Nistica, Inc.

Lucent Technologies Inc.

Meriton Networks US Inc.

Leland Stanford Junior University

Fujikura Limited

Molex Corporation

Photuris, Inc.

Linkedin Corporation

Fitel USA Corporation

Jefferson L Wagener

Thomas Andrew Strasser

Rolando Patricio Espindola

Per Bang Hansen

Takaaki Ishikawa

Christopher Stephen Koeppen

H John Shaw

Craig W Hodgson

Michel J Digonnet

Ashish Madhukar Vengsarkar

Robert Scott Windeler

Karl Raymond Amundson

Andrew John Stentz

Susumu Nakaya

Mitchell E Haller

John A Rogers

Benjamin John Eggleton

Paul Bonenfant

Dario G Falquier

Carl Edmund Soccolich

Michel J F Digonnet

David John DiGiovanni

Kenneth L Walker

Paul Francis Wysocki

Xiaowen Mang

Daryl Inniss

Jay R Simpson

Torben N Nielsen

Murali Krishnaswamy

Justin Boyd Judkins

Allan Schweitzer

Neil Allan Jackman

Ken R Roberts

Todd Christian Haber

Seungbum Woo

Bradford Smith

Ishikawa Takaaki

An optical device includes a plurality of optical input ports, a plurality of optical output ports, a wavelength dispersion arrangement and at least one optical beam steering arrangement. The plurality of optical input ports is configured to receive optical beams each having a plurality of wavelength components. The wavelength dispersion arrangement receives the optical beams and spatially separates each of the optical beams into a plurality of wavelengths components. The optical beam steering arrangement has a first region onto which the spatially separated wavelength components are directed and a second region onto which any subset of the plurality of wavelength components of each of the optical beams is selectively directed after the wavelength components in each of the subsets are spatially recombined with one another. The optical beam steering arrangement selectively directs each of subset of the plurality of wavelength components to a different one of the optical output ports.

Multipoint, contentionless wavelength selective switch (WSS)

An optical device includes an optical port array, an optical arrangement, a dispersion element, a focusing element and a programmable optical phase modulator. The optical port array has at least one optical input port for receiving an optical beam and a plurality of optical output ports. The optical arrangement allows optical coupling between the input port and each of the output ports and prevents optical coupling between any one of the plurality of optical output ports and any other of the plurality of optical output ports. The dispersion element receives the optical beam from the input port after traversing the optical arrangement and spatially separates the optical beam into a plurality of wavelength components. The focusing element focuses the plurality of wavelength components. The programmable optical phase modulator receives the focused plurality of wavelength components and steers them to a selected one of the optical outputs.

Optical arrangement for managing diversity and isolation between ports in a wavelength selective switch

An optical switching arrangement includes a plurality of input and output waveguides. Each of the input waveguides has a first plurality of 1&#xd7;2 optical switches associated therewith and extending therealong. Each of the output waveguides has a second plurality of 1&#xd7;2 optical switches associated therewith and extending therealong. Each of the first and second plurality of optical switches is selectively switchable between a through-state and a cross-state. The input and output waveguides are arranged such that optical losses arising for any wavelength of light only depend on a length of segments of the input and output waveguides located between adjacent ones of the 1&#xd7;2 optical switches. Each of the first plurality of optical switches associated with each of the input waveguides is optically coupled to one of the second plurality of optical switches in a different one of the output waveguides when both optical switches are in the cross-state.

Large scale optical switch using asymmetric 1X2 elements

A node that is colorless, directionless and contentionless includes an add/drop terminal having an add wavelength selective switch (WSS) and a drop WSS. The add and drop WSSs are each configured to selectively direct any subset of the wavelength components received at any of its inputs to a different one of its optical outputs, provided that the wavelength components of optical beams received by any two of the inputs cannot be simultaneously directed to a common one of the outputs. A plurality of transponder ports are each optically coupled to a different output of the drop WSS and a different input of the add WSS.

Colorless, directionless and contentionless network node

Large scale optical switch using asymmetric 1x2 elements

An optical device includes an optical port array having first and second optical inputs for receiving optical beams and a first plurality of optical outputs associated with switching functionality and a second plurality of optical outputs associated with channel monitoring functionality. A dispersion element receives the optical beam from an input and spatially separates the beam into a plurality of wavelength components. The focusing element focuses the wavelength components. The optical path conversion system receives the plurality of wavelength components and selectively directs each one to a prescribed one of the optical ports. The photodetectors are each associated with one of the optical outputs in the second plurality of optical outputs and receive a wavelength component therefrom. The controller causes the optical path conversion system to simultaneously direct each of the wavelength components to a different one of the optical outputs of the second plurality of optical outputs.

Wavelength selective switch having integrated channel monitor

A method is provided for reducing flicker arising in pixels along an axis of a liquid-crystal based array such as a LCoS array. The pixels along the axis exhibit a common gray scale level. In accordance with the method, a plurality of digital data command sequences are selected that each drive a pixel at the common gray scale level. A first of the plurality of digital data command sequences is applied to a first pixel along the axis. A second of the plurality of digital data command sequences is applied to a second pixel along the axis. The second pixel is adjacent to the first pixel. The first and second digital command sequences give rise to voltages being applied to the two pixels which have frequency components that are opposite in phase and equal in magnitude.

Flicker reduction in an LCoS array

Large scale optical switch using asymmetric 1&#xd7;2 elements

Crosstalk suppression in a multi-photodetector optical channel monitor

A method of monitoring at least one optical wavelength component of a WDM optical signal being routed through a wavelength selective switch (WSS) includes directing an optical wavelength component from a given input port of the WSS to a selected output port with a selected amount of attenuation. A rejected portion of the optical wavelength component giving rise to the selected amount of attenuation is directed to an optical monitor associated with another output port of the WSS. A power level of the optical wavelength component is determined by pre-calibrating a proportionality between the power level of the wavelength component and the power level of the rejected portion that is directed to the optical monitor.

Optical channel monitor for a wavelength selective switch employing a single photodiode

An optical device in which crosstalk due to scattering is reduced includes an optical port array having at least one optical input for receiving an optical beam and at least one optical output. The input and outputs extend along a common axis. A dispersion element receives the optical beam from the optical input and spatially separates the optical beam into a plurality of wavelength components. A focusing element focuses the plurality of wavelength components and a programmable optical phase modulator receives the focused plurality of wavelength components. The modulator is configured to steer the wavelength components to a selected one of the optical outputs. The programmable optical phase modulator is oriented with respect to the optical port array so that an axis along which the optical beam is steered is non-coincident with the common axis along which the input and outputs extend.

Wavelength selective switch employing a LCoS device and having reduced crosstalk

An optical device incorporates into the same physical structure the functionality of two or more wavelength selective switches. The wavelength components associated with the first optical switch are isolated from the wavelength components associated with the second optical switch by their spatial displacement along one axis on a programmable optical phase modulator. Remaining crosstalk between the components is reduced by spatially separating the components of the two wavelength switches having the same wavelength along another axis of the programmable optical phase modulator.

Wavelength selective switch with increased frequency separation to avoid crosstalk

Growing community of inventors

Morristown, NJ, United States of America

Jefferson L Wagener