Intel Corporation

Transparent Networks, Inc.

Alex Harwit

Steven Saeed Nasiri

Dmitry Vasily Bakin

Janusz Bryzek

Cheng-Chung Huang

Randall Brian Sprague

Janusz B Liberkowski

Zbigniew Sufleta

James Higgins Smith

Paul Robb

The present invention is directed towards a back-reflection reduction device that is disposed between a support structure containing a plurality of optical waveguides and a bulk media. The support structure containing the optical waveguides has a substantially flat end face at which the optical waveguides terminate. Where the optical waveguides intersect the end face, they are substantially perpendicular to it. The back-reflection reduction device comprises a window disposed between the bulk media and the support structure. The window has a refractive index that is substantially identical to that of the optical waveguides. The window has an inner side that is affixed to the support structure and an opposing outer side. A gap exists between the window outer side and the bulk media. The gap provides an index of refraction substantially equal to unity.

Back-reflection reduction device

A method of controllably attenuating a beam of light coupled into a port includes directing the beam of light against a mirror, and controlling an orientation of the mirror such that a predetermined fraction of the beam of light is coupled into the port. The predetermined fraction is less than a maximum fraction corresponding to optimal coupling of the beam of light into the port. The method may be implemented with a variable optical attenuator including a first port, a second port, a mirror located to direct light output by the first port to the second port, and a controller coupled to the mirror to align it such that the predetermined fraction of light is coupled into the second port. The method may also be implemented with an optical switch.

Variable optical attenuator

Methods of calibrating and operating optical switches as well as optical switches in which the orientations of mirrors are measured and controlled using control light beams and position sensing detectors are described. The present invention may provide high resolution control of a plurality of mirrors in an optical switch and thus allow the optical switch to cross-connect a large number of input and output ports with a low insertion loss.

Optical system for calibration and control of an optical fiber switch

An optical fiber switch in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a first plurality of ports, a second plurality of ports, a first plurality of mirrors disposed on a first surface, and a second plurality of mirrors disposed on a second surface. Each one of the first plurality of mirrors is individually controllable to direct light output from a corresponding one of the first plurality of ports to any one of the second plurality of mirrors. Each one of the second plurality of mirrors is individually controllable to direct to a corresponding one of the second plurality of ports light incident on it from any one of the first plurality of mirrors. Advantageously, optical fiber switches in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may couple more than a thousand input ports to more than a thousand output ports with an insertion loss of less than about 3 decibels.

Optical configuration for optical fiber switch

The present invention is directed towards a focus-position compensator for reducing focus variations on a microlens array. The focus-position compensator comprises a plurality of tiles that are affixed to a structure disposed between the lenslets of the microlens array and the target of the collimated light from the lenslets. Each tile refractive index and tile thickness is chosen to obtain a tile focus-position correction that will apply to a region of the microlens array.

Focus-position compensator

An assembled optical component has a support structure with a reference surface at which a number of individual optical elements are bonded at predetermined positions. The curvature of the reference surface is selected such that optical surfaces of the optical elements are in a predetermined orientation at their assembly positions. The optical elements are preferably planar mirrors simultaneously fabricated from a wafer. An adhesive film attached to the wafer prior to separation of the optical elements assists in temporarily positioning the elements on a temporary fixture, which holds the elements in position, while they are bonded to the support structure.

Assembled multi-surface optical component and method for fabricating

An optical switching fabric enables an optical signal entering the device on any one of multiple input ports to be directed to any one of multiple output ports. The present optical switching fabrics include sensing and monitoring devices that permit precise initial calibration and continuous switch connection status monitoring and control. Light entering the switching fabric on an input port is reflected by one of a first set of individually controllable mirrors to one of a second set of individually controllable mirrors and then to a corresponding output port. The switching fabrics include control lasers and position sensing devices which provide output signals corresponding to the orientations of the mirrors. In addition, a subset of the input ports and output ports can be attached to monitor light sources and detectors for recalibration and control. Further, sensors for detecting the intensity of input signals, of signals that have been reflected by a mirror in the first set and by a mirror in the second set, and of signals backscattered from the output ports may be included.

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San Mateo, CA, United States of America

Alex Harwit