High speed optical switching device including a capacitance structure
US5550939A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 7, 1994 |
| Grant date | Aug 27, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 7, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02F1/0152
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A high speed optical switching device includes a waveguide arrangement, incorporating a pn junction, with a large bondpad for the purposes of increasing the capacitance presented by the device. Data and control signals can be input at an input port of the waveguide arrangement, presence of the control signal operating to modify the optical path length of the device for the data signal. By incorporating the device in an interferometer arrangement, or by exploiting a Fabry-Perot cavity of the device, it can be used to transmit the data signal selectively, for instance so as to demultiplex a time multiplexed optical communications signal. The high capacitance provides a very short recovery times so that data rates of 10 GHz and substantially above can be accommodated.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.