Tunable optical wedge for reducing crosstalk in wavelength selective switch
US12345998B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 3, 2022 |
| Grant date | Jul 1, 2025 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 14, 2043 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q2011/0026
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In a wavelength selective switch, an input port transmits an input beam, and diffraction grating disperses the input beam into optical channels. A liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS) switch assembly has a phase grating profile and has addressable pixels, which are liquid crystal based. The LCoS switch assembly can selectively direct first-order diffracted beams of the optical channels for output to selected output ports. A tunable optical wedge adjacent the LCoS switch assembly can direct higher-order diffraction beams in the space between the output ports to reduce crosstalk. The wedge is a liquid crystal cell having spaced-apart resistive layers and having liquid crystal material disposed between the layers. In the wedge, the liquid crystal material can produce a phase profile in response to bias voltages applied to the resistive layers, and a beam steering angle of the phase profile can direct at least the second-order diffracted beams towards the port spacing between the ports.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.