the thin film filter and to a corresponding one of the N pass ports.

14. The WDM array of claim 11 , wherein the thin film filter comprises a glass-coated dielectric thin film filter.

15. The WDM array of claim 11 , wherein the N common ports and the N reflection ports are arranged in a linear array of 2N ports and the N pass ports are arranged in a linear array of N ports.

16. The WDM array of claim 15 , wherein:
the N common ports alternate with the N reflection ports in the linear array of 2N ports, each of the N common ports being associated with an immediately adjacent one of the N reflection ports;
each of the N common ports has a different optical fiber than an associated one of the N reflection ports and a common microlens shared with the associated one of the N reflection ports;
ports in the array of 2N ports are spaced at a first pitch; and
ports in the array of N ports are spaced at a second pitch equal to two times the first pitch.

17. The WDM array of claim 16 , wherein the first pitch is about 127 micrometers (μm) and the second pitch is about 254 μm.

18. The WDM array of claim 11 , wherein: the N common ports are arranged in a linear array of N common ports;
the N reflection ports are arranged in a l

Assignees

• Finisar Corp

Inventors

• Chen Xiaolin
• Wang Xucheng
• Chen Fan
• Frisken Steven James

Classifications

• H04Q11/0005

  Switch and router aspects · CPC title

• G02B6/32

  having lens focusing means {positioned between opposed fibre ends (with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262)} · CPC title

• G02B6/35

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

• H04B10/07

  Arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems; Arrangements for fault measurement of transmission systems · CPC title

• G02B6/354

  Switching arrangements, i.e. number of input/output ports and interconnection types · CPC title