WO2000041015A1 - Dense wavelength division multiplexer using multiple reflection optical delay lines - Google Patents

Dense wavelength division multiplexer using multiple reflection optical delay lines Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2000041015A1
WO2000041015A1 PCT/US1999/030474 US9930474W WO0041015A1 WO 2000041015 A1 WO2000041015 A1 WO 2000041015A1 US 9930474 W US9930474 W US 9930474W WO 0041015 A1 WO0041015 A1 WO 0041015A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
star coupler
fiber
optical
mirror
optical delay
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1999/030474
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Peter Zupei Chen
Original Assignee
New Focus, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by New Focus, Inc. filed Critical New Focus, Inc.
Priority to AU36918/00A priority Critical patent/AU3691800A/en
Publication of WO2000041015A1 publication Critical patent/WO2000041015A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/10—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type
    • G02B6/12—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind
    • G02B6/12007—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
    • G02B6/12009—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer comprising arrayed waveguide grating [AWG] devices, i.e. with a phased array of waveguides
    • G02B6/12011—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer comprising arrayed waveguide grating [AWG] devices, i.e. with a phased array of waveguides characterised by the arrayed waveguides, e.g. comprising a filled groove in the array section
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/10—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type
    • G02B6/12—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind
    • G02B6/12007—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
    • G02B6/12009—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer comprising arrayed waveguide grating [AWG] devices, i.e. with a phased array of waveguides
    • G02B6/12019—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings of the optical waveguide type of the integrated circuit kind forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer comprising arrayed waveguide grating [AWG] devices, i.e. with a phased array of waveguides characterised by the optical interconnection to or from the AWG devices, e.g. integration or coupling with lasers or photodiodes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to wavelength division multiplexers (WDMs) and, in particular, to dense wavelength division multiplexers (DWDMs) using multiple reflection optical delay lines.
  • WDMs wavelength division multiplexers
  • DWDMs dense wavelength division multiplexers
  • Dense wavelength division multiplexers are a key component for the capacity upgrade of an already implemented fiber optical point-to-point transmission system, the transport and routing of data traffic in the future fiber infrastructure.
  • the DWDM For multiplexing applications, the DWDM combines the lights of individual wavelengths to form a multiplexed light.
  • a multiplexed light is split to multiple lights with individual wavelengths.
  • the filter array DWDMs in which a plurality of the filters cascaded with a IxN tree coupler exhibit a high insertion loss of 101og(l/N) that is caused by inherent splitting loss.
  • One such DWDM is described by V.Mizrahi et al.
  • planar waveguide phase array DWDM is a generalization of the 2x2 Mach-Zehnder DWDM. It consists of two star couplers connected by phase array waveguides having unequal length. This technology is suitable for realization in integrated form for a large number of channels using planar waveguide technology. See for example, U.S. Patent No.
  • an NxN star coupler which has N input terminals and N output terminals (where N is an integer) is disclosed.
  • the output terminals connect to a plurality of N reflection optical delay lines.
  • the optical lengths of the optical delay lines are as follows:
  • ⁇ L is the optical length difference between optical delay lines associated with any two adjacent integers.
  • L 0 is the length of the shortest optical delay line.
  • the incoming light with multiple wavelengths from an input terminal of the star coupler is split into N lights. Each light carries the same power and transmits in the corresponding reflection optical delay line twice. All the reflected lights are returned and interfered in the star coupler, and then output at N input terminals of the star coupler with different wavelengths. Conversely, for multiplexing applications, each of the incoming lights with different wavelengths from the input terminals are split into N lights and transmitted in the corresponding reflection optical delay line. Each optical delay line reflects the corresponding light. All the reflected lights are returned and interfered in the star coupler. Then they are combined into one input terminal of the star coupler for output.
