Lucent Technologies Inc.

Nistica, Inc.

Meriton Networks US Inc.

Fitel USA Corporation

Photuris, Inc.

At+t Corp.

Agere Systems Inc.

Linkedin Corporation

Thomas Andrew Strasser

Jefferson L Wagener

Benjamin John Eggleton

John A Rogers

Paul S Westbrook

Rolando Patricio Espindola

Per Bang Hansen

Sungho Jin

Christopher Stephen Koeppen

Hareesh Mavoori

Laura Ellen Adams

Kenneth L Walker

Andrew John Stentz

Turan Erdogan

Paul Francis Wysocki

Charles H Henry

Ashish Madhukar Vengsarkar

Paul Joseph Lemaire

Arturo Hale

Rebecca Jane Jackman

Torben N Nielsen

Benjamin Irvin Greene

Paul Bonenfant

Cynthia A Volkert

Karl Raymond Amundson

Stephen G Grubb

Corrado Pietro Dragone

David Alan Ackerman

Linn F Mollenauer

Andrew Roman Chraplyvy

Christi Kay Madsen

William Alfred Reed

Robert Scott Windeler

Robert Meachem Jopson

Alastair M Glass

Pavel V Mamyshev

Clifford E Headley

Liming Zhang

Karsten Rottwitt

Joel Leslie Mock

Bennett H Rockney

Lynn E Nelson

William Crossley Dautremont-Smith

Allan Schweitzer

Kenneth L Bacher

Neil Allan Jackman

Anatoli A Abramov

Martin H Muendel

Janet Renee Pedrazzani

Mei Du

Geoffrey L Burdge

Ken R Roberts

Kenneth R Roberts

Glenn E Kohnke

Glenn Eric Kohnke

Gaelle Ales

Jefferson L Wagner

In a WDM optical communication system that includes a plurality of nodes interconnected by communication links, a node is provided which includes an optical coupling arrangement having at least one input port for receiving a WDM signal and a plurality of output ports for selectively receiving one or more wavelength components of the WDM optical signal. The optical coupling arrangement is adaptable to reconfigure its operational state to (i) selectively direct any one of the wavelength components received on the input port to any of the output ports independently of any other of the wavelength components and (ii) selectively direct any combination of two or more of the wavelength components from the input port to at least two of the output ports that serve as WDM output ports. At least one optical WDM interface is optically coupled to a first of the WDM output ports. The optical WDM interface is adapted to receive, at different times, a transponder and a transmission link through which a WDM signal can be communicated. At least one transponder is coupled to a second of the WDM output ports.

Method and apparatus for transferring WDM signals between different wavelength division multiplexed optical communications systems in an optically transparent manner

A method of monitoring a WDM optical signal is provided. The method includes: receiving a WDM optical signal having a plurality of channels; detecting the optical signal after filtering the WDM optical signal with a tunable filter; and reconfiguring at least the center wavelength and bandwidth of the tunable filter optical transfer function to determine a signal performance parameter of the WDM optical signal.

Optical channel monitor

A method and apparatus are provided for attenuating an optical beam. The method includes selecting a level of attenuation to be applied to the optical beam. A pattern of on-state and off-state pixels in a two dimensional spatial light modulator (SLM) is selected such that the pattern will modulate the optical beam to provide the selected level of attenuation. Finally, the optical beam is directed onto the SLM while tile pixels are arranged in the selected pattern. The pattern is periodic along a first axis and symmetric along a second axis along which an intensity distribution of die optical beam extends.

Spatial light modulator (SLM)-based optical attenuator

A programmable encoder is provided that includes at least one optical input for receiving a modulated broadband optical signal and at least one optical output. A dispersion element receives the optical signal from the optical input and spatially separates the optical signal into a plurality of wavelength components. A collimating element is provided for collimating the plurality of wavelength components. An actuatable optical arrangement receives the collimated plurality of wavelength components from the collimating element. The actuatable optical arrangement includes a digital micromirror device (DMD) from which a programmably selected subset of wavelength components are reflected at least twice before being directed to a selected one of optical outputs to thereby encode the CDMA signal.

High resolution digital optical encoder/decoder

A multiwavelength switch is provided. The switch includes at least one optical input for receiving an optical beam and at least two optical outputs. A dispersion element receives the optical beam from the optical input and spatially separates the optical beam into a plurality of wavelength components. A collimating element is provided for collimating the plurality of wavelength components. An actuatable optical arrangement receives the collimated plurality of wavelength components from the collimating element. The actuatable optical arrangement includes a digital micromirror device (DMD) from which at least one wavelength component is reflected at least twice before being directed to a selected one of optical outputs.

Multiple function digital optical switch

An optical wavelength routing device utilizes a free space optical beam propagating therethrough is provided. The device includes at least one optical fiber input, at least one optical fiber output, an optical element having an actuator with at least one tilt axis and a diffraction element having a surface thereon. The device also includes an optical beam-splitting element having spatially varying optical properties. An optical beam transfer arrangement is positioned between the optical element and the diffraction element such that tilt actuation of the optical element elicits a proportional change in an angle of incidence of the optical beam onto the diffraction element, wherein the center of rotation for the angular change is the surface of the diffraction element. Optical routing between the fiber input and the fiber output can be configured by the positioning of the optical element.

