Avanex Corporation

Other

Fujitsu Corporation

E-tek Dynamics, Inc.

Simon Xiaofan Cao

Masataka Shirasaki

Christopher Lin

Jing-Jong J Pan

Xiaodong Duan

Guohua Xiao

Shudong Wu

Jialing Yang

Yuan Shi

Charles Mao

Lintao Zhang

Thomas F Cooney

Donna S Yu

Gang Li

David Michael Rowe

William Brian Kinard

Paul Hull

Dongqi Liu

Jiyong Ma

Various configurations of a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator in combination with a mirror to compensate for chromatic dispersion. A VIPA generator produces a light traveling from the VIPA generator. In some embodiments, a variable curvature mirror is positioned to reflect the light back to the VIPA generator. A rotation axis around which the mirror is rotated and a translation path for the rotation axis are provided, to change the curvature of the mirror where the output light is reflected. In other embodiments, a plurality of mirrors have different surface curvatures. A holder has a rotation axis and holds the plurality of mirrors equidistantly from the rotation axis. The holder is rotatable around the rotation axis to bring a different, respective mirror in position to reflect light produced by a VIPA generator back to the VIPA generator. In other embodiments, a rotating mirror is rotatable about a rotation axis to reflect light produced by a VIPA generator to a respective fixed mirror. In still other embodiments, an off-axis parabolic mirror is rotatable about a rotation axis to reflect light produced by a VIPA generator to a respective fixed mirror.

Optical apparatus which uses a virtually imaged phased array to produce chromatic dispersion

An optical apparatus for producing chromatic dispersion. The apparatus includes a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator, a mirror and a lens. The VIPA generator receives an input light at a respective wavelength and produces a corresponding collimated output light traveling from the VIPA generator in a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light, the output light thereby being spatially distinguishable from an output light produced for an input light at a different wavelength. The mirror has a cone shape, or a modified cone shape. The lens focuses the output light traveling from the VIPA generator onto the mirror so that the mirror reflects the output light. The reflected light is directed by the lens back to the VIPA generator. In this manner, the apparatus provides chromatic dispersion to the input light. The modified cone shape of the mirror can be designed so that the apparatus provides a uniform chromatic dispersion to light in the same channel of a wavelength division multiplexed light.

An optical apparatus for producing chromatic dispersion. The apparatus includes a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator, a mirror and a lens. The VIPA generator receives an input light at a respective wavelength and produces a corresponding collimated output light traveling from the VIPA generator in a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light, the output light thereby being spatially distiguishable from an output light produced for an input light at a different wavelength. The mirror has a cone shape, or a modified cone shape. The lens focuses the output light traveling from the VIPA generator onto the mirror so that the mirror reflects the output light. The reflected light is directed by the lens back to the VIPA generator. In this manner, the apparatus provides chromatic dispersion to the input light. The modified cone shape of the mirror can be designed so that the apparatus provides a uniform chromatic dispersion to light in the same channel of a wavelength division multiplexed light. The mirror can be moved in a direction perpendicular to an angular dispersion direction of the VIPA generator, to change the amount of chromatic dispersion provided to the input light.

The present invention provides an improved full-duplex optical communications system. The system includes: at least one office, where the at least one office provides a plurality of channels, the plurality of channels comprising a plurality of signal channels and a plurality of continuous wave (CW) channels; at least one optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM) optically coupled to the at least one office; and a subscriber premises optically coupled to the at least one OADM, where at least one of the plurality of signal channels and at least one of the plurality of CW channels are dropped from the plurality of channels to the subscriber premises by the at least one OADM, where the subscriber premises modulates the dropped at least one of the plurality of CW channels, where the modulated at least one of the plurality of CW channels is added to the plurality of channels by the at least one OADM.

Full-duplex optical add/drop communications system utilizing central light sources

An optical device includes: a first polarization beam splitter (PBS); a first set of optical rotators optically coupled to the first PBS; a second PBS optically coupled to the first set of optical rotators; a first reflection interferometer (RI) optically coupled to the second PBS; a second RI optically coupled to the first PBS; a second set of optical rotators optically coupled to the second PBS; a third PBS optically coupled to the second set of optical rotators; and a third RI optically coupled to the third PBS. Preferably, the optical device is an Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer and may further comprise an Input Port optically coupled to the first PBS, an Output Port optically coupled to the second PBS, and an Add Port optically coupled to the third PBS.