  • a DWDM with desired passbands and channel spacing can be obtained. Because the optical delay line curve shape is not necessary, such DWDMs are very small. The stress induced polarization problems are eliminated by double transmission of the lights in the star coupler and optical delay lines.
  • the star coupler and the waveguide phase array are integrated in a wafer.
  • the optical delay lines are formed by a waveguide phase array.
  • a reflection coating is deposited on the end-face of the wafer directly.
  • the optical length difference ⁇ Lj between any adjacent optical delay lines is dependent on its physical length 1, and the refractive index n, of the waveguides as follows:
  • ⁇ L, n (1+1) l 1+ ⁇ - n,l,
  • ⁇ L can be adjusted to a predetermined amount ⁇ L by changing the physical length and/or refractive index of the waveguides. This may be realized by a doping process.
  • the star coupler is a monolithic fused biconic star coupler.
  • the reflection optical delay lines are formed by making reflection coatings on the free end-face of the output terminal fibers of the star coupler.
  • the optical length difference ⁇ L is dependent on the physical length 1, and the refractive index n, of output terminal fibers as described in the equation above.
  • the ⁇ L can be adjusted to a predetermined amount ⁇ L by changing the physical length and/or refractive index of the fibers. This may be realized by selecting the fibers, pulling or twisting the fibers, and trimming the refractive index by UV laser.
  • the reflection optical delay lines comprise a series of collimator mirrors.
  • Each mirror consists of a fiber collimator and a bulk mirror, which are separated by one free space.
  • the optical length through the fiber to the end of the collimator is the same for all optical delay lines.
  • the free space between the collimator and its corresponding mirror differs in length from its adjacent collimator mirrors by a predetermined fixed amount ⁇ L.
  • the star coupler may be a monolithic fused star coupler, a planar waveguide star coupler, or any other suitable interference star coupler.
  • an optical device for separating and combining various wavelengths comprising in combination: an NxN planar waveguide star coupler which splits light energy into N equal portions; and a mirror in optical communication with said star coupler which reflects said lights.
  • an optical device for separating and combining various wavelengths comprising in combination: an NxN fused star coupler which splits light energy into N+l equal portions; a plurality of mirrors in optical communication with said star coupler which reflect the light energy; and a substrate securing said fused star coupler to said mirrors.
  • an optical device for separating and combining various wavelengths comprising in combination: an NxN monolithic fused star coupler which splits light into N equal portions of light energy; a plurality of fiber mirrors for reflecting said light energy; and a substrate securing said fused star coupler and said plurality of fiber mirrors.
  • a fiber optical multiplexing/demultiplexing apparatus comprising in combination: a fiber optic star coupler; a plurality of optical inputs optically coupled to an input side of said star coupler; a plurality of optical outputs optically coupled to an output side of said star coupler, wherein said optical outputs are of predetermined variable lengths; and reflective means optically coupled to said optical outputs for reflecting light.
  • Fig. 1 is an illustration of the conventional technique of IxN DWDM using two planar star couplers disclosed by U.S. patent 5,136,671.
  • Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a IxN DWDM using a planar star coupler of the present invention.
  • Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a IxN DWDM using a fused monolithic star coupler of the present invention.
  • Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a IxN DWDM using a free space optical delay line array of the present invention.
  • This invention involves DWDMs, which are used in optical communication systems.
  • an inventive DWDM is shown schematically in FIG. 2.
  • an inventive DWDM is formed by an NxN interference star coupler 220 in a wafer 240.
