Wavelength selective switch and wavelength selection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9829767-B2
Application number	US-201715408745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2017
Priority date	Jul 18, 2014
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

A wavelength selective switch and a wavelength selection method are provided, where the wavelength selective switch includes: a dual-microring resonator, including a first microring and a second microring that are connected in series, where the first microring and the second microring respectively include one annular PN junction, and a direction of the annular PN junction of the first microring is the same as that of the annular PN junction of the second microring; an electric tuning module, where a first electric port of the electric tuning module is connected to a P zone of the first microring and an N zone of the second microring, a second electric port of the electric tuning module is connected to an N zone of the first microring and a P zone of the second microring; and a thermal tuning module, configured to adjust an operating temperature of the dual-microring resonator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wavelength selective switch, comprising:
a dual-microring resonator, comprising a first microring and a second microring, wherein the first microring and the second microring respectively comprise one annular PN junction;
an electric tuning module, wherein a first electric port of the electric tuning module is connected to a P zone of the first microring and an N zone of the second microring, a second electric port of the electric tuning module is connected to an N zone of the first microring and a P zone of the second microring, and the electric tuning module is configured to apply bias voltages with reverse directions respectively to the annular PN junction of the first microring and the annular PN junction of the second microring; and
a thermal tuning module, configured to adjust an operating temperature of the dual-microring resonator.

2. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 1 , wherein the electric tuning module is configured to apply the bias voltages with reverse directions respectively to the annular PN junction of the first microring and the annular PN junction of the second microring, so that a refractive index of the first microring and that of the second microring reversely change, so that the dual-microring resonator is in a detuned state;
the thermal tuning module is configured to adjust the operating temperature of the dual-microring resonator to change a resonant wavelength of the dual-microring resonator; and
the electric tuning module is further configured to stop applying the bias voltages with reverse directions to the annular PN junction of the first microring and the annular PN junction of the second microring, so that the dual-microring resonator is in a resonant state at a changed resonant wavelength.

3. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 1 , wherein the first microring and the second microring are ridge waveguides.

4. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 1 , wherein the thermal tuning module comprises:
a temperature detector, configured to detect a temperature of the dual-microring resonator;
a semiconductor refrigerator, configured to change the temperature of the dual-microring resonator; and
a control chip, configured to control an operating status of the semiconductor refrigerator according to a detection result of the temperature detector, to adjust the operating temperature of the dual-microring resonator.

5. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 1 , wherein parts near microring centers of the first microring and of the second microring are P zones, and parts away from the microring centers are N zones.

6. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 1 , wherein parts near microring centers of the first microring and of the second microring are N zones, and parts away from the microring centers are P zones.

7. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 1 , wherein the P zone of the first microring and the P zone of the second microring respectively comprise a P++ zone.

8. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 1 , wherein the N zone of the first microring and the N zone of the second microring respectively comprise a N++ zone.

9. A method for selecting a wavelength by a wavelength selective switch, wherein the wavelength selective switch comprises a dual-microring resonator, an electric tuning module, and a thermal tuning module, wherein the dual-microring resonator comprises a first microring and a second microring, the first microring and the second microring respectively comprise one annular PN junction, a first electric port of the electric tuning module is connected to a P zone of the first microring and an N zone of the second microring, and a second electric port of the electric tuning module is connected to an N zone of the first microring and a P zone of the second microring; and
the method comprises:
applying, by the electric tuning module, bias voltages with reverse directions respectively to the annular PN junction of the first microring and the annular PN junction of the second microring, so that a refractive index of the first microring and that of the second microring reversely change, so that the dual-microring resonator is in a detuned state;
adjusting, by the thermal tuning module, an operating temperature of the dual-microring resonator to change a resonant wavelength of the dual-microring resonator; and
stopping, by the electric tuning module, applying the bias voltages with reverse directions to the annular PN junction of the first microring and the annular PN junction of the second microring, so that the dual-microring resonator is in a resonant state at a changed resonant wavelength.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the first microring and the second microring are ridge waveguides.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the thermal tuning module comprises a temperature detector, a semiconductor refrigerator, and a control chip; and
the adjusting, by the thermal tuning module, an operating temperature of the dual-microring resonator comprises:
controlling, by the control chip, an operating status of the semiconductor refrigerator according to a detection result of the temperature detector, to adjust the operating temperature of the dual-microring resonator.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein parts near microring centers of the first microring and of the second microring are P zones, and parts away from the microring centers are N zones.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein parts near microring centers of the first microring and of the second microring are N zones, and parts away from the microring centers are P zones.

14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the P zone of the first microring and the P zone of the second microring respectively comprise a P++ zone.

15. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the N zone of the first microring and the N zone of the second microring respectively comprise a N++ zone.

16. A method, comprising:
applying, by an electric tuning module, bias voltages with reverse directions respectively to an annular PN junction of a first microring and an annular PN junction of a second microring, so that a refractive index of the first microring and that of the second microring reversely change, so a the dual-microring resonator is in a detuned state;
adjusting, by a thermal tuning module, an operating temperature of the dual-microring resonator to change a resonant wavelength of the dual-microring resonator; and
stopping, by the electric tuning module, applying the bias voltages with reverse directions to the annular PN junction of the first microring and the annular PN junction of the second microring, so that the dual-microring resonator is in a resonant state at a changed resonant wavelength.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the first microring and the second microring are ridge waveguides.

18. The method according to claim 16 , wherein parts near microring centers of the first microring and of the second microring are P zones, and parts away from the microring centers are N zones.

19. The method according to claim 16 , wherein parts near microring centers of the first microring and of the second microring are N zones, and parts away from the microring centers are P zones.

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd
• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ma Xiao
• Zhang Xuecang
• Yang Jianyi

Classifications

• G02B6/35

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

• G02F2201/063

  ridge; rib; strip loaded · CPC title

• G02B6/29382

  including at least adding or dropping a signal, i.e. passing the majority of signals · CPC title

• G02F1/3133 Primary

  the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting materials · CPC title

• G02F2203/15

  involving resonance effects, e.g. resonantly enhanced interaction · CPC title