Multi-functional optical device utilizing multiple polarization beam splitters and non-linear interferometers

An optical apparatus for producing chromatic dispersion. The apparatus includes a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) generator, a mirror and a lens. The VIPA generator receives an input light at a respective wavelength and produces a corresponding collimated output light traveling from the VIPA generator in a direction determined by the wavelength of the input light, the output light thereby being spatially distinguishable from an output light produced for an input light at a different wavelength. The mirror has a cone shape, or a modified cone shape. The lens focuses the output light traveling from the VIPA generator onto the mirror so that the mirror reflects the output light. The reflected light is directed by the lens back to the VIPA generator. In this manner, the apparatus provides chromatic dispersion to the input light. The modified cone shape of the mirror can be designed so that the apparatus provides a uniform chromatic dispersion to light in the same channel of a wavelength division multiplexed light. The mirror can be moved in a direction perpendicular to an angular dispersion direction of the VIPA generator, to change the amount of chromatic dispersion provided to the input light.

The present invention provides an improved gain slope equalizer which provides variable optical attenuation. The gain slope equalizer includes a transmission diffraction grating with a first side and a second side; a first lens optically coupled to the second side of the transmission diffraction grating; and at least one reflective surface optically coupled to the first lens at a side opposite to the transmission diffraction grating. The gain slope equalizer in accordance with the present invention can also be used with a Virtually Imaged Phased Array (VIPA) to provide a chromatic dispersion slope and chromatic dispersion compensation as well as variable optical attenuation. The present invention provides the heretofore unavailable capability of simultaneous tunable gain slope equalization and chromatic dispersion compensation utilizing a single apparatus.

Method, apparatus, and system for compensation of amplifier gain slope and chromatic dispersion utilizing a virtually imaged phased array

An integrated multifunctional apparatus for fiber optic communication systems includes: at least one input fiber; a lens optically coupled to the at least one input fiber; a diffraction grating optically coupled to the lens at a side opposite to the at least one input fiber; at least one output fiber optically coupled to the lens at the side opposite to the diffraction grating; and a plurality of movable rods residing at the side of the lens opposite to the diffraction grating, where the plurality of movable rods is capable of intercepting a variable portion of a light traversing through the lens. The apparatus is capable of simultaneously performing the functions of multiplexing or de-multiplexing, variable optical attenuation and/or optical detection of plural channels comprising a wavelength division multiplexed composite optical signal.

Method and apparatus for simultaneous multiplexing and demultiplexing, variable attenuation and power detection of wavelength division multiplexed optical signals

A bi-directional polarization independent optical isolator and monitor/amplifier system simultaneously transmits two separate signal rays in opposite forward directions while simultaneously suppressing backward transmission of each signal ray in its respective reverse direction. Both of the counter-propagating signal rays are amplified within an optical gain element. The separate signal rays include either two wavelength bands completely separated in wavelength or two sets of wavelengths, each of a plurality of wavelengths, such that wavelengths of the two signal rays are interspersed in alternating fashion.

Optical passive components and bi-directional amplifier

An asymmetric de-multiplexer/multiplexer includes: at least a first, second, and third optical fibers; at least one lens optically coupled to the first, second, and third optical fibers; at least one diffraction grating optically coupled to the at least one lens at a side opposite to the first, second, and third optical fibers; and a reflector array optically coupled to the at least one lens at a side opposite to the at least one diffraction grating. The reflector array includes: a substrate, and a plurality of reflectors coupled to the substrate at a side opposite to the at least one lens, where the plurality of reflectors reflects a first subset of channels of a composite optical signal traversing the apparatus, where the subset of channels has irregular inter-channel spacings and non-uniform bandwidths. The apparatus thus is able to overcome bandwidth utilization inefficiencies of conventional regular spaced channel assignment schemes.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Simon Xiaofan Cao