  • a reflection mirror 250 is coated on a side-face of the wafer 240 directly.
  • All waveguides, in the terminal waveguide array 230 of the star coupler have unequal lengths. The length difference between any two adjacent waveguides is the same as a predetermined fixed amount.
  • a multiplexed light is input from any one waveguide of the terminal waveguide array 210 as a common port and is split into N+l lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered with each other in star coupler 220 after transmitting through the terminal waveguide array 230 twice and redistributed in terminal waveguide array 210 to form the output lights with individual wavelengths.
  • Multiplexing is accomplished by utilizing the same device in the reverse order. All input lights with individual wavelengths from the terminal waveguide array 210 are combined in the star coupler 220, and then split into N lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered in the star coupler 220 after transmitting through the terminal waveguides 230 twice, such that all the wavelengths emerge essentially to transmission in the common port as one multiplexed light.
  • FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the inventive DWDM formed by an NxN monolithic fused star coupler 320 and a plurality of fiber optical delay lines 360 on a substrate 350.
  • the star coupler 320 has a plurality of pigtails 310 and a plurality of terminal fibers 330.
  • the optical delay lines are realized by making the reflection coatings 340 on the free end-faces of the terminal fibers 330.
  • Each fiber in the terminal fibers 330 differs in the optical length from its adjacent fibers by a predetermined fixed amount.
  • a multiplexed light signal is input from any one pigtail of the pigtails 310 as a common port and is split into N lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered in the star coupler 320 after transmitting through the terminal fibers 330 twice and then redistributed in the pigtails 310 to form N lights with the individual wavelengths.
  • Multiplexing is accomplished by utilizing the same device in reverse order. All input lights with individual wavelengths from the pigtails 310 are combined in the star coupler 320, and then split into N+l lights with same split lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered in star coupler 320 after transmitting through the terminal fibers 330 twice, such that all the wavelengths emerge essentially to transmission in the common port as a multiplexed light.
  • FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of the inventive DWDM comprising an NxN monolithic fused star coupler 420 and a fiber mirror array 440 on a substrate 450.
  • the star coupler 420 has a plurality of pigtails 410 and a plurality of terminal fibers 430 in which all terminal fibers have the same physical length.
  • the end-face of each terminal fiber in the terminal fibers 430 is positioned at the focal plane of its corresponding lens in the lenses 440 to form a fiber collimator in the collimators 440.
  • Each collimator is packaged with the corresponding one in the mirrors 470 to form an optical delay line array 460.
  • the star coupler 420 and its terminal fibers 430, and the optical delay line array 460 are fixed on a substrate 450 by using gluing or other bonding technologies, such as soldering or laser welding.
  • the total optical lengths from star coupler 420 to the surface of free space side of each of the lenses 440 are the same.
  • the phase difference between any two adjacent optical delay lines in the optical delay line array 460 is only dependent on the space between each collimator and its corresponding mirror.
  • Each optical delay line differs in the distance of the free space from its adjacent line by a predetermined fixed amount.
  • a multiplexed light signal is input from any one of the pigtails 410 as a common port and split into N lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered in star coupler 420 after transmitting through the optical delay line array 460, and then are redistributed in other pigtails with the individual wavelengths.
  • All input lights with individual wavelengths from the pigtails 410 are combined in the star coupler 420, and then are split into N lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered in star coupler 420 after transmitting through the optical delay line array 460, such that all the wavelengths emerge essentially to transmission in the common port as a single multiplexed light.
  • the optical delay lines allow control of the optical lengths by means of a control signal to form a switch or a tunable filter.

