The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 25, 2006
Filed:
Dec. 11, 2002
Gian-luca Bona, Hedingen, CH;
Folkert Horst, Zurich, CH;
Hugo E. Rothuizen, Zurich, CH;
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
The invention is related to an optical cross-connect switch comprising a waveguide connected with one waveguide end to a first optical port and connected with its other waveguide end to a steering device for directing an optical signal beam from said first optical port to a second optical port, said waveguide comprising a patterned waveguide layer disposed on a substrate. The steering device can be arranged in a cavity in the substrate. The optical cross-connect switch then comprises a substrate, which is partially covered by a waveguide layer and a cladding layer, patterned for example by etching processes, with at least one waveguide, connected with one end to one of the optical ports and with the other end, comprising core and cladding, unsupported by the substrate or remaining layers and extending into a switching plane above the cavity, which is located in the substrate. In the cavity the steering device is arranged, designed to direct the free waveguide end in a selectable direction within the switching plane towards an optical element, such as a free end of a further waveguide, designed to receive or send optical signal beams. The optical cross-connect switch preferably comprises a slab waveguide module positioned within the switching plane in order to transfer the optical signal beams between a waveguide connected to the first set of optical ports and a waveguide of the second set of optical ports.