Inlc Technology, Inc.

Inlc Technology Co., Ltd.

Oclaro (new Jersey), Inc.

Seong Woo Suh

Tae Hwan Kim

Seong Min Kang

Jiyoung Lee

Gil Cohen

Yossi Corem

Namchol Song

Seongmin Kang

Disclosed is an invention related to a wavelength selective switch for multiple units. The wavelength selective switch for multiple units according to the present invention comprises: multiple input/output port groups comprising multiple input/output port arrays for transmitting multiple light beams comprising multiple wavelength channels, respectively; a switching lens portion configured such that light beams output from respective input/output ports intersect on a switching axis; a first prism portion arranged between the multiple input/output port arrays and the switching lens portion and configured such that respective light beams groups output from the multiple input/output port arrays refract at different angles on the switching axis; a second prism portion arranged after the switching lens portion and configured such that a center line of a light beam group output from the switching lens portion is arranged in parallel with an optical axis; a light expansion portion for expanding the beam size of a light beam output from the second prism portion in a dispersion axis direction; a light splitting portion for splitting the light beam, the beam size of which has been expanded by the light expansion portion, at a different angle on the dispersion axis according to the wavelength component; an image lens portion for readjusting and focusing wavelengths split by the light splitting portion; and a switching portion comprising divided surfaces corresponding to the multiple input/output port groups, the switching portion being configured to change the angle of a selected wavelength on the switching axis such that a wavelength channels of an input port selected independently with regard to each group is transmitted to an output port selected independently.

Wavelength selective switch for multiple units

A wavelength selective switch (WSS) apparatus. The WSS apparatus includes: a plurality of input/output port groups; a plurality of switching lens parts; a plurality of wedge prism parts; a beam expansion part; a wavelength dispersion part; a path combining part configured to combine the groups of the plurality of light beams transmitted from the switching lens parts on the dispersion axis; an imaging optic part; and a switching unit including a plurality of surface areas corresponding to the plurality of input/output port groups, the switching unit being configured to angular displace an angle of a selected wavelength on the switching axis such that the wavelength selected from multiple wavelength channels of an input port selected independently for each of the plurality of input/output port groups is transmitted to an output port of the plurality of input/output port groups selected independently.

Twin wavelength selective switch

A wavelength selective switch (WSS) apparatus. The WSS apparatus includes: a plurality of optical ports configured to emit input light beams to a switching module and receive output light beams from the switching module; and the switching module configured to receive the input light beams, select, according to a wavelength component of the input light beams, at least one of the plurality of optical ports to which the output light beams of the wavelength component are to propagate, and output the output light beams of the wavelength component to the selected at least one optical port, the switching module comprising: a polarization modulation element including an array of a plurality of liquid crystal (LC) pixels; a polarizer; and a steering element including an array of a plurality of liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) pixels.

Wavelength selection switch including a switching module having a liquid crystal phase array, a polarizer and a liquid crystal on silicon

A wavelength selective switch (WSS) apparatus is disclosed, which includes: a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) phase array configured for selectively diverting a certain wavelength component of light beams to continue to propagate and keeping another wavelength component of the light beams from propagating by controlling a voltage applied thereto and/or a polarization of the light beams, the LCOS phase array being provided with a first liquid crystal (LC) domain, a second liquid crystal (LC) domain, and a reflection component, the reflection component being configured to reflect a light beam input through the first LC domain back to the first LC domain and reflect a light beam input through the second LC domain back to the second LC domain; and a reflective element that is arranged to reflect the light beams output from the LCOS phase array back to the LCOS phase array.

Wavelength selective switch including a liquid crystal on silicon

A wavelength selective switch (WSS) apparatus is disclosed, which includes: a plurality of optical ports configured to output light beams at different angles from one another; a wavelength dispersion element configured to disperse the wavelength components of each light beam; a focusing element configured to focus the dispersed wavelength components of the light beams; and a multi-layer reflecting unit configured to reflect the focused light beams to the focusing element, the multi-layer reflecting unit including a multi-layer reflector and a reflection controller operatively connected to the multi-layer reflector, the multi-layer reflector having a main surface for reflecting the light beams on which a plurality of layers are provided, each layer including a plurality of pixels that are individually controllable by the reflection controller.

Wavelength selective switch having multi-layer reflector

An optical wavelength selective device includes a waveguide grating unit to separate input beam signals with different wavelengths into a plurality of output beam signals, each of which has a different wavelength span and is output from a different channel region of the waveguide grating unit; a polarization splitting unit to split each of the output beam signals into a first polarized beam with a first polarization and a second polarized beam with a second polarization different from the first polarization; a birefringence control member to control the first polarized beam to undergo a different refractive effect than the second polarized beam when the first and second polarized beams pass through the birefringence control member under a first voltage applied thereto; and a reflection member configured to reflect the first and second polarized beams output from the birefringence control member back to the birefringence control member.

Optical wavelength filter

A variable optical attenuator includes a collimating unit that collimates an incident light beam, a polarization splitting member that separates the collimated light beam into a first polarized light beam having a first polarization and a second polarized light beam having a second polarization, a birefringence control unit through which the first and second polarized light beams pass, the birefringence control unit including a liquid crystal cell having a birefringence is controlled by a voltage or current, wherein the birefringence of the liquid crystal cell is substantially zero when no voltage or current is applied thereto, and a reflection member that reflects the first and second polarized light beams output from the birefringence control unit. The variable optical attenuator has high stability, high precision, and low volume.

Variable optical attenuator (VOA)

A fiber-optical, wavelength selective switch, especially for channel routing with equalization and blocking applications. The input signals are converted to light beams having predefined polarizations (). The beams are then laterally expanded (), and then undergo spatial dispersion in the beam expansion plane. The different wavelength components are directed through a polarization rotation device, pixilated along the wavelength dispersion direction such that each pixel operates on a separate wavelength. Each beam is passed into a pixilated beam steering array (), for directing each wavelength to a desired output port. The beam steering devices can be MEMS-based or Liquid crystal-based, or an LCOS array. When the appropriate voltage is applied to a pixel and its associated beam steering element, the polarization of the light passing through the pixel is rotated and the beam steered to couple to the selected output port.

Growing community of inventors

Budd Lake, NJ, United States of America

Seong Woo Suh