Abstract

Disclosed is a lxN dense wavelength division multiplexer which is a generalization of the 1x2 fiber Machelson wavelength division multiplexer. It includes an NxN star coupler (220) and N reflection optical delay lines (230) of unequal length. Each reflection optical delay line (230) differs in length from its adjacent one by a predetermined amount.

Description

S P E C I F I C A T I O N
DENSE WAVELENGTH DIVISION MULTIPLEXER USING MULTIPLE REFLECTION OPTICAL DELAY LINES
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wavelength division multiplexers (WDMs) and, in particular, to dense wavelength division multiplexers (DWDMs) using multiple reflection optical delay lines.
2. The Prior Art
Dense wavelength division multiplexers (DWDMs) are a key component for the capacity upgrade of an already implemented fiber optical point-to-point transmission system, the transport and routing of data traffic in the future fiber infrastructure. For multiplexing applications, the DWDM combines the lights of individual wavelengths to form a multiplexed light. For demultiplexing applications, a multiplexed light is split to multiple lights with individual wavelengths. A variety of different technologies have been developed for DWDMs. The filter array DWDMs in which a plurality of the filters cascaded with a IxN tree coupler exhibit a high insertion loss of 101og(l/N) that is caused by inherent splitting loss. One such DWDM is described by V.Mizrahi et al. In Electronic Letters, Vol.30, No.10, pp.780, 1994. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer "tree" DWDMs in which a plurality of the Mach-Zehnder interferometers are cascaded with each other exhibit a stress induced instability caused by (avoidable) imperfections of the fabrication process. The potential shortcoming in the filter chain DWDMs are their inferior equalization. Finally, the planar waveguide phase array DWDM is a generalization of the 2x2 Mach-Zehnder DWDM. It consists of two star couplers connected by phase array waveguides having unequal length. This technology is suitable for realization in integrated form for a large number of channels using planar waveguide technology. See for example, U.S. Patent No. 5,002,350 and 5,136,671. However, wafer size becomes too large to integrate the phase array, which must be curved with longer length difference because wavelength selection with narrow channel spacing and large channel numbers is required. The invention described herein below overcomes the above disadvantages by using multiple reflection optical delay lines.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, an NxN star coupler which has N input terminals and N output terminals (where N is an integer) is disclosed. The output terminals connect to a plurality of N reflection optical delay lines. Each optical delay line differs in optical length from others and is identified by an integer i (i=0,l,2,3,...N) corresponding to ascending length. The optical lengths of the optical delay lines are as follows:
Figure imgf000004_0001
where ΔL is the optical length difference between optical delay lines associated with any two adjacent integers. L0 is the length of the shortest optical delay line.
For demultiplexing applications, the incoming light with multiple wavelengths from an input terminal of the star coupler is split into N lights. Each light carries the same power and transmits in the corresponding reflection optical delay line twice. All the reflected lights are returned and interfered in the star coupler, and then output at N input terminals of the star coupler with different wavelengths. Conversely, for multiplexing applications, each of the incoming lights with different wavelengths from the input terminals are split into N lights and transmitted in the corresponding reflection optical delay line. Each optical delay line reflects the corresponding light. All the reflected lights are returned and interfered in the star coupler. Then they are combined into one input terminal of the star coupler for output. By changing the optical length difference ΔL, a DWDM with desired passbands and channel spacing can be obtained. Because the optical delay line curve shape is not necessary, such DWDMs are very small. The stress induced polarization problems are eliminated by double transmission of the lights in the star coupler and optical delay lines.
In one embodiment, the star coupler and the waveguide phase array are integrated in a wafer. The optical delay lines are formed by a waveguide phase array. A reflection coating is deposited on the end-face of the wafer directly. The optical length difference ΔLj between any adjacent optical delay lines is dependent on its physical length 1, and the refractive index n, of the waveguides as follows:
ΔL, = n(1+1)l1+ι - n,l,
ΔL, can be adjusted to a predetermined amount ΔL by changing the physical length and/or refractive index of the waveguides. This may be realized by a doping process.
In another embodiment, the star coupler is a monolithic fused biconic star coupler.
The reflection optical delay lines are formed by making reflection coatings on the free end-face of the output terminal fibers of the star coupler. The optical length difference ΔL, is dependent on the physical length 1, and the refractive index n, of output terminal fibers as described in the equation above. The ΔL, can be adjusted to a predetermined amount ΔL by changing the physical length and/or refractive index of the fibers. This may be realized by selecting the fibers, pulling or twisting the fibers, and trimming the refractive index by UV laser.
In another embodiment, the reflection optical delay lines comprise a series of collimator mirrors. Each mirror consists of a fiber collimator and a bulk mirror, which are separated by one free space. The optical length through the fiber to the end of the collimator is the same for all optical delay lines. The free space between the collimator and its corresponding mirror differs in length from its adjacent collimator mirrors by a predetermined fixed amount ΔL. The star coupler may be a monolithic fused star coupler, a planar waveguide star coupler, or any other suitable interference star coupler.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a DWDM using multiple reflection optical delay lines that are compact for narrow channel spacing and large channel number applications.
Viewed from a first vantage point an optical device for separating and combining various wavelengths is disclosed, comprising in combination: an NxN planar waveguide star coupler which splits light energy into N equal portions; and a mirror in optical communication with said star coupler which reflects said lights.
Viewed from a second vantage point an optical device for separating and combining various wavelengths is disclosed, comprising in combination: an NxN fused star coupler which splits light energy into N+l equal portions; a plurality of mirrors in optical communication with said star coupler which reflect the light energy; and a substrate securing said fused star coupler to said mirrors.
