Wavelength selective switch with increased frequency separation to avoid crosstalk

Abstract

An optical device incorporates into the same physical structure the functionality of two or more wavelength selective switches. The wavelength components associated with the first optical switch are isolated from the wavelength components associated with the second optical switch by their spatial displacement along one axis on a programmable optical phase modulator. Remaining crosstalk between the components is reduced by spatially separating the components of the two wavelength switches having the same wavelength along another axis of the programmable optical phase modulator.

Description

Background technique [0001] In an optical communication network, an optical signal with multiple optical channels on a single wavelength (channel) can usually be sent from one place to another through a single optical fiber. Optical cross-connect modules allow optical signals to be switched from one fiber to another. A wavelength-selective optical cross-connect or wavelength-selective switch (WSS) allows reconfiguration of wavelength-dependent switching, that is, allows switching of certain wavelength channels from a first fiber to a second fiber while leaving other wavelength channels in the first fiber transmission, or to allow switching of certain wavelength channels to a third fiber. The optical network architecture based on wavelength selective optical switching has many attractive features due to the automatic creation of single-wavelength channel optical paths or rerouting. It can accelerate service deployment, accelerate rerouting around optical network failure point...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Such wavelength selective switches may exhibit undesirable crosstalk between individual channels of different function switches

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