One-to-many simultaneous and reconfigurable optical two-dimensional plane interconnections using multiple wavelength, vertical cavity, surface-emitting lasers and wavelength-dependent detector planes
US5546209A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 11, 1994 |
| Grant date | Aug 13, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 11, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q2011/0052
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Optical communication apparatus for simultaneously and reconfigurably establishing optical communication channels, comprises at least one light source and a plurality of wavelength-selective detectors optically associated with each light source, the detectors arranged one behind another. The apparatus uses wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) to facilitate simultaneous and reconfigurable communication of one-to-many 2-D optical planes. This advance dramatically increases the system functionality of optical-plane interconnects. Such a system is realized by incorporating several multiple wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL) into each transmitting pixel and incorporating wavelength selectivity into each subsequent detecting plane which will absorb one wavelength and be transparent to the rest; these structures can be fabricated by slightly modifying existing technology. This system allows for increased processing functionality of communicating both simultaneously and reconfigurably between many planes; broadcasting and dynamic independent interconnects are thus enabled.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.