Viewed from a third vantage point an optical device for separating and combining various wavelengths is disclosed, comprising in combination: an NxN monolithic fused star coupler which splits light into N equal portions of light energy; a plurality of fiber mirrors for reflecting said light energy; and a substrate securing said fused star coupler and said plurality of fiber mirrors.
Viewed from a fourth vantage point a fiber optical multiplexing/demultiplexing apparatus is" disclosed, comprising in combination: a fiber optic star coupler; a plurality of optical inputs optically coupled to an input side of said star coupler; a plurality of optical outputs optically coupled to an output side of said star coupler, wherein said optical outputs are of predetermined variable lengths; and reflective means optically coupled to said optical outputs for reflecting light.
This invention will be more fully understood in light of the following detailed description taken together with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
Fig. 1 is an illustration of the conventional technique of IxN DWDM using two planar star couplers disclosed by U.S. patent 5,136,671.
Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a IxN DWDM using a planar star coupler of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a IxN DWDM using a fused monolithic star coupler of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a IxN DWDM using a free space optical delay line array of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Persons of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following description of the present invention is illustrative only and not in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure.
This invention involves DWDMs, which are used in optical communication systems.
One such inventive DWDM is shown schematically in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, an inventive DWDM is formed by an NxN interference star coupler 220 in a wafer 240. A reflection mirror 250 is coated on a side-face of the wafer 240 directly. All waveguides, in the terminal waveguide array 230 of the star coupler have unequal lengths. The length difference between any two adjacent waveguides is the same as a predetermined fixed amount.
For demultiplexing applications, a multiplexed light is input from any one waveguide of the terminal waveguide array 210 as a common port and is split into N+l lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered with each other in star coupler 220 after transmitting through the terminal waveguide array 230 twice and redistributed in terminal waveguide array 210 to form the output lights with individual wavelengths.
Multiplexing is accomplished by utilizing the same device in the reverse order. All input lights with individual wavelengths from the terminal waveguide array 210 are combined in the star coupler 220, and then split into N lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered in the star coupler 220 after transmitting through the terminal waveguides 230 twice, such that all the wavelengths emerge essentially to transmission in the common port as one multiplexed light.
FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the inventive DWDM formed by an NxN monolithic fused star coupler 320 and a plurality of fiber optical delay lines 360 on a substrate 350. The star coupler 320 has a plurality of pigtails 310 and a plurality of terminal fibers 330. The optical delay lines are realized by making the reflection coatings 340 on the free end-faces of the terminal fibers 330. Each fiber in the terminal fibers 330 differs in the optical length from its adjacent fibers by a predetermined fixed amount.
For demultiplexing applications, a multiplexed light signal is input from any one pigtail of the pigtails 310 as a common port and is split into N lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered in the star coupler 320 after transmitting through the terminal fibers 330 twice and then redistributed in the pigtails 310 to form N lights with the individual wavelengths.
Multiplexing is accomplished by utilizing the same device in reverse order. All input lights with individual wavelengths from the pigtails 310 are combined in the star coupler 320, and then split into N+l lights with same split lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered in star coupler 320 after transmitting through the terminal fibers 330 twice, such that all the wavelengths emerge essentially to transmission in the common port as a multiplexed light.
FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of the inventive DWDM comprising an NxN monolithic fused star coupler 420 and a fiber mirror array 440 on a substrate 450. The star coupler 420 has a plurality of pigtails 410 and a plurality of terminal fibers 430 in which all terminal fibers have the same physical length. The end-face of each terminal fiber in the terminal fibers 430 is positioned at the focal plane of its corresponding lens in the lenses 440 to form a fiber collimator in the collimators 440. Each collimator is packaged with the corresponding one in the mirrors 470 to form an optical delay line array 460. The star coupler 420 and its terminal fibers 430, and the optical delay line array 460 are fixed on a substrate 450 by using gluing or other bonding technologies, such as soldering or laser welding. The total optical lengths from star coupler 420 to the surface of free space side of each of the lenses 440 are the same. The phase difference between any two adjacent optical delay lines in the optical delay line array 460 is only dependent on the space between each collimator and its corresponding mirror. Each optical delay line differs in the distance of the free space from its adjacent line by a predetermined fixed amount.
For demultiplexing applications, a multiplexed light signal is input from any one of the pigtails 410 as a common port and split into N lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered in star coupler 420 after transmitting through the optical delay line array 460, and then are redistributed in other pigtails with the individual wavelengths.
Multiplexing is accomplished by utilizing the same device in reverse order. All input lights with individual wavelengths from the pigtails 410 are combined in the star coupler 420, and then are split into N lights with the same power level. All split lights are interfered in star coupler 420 after transmitting through the optical delay line array 460, such that all the wavelengths emerge essentially to transmission in the common port as a single multiplexed light.
The invention now having been fully described, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in this art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forth herein. For example, the optical delay lines allow control of the optical lengths by means of a control signal to form a switch or a tunable filter.
While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications than mentioned above are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein.

