Optical blocking filter having an array of micro-mirrors

US6956687B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• CiDRA Corporation · US

Inventors

• John A. Moon · San Diego, US
• Alan D. Kersey · Burke, US
• James S. Sirkis · Wallingford, US
• James Dunphy · South Glastonbury, US
• Joseph Pinto · Ithaca, US
• Paul Szczepanek · Middletown, US
• Michael A. Davis · Redwood City, US
• Martin A. Putnam · Cheshire, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 19, 2002
• Grant date: Oct 18, 2005
• Expiry date: Dec 19, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S359/904
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A reconfigurable optical blocking filter deletes a desired optical channel(s) from an optical WDM input signal, and includes a spatial light modulator having a micro-mirror device with a two-dimensional array of micro-mirrors that tilt between first and second positions in a “digital” fashion in response to a control signal provided by a controller in accordance with a switching algorithm and an input command. A collimators, diffraction grating, and Fourier lens, collectively collimate, separate and focus the optical input channels onto the array of micro-mirrors. The optical channel is focused on the micro-mirrors onto a plurality of micro-mirrors of the micro-mirror device, which effectively pixelates the optical channels. To delete an input channel of the optical input signal, micro-mirrors associated with each desired input channel are tilted to reflect the desired input channel away from the return path.