Method of operating a tunable optical device

An all-optical, optical cross-connect includes first and second pluralities of multiport optical devices. Each of the first plurality of multiport optical devices have at least one input port for receiving a WDM optical signal and a plurality of output ports for selectively receiving one of more wavelength components of the optical signal. Each of the second plurality of multiport optical devices have a plurality of input ports for selectively receiving one of more wavelength components of the optical signal and at least one output port for selectively receiving one of more wavelength components of the optical signal. At least one of the first or second plurality of multiport optical devices are all-optical switches that can route every wavelength component independently of every other wavelength component. The plurality of input ports of the second plurality of multiport optical devices are optically coupled to respective ones of the plurality of output ports of the first plurality of multiport optical devices.

Modular all-optical cross-connect

An optical switch includes at least one input port for receiving a plurality of channel wavelengths of an optical signal and a plurality of output ports. A plurality of wavelength selective elements are also provided, which each select a channel wavelength from among the plurality of channel wavelengths received at the input port. A plurality of optical elements are respectively associated with the plurality of wavelength selective elements. Each of the optical elements direct one of the selected channel wavelengths, which are selected by the associated wavelength selective element, to any one of the output ports independently of all other channel wavelengths and with a selectively variable degree of attenuation. The switch also includes a controller for adjusting a configuration of the optical elements to provide the channel wavelengths with the selectively variable degree of attenuation.

Method and apparatus for providing gain equalization to an optical signal in an optical communication system

Tunable optical communication system

In a WDM optical communication system that includes a plurality of nodes interconnected by communication links, a node is provided that includes a first plurality of transponders each generating and/or receiving an information-bearing optical signal at a different channel wavelength from one another. An optical coupling arrangement, which may include one or more reconfigurable optical switches, transfers the channel wavelengths between a link connected to the node and the first plurality of transponders. The arrangement is adaptable to reconfigure its operational state to selectively direct different ones of the channel wavelengths from the link to different ones of the transponders without disturbing the optical path through the node traversed by any other channel wavelengths. A communications and configuration arrangement is provided, which transfers data identifying the respective channel wavelengths at which the transponders operate from the transponders to the optical coupling arrangement. In response to the transferred data, the communications and configuration arrangement reconfigures the operational state of the optical coupling arrangement.

Method and apparatus for interconnecting a plurality of optical transducers with a wavelength division multiplexed optical switch

In a WDM optical communication system that includes a plurality of nodes interconnected by communication links, a node is provided that includes a reconfigurable optical switch having a plurality of input ports and at least one output port. The node also includes a plurality of transmitters that are each coupled to one of the input ports of the optical switch. Each of the transmitters generate an information-bearing optical signal at a different channel wavelength from one another. The reconfigurable optical switch is adaptable to receive at any of the input ports any of the channel wavelengths at which the plurality of transmitters operate and direct the channel wavelengths to the output port. At least one backup transmitter is coupled to one of the input ports of the optical switch. The backup transmitter includes a tunable laser tunable to any of the channel wavelengths at which the plurality of transmitters operate. The reconfigurable optical switch includes at least one wavelength selective element that selects at least one channel wavelength from among any of the channel wavelengths received at any of the input ports. The switch also includes a plurality of optical elements associated with the wavelength selective elements, Each of the optical elements direct one of the selected channel wavelengths selected by the associated wavelength selective element to the output port independently from every other channel wavelength. The selected channel wavelengths directed to the output port are combined on the output port.

Wavelength division multiplexed optical communication system having a reconfigurable optical switch and a tunable backup laser transmitter

An optical switch is provided which includes a plurality of input/output ports for receiving one or more wavelength component(s) of an optical signal. The optical switch also includes an optical arrangement that directs the wavelength component to any given one of the plurality of input/output ports. The given input/output port may be selected from among any of the plurality of input/output ports. If the optical signal includes a plurality of wavelength components, the optical arrangement includes at least one wavelength selective element such as a thin film filter. The wavelength selective element selects one of the wavelength components from among the plurality of wavelength components. The optical arrangement also includes a plurality of optical elements each associated with one of the wavelength selective elements. Each of the optical elements direct the selected wavelength component, which is selected by its associated selective element, to a given one of the plurality of input/output ports independently of every other wavelength component. The optical elements may be tiltable retroreflective mirror assemblies.

Reconfigurable optical switch

An optical spectral detection device utilizing free space optical beam propagation is provided. The device includes at least one optical fiber input, at least one opto-electronic detection device, an optical element having an actuator with at least one tilt axis, and a diffraction element having a surface thereon. The device also includes an optical beam transfer arrangement positioned between the optical element and the diffraction element such that tilt actuation of the optical element elicits a proportional change in an angle of incidence of the optical beam onto the diffraction element, wherein the center of rotation for the angular change is the surface of the diffraction element. The spectral properties of the optical beam that are detected are selected by selectively positioning the optical element about at least one of the tilt axes.

Tunable optical routing systems

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Warren, NJ, United States of America

Thomas Andrew Strasser