Claims

What is claimed is:
1. An optical device for separating and combining various wavelengths, comprising in combination: an NxN planar waveguide star coupler which splits light energy into N equal portions; and a mirror in optical communication with said star coupler which reflects said light energy.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the said NxN planar waveguide star coupler includes a connection waveguide array in which each segment of said array differs in length from its adjacent segment by a predetermined fixed amount.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein the said mirror includes a reflection coating which is coated on the end-face of the said connection waveguide array.
4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the said mirror is a bulk mirror attached to the end-face of the said connection waveguide array in which the waveguides direction is perpendicular with the surface of the said mirror.
5. An optical device for separating and combining various wavelengths, comprising in combination: an NxN fused star coupler which splits light energy into N+l equal portions; a plurality of mirrors in optical communication with said star coupler which reflect the light energy; and a substrate securing said fused star coupler to said mirrors.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein said NxN fused star coupler includes a plurality of terminal fibers in which each terminal fiber differs in length from its adjacent terminal fiber by a predetermined fixed amount.
7. The device of claim 5, wherein said mirror includes a reflection coating on the end-face of said terminal fiber.
8. The device of claim 5, wherein said substrate may be silica, INVAR, or other suitable substrate.
9. An optical device for separating and combining various wavelengths, comprising in combination: an NxN monolithic fused star coupler which splits light into N equal portions of light energy; a plurality of fiber mirrors for reflecting said light energy; and a substrate securing said fused star coupler and said plurality of fiber mirrors.
10. The device of claim 9, wherein said fused star coupler connects the plurality of fiber mirrors by its terminal fibers.
11. The device of claim 9, wherein said fiber mirror further comprises: a fiber collimator; a bulk mirror; and a substrate securing said fiber collimator and said bulk mirror.
12. The device of claim 11, wherein said fiber collimator includes a terminal fiber which includes a length added on the length of the coresponding terminal fiber of said star coupler to keep the amount constant.
13. The device of claim 11 , wherein said fiber bulk mirror is spaced apart from said collimator by a gap which differs in distance from its adjacent fiber mirrors by a predetermined fixed amount.
14. The device of claim 11, wherein said bulk mirror may be selected from the group of a metal coated mirror, a dielectric interference coating mirror, or other suitable mirrors.
15. The device of claim 11, wherein said substrate may be silica, Invar, or other suitable substrates.
16. A fiber optical multiplexing/demultiplexing apparatus, comprising in combination: a fiber optic star coupler; a plurality of optical inputs optically coupled to an input side of said star coupler; a plurality of optical outputs optically coupled to an output side of said star coupler, wherein said optical outputs are of predetermined variable lengths; and reflective means optically coupled to said optical outputs for reflecting light.
17. The device of claim 16 wherein said optical delay line length is determined by Ll - Lυ + itsL , where each optical delay line is represented in ascending order by an integer i, where ΔL is the optical length difference between optical delay lines associated with any two adjacent integers, and where L0 is the length of the shortest optical delay line.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said star coupler is a interference star coupler, and said optical inputs and said optical outputs are waveguide arrays.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said star coupler is a monolithic fused star coupler, said optical inputs are a first set of fiber pigtails, and said optical outputs include a second pair of fiber pigtails optically coupled to a plurality of optical delay lines.
20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said star coupler is a monolithic fused star coupler, said optical inputs are a first set of fiber pigtails, and said optical outputs include a second pair of fiber pigtails optically coupled to a fiber mirror array.
PCT/US1999/030474 1998-12-24 1999-12-21 Dense wavelength division multiplexer using multiple reflection optical delay lines WO2000041015A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU36918/00A AU3691800A (en) 1998-12-24 1999-12-21 Dense wavelength division multiplexer using multiple reflection optical delay lines

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US22065098A 1998-12-24 1998-12-24
US09/220,650 1998-12-24

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2000041015A1 true WO2000041015A1 (en) 2000-07-13

Family

ID=22824394

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1999/030474 WO2000041015A1 (en) 1998-12-24 1999-12-21 Dense wavelength division multiplexer using multiple reflection optical delay lines

Country Status (2)

Country Link
AU (1) AU3691800A (en)
WO (1) WO2000041015A1 (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2002027372A2 (en) * 2000-07-14 2002-04-04 Applied Wdm, Inc. Optical waveguide transmission devices
WO2002079810A2 (en) * 2001-03-13 2002-10-10 Schott Glas Awg-coupler for separating electromagnetic rays with different wave ranges in addition to a communication technology system
US6493487B1 (en) 2000-07-14 2002-12-10 Applied Wdm, Inc. Optical waveguide transmission devices
US6553165B1 (en) 2000-07-14 2003-04-22 Applied Wdm, Inc. Optical waveguide gratings
WO2003048826A2 (en) * 2001-12-07 2003-06-12 Blazephotonics Limited Arrayed-waveguide grating with two connected free-propagation regions

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5546483A (en) * 1993-08-02 1996-08-13 Nippon Telegraph And Telephone Corporation Integrated optical waveguide circuit and optical branch line test system using the same
JPH1144825A (en) * 1997-07-28 1999-02-16 Fujitsu Ltd Optical device and its production

