Method and circuit for demultiplexing an optical signal
US6040932A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 29, 1997 |
| Grant date | Mar 21, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 29, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/2937
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method are disclosed for demulitplexing closely spaced channels carrying optically encoded data. A composite optical signal having data channels corresponding to center wavelengths .lambda.1, .lambda.2, .lambda.3, .lambda.4, . . . .lambda.n are separated into two composite optical signals of first of which comprises data channels corresponding to center wavelengths .lambda.1, .lambda.3, . . . .lambda.n and a second which comprises data channels corresponding to center wavelengths .lambda.2, .lambda.4, . . . .lambda.n-1, wherein adjacent channels center wavelengths are separated from one another by a distance "d". A periodic multi-cavity Fabry-Perot etalon having a free spectral range of "2d" is coupled to a circulator for launching an input beam. The first of the two composite optical signals carrying channels 1, 3, . . . n is reflected from the input port of the etalon and the second of the of the two optical signals carrying channels 2, 4, . . . n-1 is transmitted through the etalon. After the two signals are separated, further separation can be achieved by using conventional dichroic filters.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.