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5546483A (en) * 1993-08-02 1996-08-13 Nippon Telegraph And Telephone Corporation Integrated optical waveguide circuit and optical branch line test system using the same
JPH1144825A (en) * 1997-07-28 1999-02-16 Fujitsu Ltd Optical device and its production

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2002027372A2 (en) * 2000-07-14 2002-04-04 Applied Wdm, Inc. Optical waveguide transmission devices
US6493487B1 (en) 2000-07-14 2002-12-10 Applied Wdm, Inc. Optical waveguide transmission devices
WO2002027372A3 (en) * 2000-07-14 2003-01-03 Applied Wdm Inc Optical waveguide transmission devices
US6553165B1 (en) 2000-07-14 2003-04-22 Applied Wdm, Inc. Optical waveguide gratings
WO2002079810A2 (en) * 2001-03-13 2002-10-10 Schott Glas Awg-coupler for separating electromagnetic rays with different wave ranges in addition to a communication technology system
WO2002079810A3 (en) * 2001-03-13 2003-11-27 Schott Glas Awg-coupler for separating electromagnetic rays with different wave ranges in addition to a communication technology system
EP1626297A1 (en) * 2001-03-13 2006-02-15 Schott AG AWG coupler and communication technology system
US7187817B2 (en) 2001-03-13 2007-03-06 Schott Ag Awg coupler for separating electromagnetic radiation of various wavelength regions, and a telecommunications system
WO2003048826A2 (en) * 2001-12-07 2003-06-12 Blazephotonics Limited Arrayed-waveguide grating with two connected free-propagation regions
WO2003048826A3 (en) * 2001-12-07 2003-07-31 Blazephotonics Ltd Arrayed-waveguide grating with two connected free-propagation regions

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU3691800A (en) 2000-07-24

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US6631222B1 (en) Reconfigurable optical switch
US5905824A (en) Temperature compensated insensitive optical multiplexor/demultiplexor
US6263127B1 (en) Free-space/arrayed-waveguide router
US6256433B1 (en) Expandable interleaving optical add/drop filter module
US6169828B1 (en) Fiber optic dense wavelength division multiplexer with a phase differential method of wavelength separation utilizing a polarization beam splitter and a nonlinear interferometer
US5799120A (en) Waveguide type wavelength multiplexing/demultiplexing module
US20070041683A1 (en) Tunable Optical Filter
CN101246239B (en) Planar lightwave circuit based tunable 3 port filter
US20090297097A1 (en) Reconfigurable optical switch
US6125228A (en) Apparatus for beam splitting, combining wavelength division multiplexing and demultiplexing
JP2000089057A (en) Optical device, terminal apparatus and system for wavelength division multiplex
EP0947865A1 (en) Multi-port optical coupler with lens
US6956987B2 (en) Planar lightwave wavelength blocker devices using micromachines
US6215926B1 (en) Fiber optic dense wavelength division multiplexer with a phase differential method of wavelengths separation utilizing glass blocks and a nonlinear interferometer
KR20030000285A (en) Wavelength division multiplexer using planar lightwave circuit
US7031610B2 (en) Diffraction-compensated integrated WDM
US20040005115A1 (en) Optoelectronic add/drop multiplexer
US6324322B1 (en) Fused-fiber multi-window wavelength filter using unbalanced Michelson Interferometer
WO2000041015A1 (en) Dense wavelength division multiplexer using multiple reflection optical delay lines
US20020181876A1 (en) Reconfigurable optical add/drop module
US7418168B2 (en) Optical add/drop module
US6393173B1 (en) 2×2 integrated optical cross-connect
KR100499260B1 (en) apparatus for add/drop of optical signal
US20040086221A1 (en) Low cost, hybrid integrated dense wavelength division multiplexer/demultiplexer for fiber optical networks
US6658181B2 (en) Polarization interleaver

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AE AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BY CA CH CN CR CU CZ DE DK DM EE ES FI GB GD GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IN IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MA MD MG MK MN MW MX NO NZ PL PT RO RU SD SE SG SI SK SL TJ TM TR TT TZ UA UG US UZ VN YU ZA ZW

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): GH GM KE LS MW SD SL SZ TZ UG ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GW ML MR NE SN TD TG

121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application
REG Reference to national code

Ref country code: DE

Ref legal event code: 8642

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase