Optical switching device and reconfigurable add-drop multiplexer

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an optical switching device, which comprises a first group of input and output components and a second group of input and output components which are respectively used for transmitting an input light beam to a first switching component and a second switching component, the first polarization conversion assembly and the second polarization conversion assembly respectively convert the light beams passing through the two switching assemblies into two polarization states with vertical polarization directions; the first polarization component is used for combining the light beams passing through the first polarization conversion component and the second polarization conversion component; the dispersion assembly is used for separating the light beams passing through the first polarization assembly along the dispersion direction according to wavelengths; the second polarization assembly is used for separating the light beams passing through the dispersion assembly according to polarization states; and the switching engine is used for adjusting the returning angle of the light beam from the second polarization component, so that the returning light beam is switched to the corresponding output port by the first switching component and the second switching component. According to the optical switching device provided by the embodiment of the invention, more WSS units can be integrated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of optical communications, and more specifically, to an optical switching device and a reconfigurable add / drop multiplexer. Background Art

[0002] Wavelength selective switch (WSS) is a core component of modern optical communication networks. With the advantages of flexible scheduling and ultra-large capacity wavelength scheduling, it plays a key role in building optical networks with ultra-large system capacity and ultra-strong node scheduling.

[0003] Multiple WSS units can be integrated by stacking multiple input and output arrays in space. However, with the improvement of integration, if the height of the WSS optical module remains unchanged, the pitch potential of the optical fiber array and microlens array of the input and output array needs to be further reduced. The existing processing conditions limit the integration level of the WSS module. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide an optical switching device and a reconfigurable add / drop multiplexer, which can integrate more WSS units.

[0005] In a first aspect, an optical switching device is provided, comprising: a first group of input-output components, a second group of input-output components, a first switching component, a second switching component, a first polarization conversion component, a second polarization conversion component, a first polarization component, a dispersion component, a second polarization component, and a switching engine, wherein: the first group of input-output components and the second group of input-output components respectively include at least two input-output arrays arranged along a switching direction, the first group of input-output components is used to transmit an input light beam to the first switching component, and the second group of input-output components is used to transmit an input light beam to the second switching component; the first polarization conversion component is used to convert a light beam passing through the first switching component into a first polarization state; the second polarization conversion component is used to convert a light beam passing through the second switching component into a first polarization state The first polarization component is used to convert the light beam into a second polarization state, and the polarization directions of the first polarization state and the second polarization state are orthogonal; the first polarization component is used to combine the light beams passing through the first polarization conversion component and the second polarization conversion component; the dispersion component is used to separate the light beams passing through the first polarization component along the dispersion direction according to the wavelength, and the dispersion direction is perpendicular to the exchange direction; the second polarization component is used to separate the light beams passing through the dispersion component according to the polarization state; the switching engine is used to adjust the return angle of the light beam from the second polarization component, so that the return light beam is switched by the first switching component to the output port of the input-output array of the first group of input-output components and / or is switched by the second switching component to the output port of the input-output array of the second group of input-output components.

[0006] In this embodiment, since the first group of input and output components and the second group of input and output components respectively stack at least two input and output ports, and the first group of input and output components and the second group of input and output components can be polarization combined, more WSS units are integrated through polarization multiplexing and spatial stacking.

[0007] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the optical switching device also includes: a first prism and a second prism, the first prism is located between the first switching component and the first polarization component, the second prism is located between the second switching component and the first polarization component, the first prism is used to make the light beams from each input and output array in the first group of input and output components translate along the exchange direction toward the central axis of the exchange plane, and the second prism is used to make the light beams from each input and output array in the second group of input and output components translate along the exchange direction toward the central axis.

[0008] The first prism and the second prism may be polygonal prisms, which can translate the light beams of different input and output arrays toward the central axis along the exchange direction, thereby reducing the size of the optical exchange device in the exchange direction.

[0009] The first prism and the second prism may respectively include a light beam incident surface and an exit surface, wherein the incident surface and the exit surface are parallel to each other, so that the incident light beam and the exit light beam are made parallel through the refraction of light. In this way, the size of the light beam is reduced along the exchange direction after passing through the first prism and the second prism, which can reduce the overall size of the optical switching device and facilitate the integration of more WSS units.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first switching component includes a switching lens corresponding to each input-output array in the first group of input-output components, and the second switching component includes a switching lens corresponding to each input-output array in the second group of input-output components.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first group of input-output components is located on a focal plane of the first switching component, and the second group of input-output components is located on a focal plane of the second switching component.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the optical switching device further includes a first lens and a second lens, the first lens being located between the first polarization component and the dispersion component, and the second lens being located between the dispersion component and the switching engine.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the optical switching device also includes a third lens, a fourth lens, a fifth lens and a sixth lens, the third lens and the fourth lens are located between the first group of input and output components and the first polarization conversion component, and the fifth lens and the sixth lens are located between the second group of input and output components and the second polarization conversion component.

[0014] The third lens and the fourth lens can adjust the light beam incident from the first group of input and output components, the fifth lens and the sixth lens can adjust the light beam incident from the second group of input and output components, and the third lens, the fourth lens, the fifth lens and the sixth lens can be cylindrical lenses in the dispersion direction.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the optical switching device further includes a seventh lens and an eighth lens, the seventh lens is located between the first polarization component and the dispersion component, and the eighth lens is located between the dispersion component and the second polarization component.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first polarization conversion component includes a first Wollaston prism and a first half-wave plate, the second polarization conversion component includes a second Wollaston prism and a second half-wave plate, the first half-wave plate is located between the first Wollaston prism and the first polarization component, and the second half-wave plate is located between the second Wollaston prism and the first polarization component.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first Wollaston prism and the second Wollaston prism are located on a first focal plane of the first lens, the switching engine is located on a first focal plane of the second lens, and the dispersion component is located on a second focal plane of the first lens and the second lens.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first group of input-output components is located on the first focal plane of the third lens, the first Wollaston prism is located on the first focal plane of the fourth lens, the second group of input-output components is located on the first focal plane of the fifth lens, the second Wollaston prism is located on the first focal plane of the sixth lens, the third lens and the fourth lens have the same second focal plane, and the fifth lens and the sixth lens have the same second focal plane.

[0019] The third lens and the fourth lens may be arranged according to a 4f architecture, and the fifth lens and the sixth lens may be arranged according to a 4f architecture.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the dispersion component is located on a focal plane of the seventh lens and the eighth lens.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the seventh lens and the first lens are the same lens, and the eighth lens and the second lens are the same lens.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first group of input-output components includes a first input-output array and a second input-output array, the second group of input-output components includes a third input-output array and a fourth input-output array, and the first polarization component is used to combine light beams from the first input-output array and the third input-output array, and to combine light beams from the second input-output array and the fourth input-output array.

[0023] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first polarization component and the second polarization component include a polarization beam splitter PBS.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the dispersion component is a transmissive diffraction grating or a reflective diffraction grating or a transmissive diffraction prism or a reflective diffraction prism.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the switching engine is any one of a liquid crystal on silicon chip, a micro-electromechanical system chip, or a liquid crystal switching chip.

[0026] In a second aspect, a reconfigurable optical add / drop multiplexer (ROADM) is provided, comprising the optical switching device according to the first aspect or any one implementation of the first aspect.

[0027] According to a third aspect, an optical switching method is provided, which is applied to the optical switching device according to the first aspect or any implementation of the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic block diagram of an optical switching device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the optical path of an optical switching device on a switching plane provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the optical path of an optical switching device on a dispersion plane provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the first prism provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a switching component provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of lenses of different components provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figure 7 This is a light path diagram of a light beam passing through a second polarization component provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of a light spot formed by a light beam on a switching engine provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Fig. 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of a first polarization component provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Fig.10 It is a structural schematic diagram of a second polarization component and a switching engine provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Below, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0040] The "at least one" involved in the embodiments of the present application refers to one or more, and "plurality" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0041] In the embodiments of the present application, the same reference numerals are used to represent the same components or parts. In addition, the various parts in the drawings are not drawn to scale, and the sizes and dimensions of the parts shown in the drawings are only exemplary and should not be understood as limiting the present application.

[0042] In the embodiments of the present application, "corresponding (corresponding, relevant)" and "corresponding (corresponding)" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be pointed out that when the distinction between them is not emphasized, the meanings they intend to express are consistent.

[0043] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "upper", "lower", "vertical", etc. indicate orientation or positional relationships that are defined relative to the orientation or position of the components schematically placed in the drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms are relative concepts. They are used for relative description and clarification, rather than indicating or implying that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. They may change accordingly according to changes in the orientation of the components placed in the drawings, and therefore cannot be understood as limitations on the present application.

[0044] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish between multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0045] With the rapid development of optical communication technology, WSS is widely used in long-distance trunk lines or key nodes of metropolitan area networks for scheduling signal wavelengths. Integrating multiple independently working WSSs in one optical module is one of the important development trends in this field.

[0046] In order to maximize the integration of WSS, multiple WSS are usually integrated along the height direction or port direction by stacking multiple input and output arrays in space. However, with the improvement of integration, if the height of the WSS optical module is kept unchanged, the pitch value of the optical fiber array and microlens array of the input and output array needs to be further reduced. The existing processing conditions limit the integration of the WSS module.

[0047] The embodiment of the present application provides an optical module that can integrate more WSS units.

[0048] Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an optical switching device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the optical switching device includes: a first group of input and output components 102, a second group of input and output components 104, a first switching component 124, a second switching component 125, a first polarization conversion component 106, a second polarization conversion component 108, a first polarization component 110, a dispersion component 112, a second polarization component 114 and a switching engine 116.

[0049] In the embodiment of the present application, the port direction or exchange direction is defined as the X direction (also known as the exchange axis direction), the wavelength direction or dispersion direction is defined as the Y direction (also known as the dispersion axis direction), and the optical axis direction or the main direction of light propagation is defined as the Z direction. The plane formed by the X direction and the Z direction is the port plane or the exchange plane, and the plane formed by the Y direction and the Z direction is the dispersion plane.

[0050] The first group of input-output components 102 and the second group of input-output components 104 each include at least two input-output arrays stacked along the switching direction, each input-output array includes at least one input port and at least one output port, and the input port and the output port can be coupled to optical fibers, for example, as part of an optical fiber network or one or more optical fiber devices. For ease of description, the following takes the first group of input-output components 102 stacking the first input-output array and the second input-output array along the switching direction, and the second group of input-output components 104 stacking the third input-output array and the fourth input-output array along the switching direction as an example to introduce the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application.

[0051] The first input-output array and the third input-output array can be located at the same height of the exchange axis, and the second input-output array and the fourth input-output array can be located at the same height of the exchange axis. That is, two layers of input-output arrays are stacked along the exchange direction (the first layer is the first input-output array and the third input-output array, and the second layer is the second input-output array and the fourth input-output array).

[0052] It should be understood that the embodiment of the present application only takes the optical switching device including four input-output arrays as an example to introduce the specific structure of the optical switching device. In fact, more input-output arrays can be stacked along the switching direction. For example, the first group of input-output components 102 also stacks the fifth input-output array along the switching direction, and the second group of input-output components 104 also stacks the sixth input-output array along the switching direction. The fifth input-output component and the sixth input-output component are located at the same height of the switching axis. Of course, the first group of input-output components 102 and the second group of input-output components 104 can also stack more input-output arrays respectively along the switching direction, which will not be repeated here.

[0053] The first light beam, the second light beam, the third light beam and the fourth light beam are respectively input into the optical switching device from the input ports of the first input-output array, the second input-output array, the third input-output array and the fourth input-output array. The first light beam and the second light beam enter the first switching component 124, and the third light beam and the fourth light beam enter the second switching component 125.

[0054] The first switching component 124 may include a switching lens corresponding to each input and output array in the first group of input and output components 102. For example, the first switching component 124 may include a switching lens corresponding to the first input and output array and a switching lens corresponding to the second input and output array 1022. The second switching component 125 may include a switching lens corresponding to the third input and output array 1041 and the fourth input and output array 1022. The first group of input and output components 102 may be arranged on the focal plane of the first switching component 124, and the second group of input and output components 104 may be arranged on the focal plane of the second switching component 125. Each switching lens in the first switching component 124 and the second switching component 125 may expand the light beam from the corresponding input and output array along the exchange direction. Each lens in the first switching component 124 and the second switching component 125 may be a cylindrical prism having a curved surface along the exchange direction.

[0055] In the optical switching device, the first polarization conversion component 106 corresponds to the first input-output array and the second input-output array, and the second polarization conversion component 108 corresponds to the third input-output array and the fourth input-output array. After the first light beam and the second light beam are emitted from the first input-output array and the second input-output array, they enter the first polarization conversion component 106, and are converted into a first polarization state by the first polarization conversion component 106 and propagate to the first polarization component 110. Similarly, after the third light beam and the fourth light beam are emitted from the third input-output array and the fourth input-output array, they enter the second polarization conversion component 108, and are converted into a second polarization state by the second polarization conversion component 108 and propagate to the first polarization component 110.

[0056] The first polarization conversion component 106 and the second polarization conversion component 108 may include a Wollaston prism and a half-wave plate, respectively. The Wollaston prism in the first polarization conversion component 106 divides the first light beam into two light beams of a first polarization state and a second polarization state along the dispersion direction, and divides the second light beam into two light beams of a first polarization state and a second polarization state along the dispersion direction, wherein the light beam of the second polarization state becomes a light beam of the first polarization state after passing through the half-wave plate, so that the first light beam and the second light beam are converted into the first polarization state. Similarly, the Wollaston prism in the second polarization conversion component 108 divides the third light beam into two light beams of the first polarization state and the second polarization state, respectively, and divides the fourth light beam into two light beams of the first polarization state and the second polarization state, and the light beam of the first polarization state is converted into the second polarization state by the half-wave plate, so that the third light beam and the fourth light beam are converted into the second polarization state.

[0057] The first light beam and the second light beam of the first polarization state emitted from the first polarization conversion component 106 enter the first polarization component 110. The first polarization component may include a polarization beamsplitter (PBS). The PBS includes a PBS functional film. Light beams of different polarization states will be transmitted along different paths when passing through the functional film of the first polarization component 110. The functional film can transmit the light beam of the first polarization state and reflect the light beam of the second polarization state, so that the first light beam and the second light beam directly pass through the functional film and continue to propagate in the original propagation direction.

[0058] The third light beam and the fourth light beam of the second polarization state emitted from the second polarization conversion component 108 can enter the first polarization component 110 in a direction perpendicular to the first light beam and the second light beam. The third light beam and the fourth light beam will be reflected by the functional film of the first polarization component 110 and finally emitted from the first polarization component 110 in the direction of the first light beam and the second light beam.

[0059] In this way, the light beams from the first group of input-output components 102 and the second group of input-output components are combined after passing through the first polarization component 110. Specifically, since the first light beam and the third light beam are at the same height along the exchange direction, and the second light beam and the fourth light beam are at the same height along the exchange direction, the first light beam and the third light beam continue to propagate after being combined, and the second light beam and the fourth light beam continue to propagate after being combined, and enter the dispersion component 112. The dispersion component 112 can be a grating or a prism, and can be a transmissive or reflective type.

[0060] The dispersion component 112 can separate the light beam according to the wavelength along the dispersion direction. After the light beams of different wavelengths separated along the dispersion direction pass through the second polarization component, they can be separated according to the polarization state by the second polarization component 114, so that the sub-beams of different wavelengths from different input and output arrays can be irradiated to different positions of the switching engine 116. The switching engine 116 can adjust the return angle or the output angle of each sub-beam separately, and the first switching component 124 and the second switching component 125 switch each sub-beam adjusted by the switching engine to the corresponding output port of the corresponding input and output array.

[0061] Through the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, the light beams from the first input-output array and the third input-output array are combined by polarization, and the light beams from the second input-output array and the fourth input-output array are combined by polarization, and the first input-output array, the second input-output array, the third input-output array, and the fourth input-output array are stacked along the switching direction, and the optical switching device integrates more WSS units.

[0062] Figure 2 and Figure 3It is a schematic diagram of the optical path of an optical switching device along the switching direction and the dispersion direction provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0063] In the embodiment of the present application, in order to reduce the size of the optical switching device along the switching direction, the optical switching device may further include a first prism 118 and a second prism 120. The first prism 118 may be disposed between the first switching component 124 and the first polarization component 110, for example, between the first switching component 124 and the first polarization conversion component 106 or between the first polarization conversion component 106 and the first polarization component 110, or between the first Wollaston prism 1061 and the first half-wave plate 1062 in the first polarization conversion component 106. The second prism 120 may be disposed between the second switching component 125 and the first polarization component 110, and the specific position may refer to the description of the first prism 118, which will not be repeated here.

[0064] The first prism 118 and the second prism 120 may be polygonal prisms, which are placed in a direction inclined to the propagation direction of the light beam, so as to reduce the distance between the light beams from the plurality of input and output arrays arranged along the exchange direction, such as Figure 4 As shown in (a), the first prism 118 may include a first portion 1181 corresponding to the first input-output array 1021 and a second portion 1182 corresponding to the second input-output array 1022, which are respectively used to translate the light beam from the first input-output array 1021 to the light beam from the second input-output array 1022 and to translate the light beam from the second input-output array 1022 to the light beam from the first input-output array 1021 by refraction, that is, to shift the light beams from the first input-output array 1021 and the second input-output array to the central axis or optical axis in the exchange direction. The first portion 1181 and the second portion 1182 may be two independent portions fixed by bonding or the like to form the first prism 118, or may be integrally formed to form the first prism 118. Similarly, the second prism 120 may also include two parts corresponding to the third input-output array 1041 and the fourth input-output array 1042, and will be used to translate the light beams from the third input-output array 1041 and the light beams from the fourth input-output array 1042 toward each other respectively. The second prism 120 may also be fixed with multiple independent parts or integrally formed into the second prism 120.

[0065] When more than two WSS units are stacked along the exchange direction (that is, more than two input-output arrays), illustratively, when three input-output arrays are stacked, the first prism and the second prism may also include three parts, respectively, such as Figure 2As shown in (b), the first prism 118 may include a first part 1181, a second part 1182 and a third part 1183 corresponding to the three input and output arrays, respectively, so that the light beams from different input and output arrays are offset or translated toward the optical axis of the exchange direction or the central axis of the light beam propagation in the exchange direction. When more WSSs are stacked along the exchange direction, the first prism and the second prism may also include two parts or three parts or even more parts, so as to minimize the size of each optical device in the optical exchange device.

[0066] In the embodiment of the present application, the optical switching device may further include a first lens 1221 and a second lens 1222. The first lens 1221 and the second lens 1222 may constitute a first relay component 122, and the two lenses included in the first relay component 122 may form a 4f architecture.

[0067] The first lens 1221 and the second lens 1222 may be cylindrical lenses along the dispersion direction.

[0068] The first lens 1221 is located between the first polarization component 110 and the dispersion component 112, and the distance between the first polarization component 106 (Wollaston prism) and the second polarization component 108 (Wollaston prism) and the first lens 1221 is the focal length of the first lens 1221, that is, the first Wollaston prism 1061 and the second Wollaston prism 1081 are located on the first focal plane of the first lens 1221. The first lens 1221 can adjust the spot of the light beam passing through the first polarization component 110, and specifically, can make the light beams separated by the Wollaston prism with different transmission directions become light beams with mutually parallel transmission directions on the dispersion plane.

[0069] The second lens 1222 may be disposed between the dispersion component 112 and the switching engine 116, the switching engine 116 may be disposed on a first focal plane of the second lens 1222, and the dispersion component 112 may be disposed on a second focal plane of the first lens 1221 and the second lens 1222. The second lens 1222 may converge the light beam separated by the dispersion component 112 onto the switching engine 116 along the dispersion direction.

[0070] After the light beams from each input and output array are reflected at an adjusted angle by the switching engine 116 , the switching lenses in the first switching component 124 and the second switching component can switch the light beams of the corresponding input and output arrays to the appropriate output ports for output.

[0071] Figure 5 (a) and Figure 5 (b) shows the optical path of the first light beam when it enters the switching lens 1241 in the first switching component and returns to the switching lens 1241 in the first switching component. Figure 5As shown in (a), the first light beam is expanded when passing through the lens 1241. In addition, when the first light beam propagates to the switching engine 116, it can be input from any port of the input-output array. The number of ports of each input-output array can be set according to actual conditions. Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 5 The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is only schematically described by taking five ports and the input light beam incident from the third port as an example ( Figure 5 The incident port is bolded in (a); when the light beam returns to the lens 1241, Figure 5 (b) shows the return optical paths of two light beams of different wavelengths, one of which is switched by the switching lens 1241 to the first port output of the first input-output array 1021, and the other is switched by the switching lens 1241 to the fifth port output of the first input-output array 1021. The switching lens corresponding to each input-output array in the switching component can switch the light beam to the corresponding output port output.

[0072] In the embodiment of the present application, the optical switching device may further include a second relay component 126 and a third relay component 128. The second relay component 126 and the third relay component 128 may include two lenses respectively. The second relay component 126 may include a third lens 1261 and a fourth lens 1262. The third relay component 128 may include a fifth lens 1281 and a sixth lens 1282. The second relay component 126 and the third relay component may form a 4f architecture respectively. The third lens 1261 and the fourth lens 1262 are located between the first group of input and output components 102 and the first polarization conversion component 106. The fifth lens 1281 and the sixth lens 1282 are located between the second group of input and output components 104 and the second polarization conversion component 108.

[0073] The two lenses in the second relay assembly 126 and the third relay assembly 128 may form a 4f framework, respectively.

[0074] Specifically, the first group of input-output components 102 may be located on the first focal plane of the third lens 1261, the first Wollaston prism 1061 may be located on the first focal plane of the fourth lens 1061, and the third lens 1261 and the fourth lens 1262 have the same second focal plane. The second group of input-output components 104 may be located on the first focal plane of the fifth lens 1281, the second Wollaston prism 1081 may be located on the first focal plane of the sixth lens, and the fifth lens 1281 and the sixth lens 1282 may have the same second focal plane.

[0075] The second relay assembly 126 and the third relay assembly 128 can adjust the first light beam and the second light beam along the dispersion direction. Specifically, the third lens 1261 can expand the first light beam and the second light beam along the dispersion direction, and the fourth lens 1262 can converge the first light beam and the second light beam along the dispersion direction onto the first Wollaston prism 1061. The fifth lens 1281 can expand the third light beam and the fourth light beam along the dispersion direction, and the sixth lens 1282 can converge the third light beam and the fourth light beam along the dispersion direction onto the second Wollaston prism 1081.

[0076] The third lens 1061 , the fourth lens 1062 , the fifth lens 1281 and the sixth lens 1282 may all be cylindrical prisms having a curved surface in the dispersion direction.

[0077] Figure 6 (a) and (b) respectively show the shapes of each lens in the switching component (the first switching component 124 or the second switching component 125) and the second relay component 126 (or the third relay component 128). It can be seen that the lens in the switching component has a curved surface along the switching direction (Y-axis), while the lens in the second relay component 126 or the third relay component 128 has a curved surface along the dispersion direction (X-axis).

[0078] In an embodiment of the present application, the optical switching device may further include a fourth relay component 122', and the fourth relay component 122' may include a seventh lens 1221' and an eighth lens 1222', wherein the seventh lens 1221' may be located between the first polarization component 110 and the dispersion component, and the eighth lens 1222' may be located between the dispersion component 112 and the second polarization component 114.

[0079] The dispersion component 112 may be located on the focal plane of two lenses of the fourth relay component 122'. By controlling the focal lengths of the two lenses of the fourth relay component 122', the size of the light spot formed by the light beam on the switching engine 116 along the switching direction may be adjusted.

[0080] In one embodiment, the fourth relay component 122' can be a different device from the first relay component 122, so that the first relay component 122 can include a cylindrical lens with a curved surface along the dispersion direction, and the fourth relay component 122' can include a cylindrical lens with a curved surface along the exchange direction.

[0081] In another embodiment, the fourth relay component 122' can be the same device as the first relay component 122. In this way, the first relay component 122 can be an ordinary lens, which can simultaneously perform the functions of the first relay component 122 and the fourth relay component 122', that is, adjust the light beam along the exchange direction and the dispersion direction at the same time.

[0082] Reference below Figure 2 and Figure 3 The optical path of the light beam along the dispersion plane and the exchange plane is introduced in detail.

[0083] refer to Figure 2 , the first light beam is input from the first input-output array 1021 and the second light beam is input from the second input-output array 1022, each input-output array may include five ports, the five ports may include at least one input port and at least one output port, illustratively, the third port is the input port, the first port, the second port, the fourth port and the fifth port are all output ports. The first light beam and the second light beam are both input from the third port, the input port may have a corresponding optical fiber and a microlens, wherein the microlens can collimate and expand the light beam. The first light beam and the second light beam may be light beams containing multiple wavelengths.

[0084] Along the exchange direction, the first light beam and the second light beam are output from the input-output array and then enter the first switching component 124. The input-output array may be on the focal plane of the switching component 124. The first switching component 124 may be as follows: Figure 4 The cylindrical lens with a curved surface in the exchange direction shown in (a). The first light beam and the second light beam can be expanded after passing through the corresponding switching lens in the corresponding first switching component 124, and enter the first prism 118. The first prism 118 is a polygonal prism with an inclined surface in the exchange direction, which can reduce the distance between the central axes of each light beam along the exchange direction, or make the light beams from different input and output arrays translate toward the central axis of the exchange direction, and then enter the seventh lens 1221' of the fourth relay component 122', so that the combined beam of the first light beam and the third light beam and the combined beam of the second light beam and the fourth light beam change their positions along the exchange direction, and are polarized and separated after passing through the second polarization component 114 so that the light beams from different input and output arrays are irradiated to different positions on the switching engine 116. The second polarization component 114 can be a coated PBS. The switch engine 116 adjusts the angle of the light beam incident on the switch engine 116 along the switching direction. The light beam can pass through the fourth relay component 122', the first prism 118, and the first switch component 124 in sequence. The first switch component 124 switches the light beams from different input and output arrays to the corresponding output ports for output (the return light path is as follows Figure 5 The output port is the fifth one.

[0085] The third light beam and the fourth light beam pass through the second switching component 125, the second prism 120, the fourth relay component 122', and the second polarization component 114 in a similar manner to the first light beam and the second light beam, thereby reaching the switching engine 116, and after the angle is adjusted by the switching engine 116, they return to the output ports of the third input-output array 1041 and the fourth input-output array 1042. The specific process can be referred to the description of the first light beam and the second light beam, which will not be repeated here.

[0086] The port to which the above-mentioned light beam is switched of the input-output array has completed the corresponding switching through the switching engine setting. The switching engine can adjust and switch the sub-beams of each wavelength of each light beam separately. The above-mentioned switching to the fifth port is only for schematic illustration and does not constitute a limitation of the embodiments of the present application.

[0087] Along the dispersion direction, the first light beam and the second light beam first enter the third lens 1261 of the second relay component 126 for beam expansion and are converged by the fourth lens 1262 to enter the first polarization conversion component 106 .

[0088] The first polarization conversion component 106 can convert the first light beam and the second light beam into light beams of a first polarization state. For example, the first polarization conversion component 106 may include a first Wollaston prism 1061 and a first half-wave plate 1062. After passing through the first Wollaston prism 1061, the first light beam is divided into two light beams of different polarization states: one is a P polarization state, and the other is an S polarization state, wherein the first half-wave plate 1062 is arranged in the propagation direction of the light beam of the S polarization state, so as to convert the light beam of the S polarization state into a light beam of the P polarization state, so that the first light beam is converted into two light beams of the P polarization state by the first polarization conversion component 106. Similarly, the second light beam can be converted into two light beams of the P polarization state by the first polarization conversion component 106.

[0089] Similarly, a second half-wave plate can be set on the beam propagation path of the P-polarization state in the two beams of the third and fourth beams divided by the second Wollaston prism 1081, so that the third beam is converted into two beams of S-polarization state, and the fourth beam is converted into two beams of S-polarization state.

[0090] The two light beams converted from the first light beam and the two light beams converted from the third light beam are combined into two light beams after passing through the first polarization component 110, and are converted into two parallel light beams due to the action of the first lens 1221. The two light beams formed after the second light beam and the fourth light beam are combined also become two parallel light beams after passing through the first lens 1221.

[0091] After the combined light beam passes through the dispersion component 112 , the sub-beams of different wavelengths are separated along the dispersion direction and converged to the same position on the switching engine 116 after passing through the second lens 1222 .

[0092] Along the exchange direction, the combined beam passes through the second polarization component and is separated according to the polarization state, so that the beams from different input and output arrays are separated, that is, the combined beam of the first beam and the third beam is separated, and the combined beam of the second beam and the fourth beam is separated.

[0093] Figure 7 FIG. 2 shows the optical path change diagram of the dispersed light beam after entering the second polarization component 114. Figure 7 As shown, two groups of light beams can be seen in the switching direction, wherein each group of light beams actually represents a plurality of light beams of different wavelengths. Specifically, WW2+WW4 refers to the light beams from the second input-output array 1022 and the fourth input-output array 1042, and WW1+WW3 refers to the light beams from the first input-output array 1021 and the third input-output array 1041. For the sub-beam separated by the dispersion of the combined beam of the first light beam and the third light beam, the light beam is formed by combining the sub-beam separated by the dispersion of the first light beam in the P polarization state and the sub-beam separated by the dispersion of the third light beam in the S polarization state. After passing through the second polarization component 114, the above light beams are separated according to the polarization state, and the components of the P polarization state directly pass through the functional film of the second polarization component 114, and are totally reflected on the right side and projected onto the switching engine 116, while the components of the S polarization state are reflected after reaching the functional film, and then pass through the top 1 / 4 wave plate and then be reflected by the top reflector and pass through the 1 / 4 wave plate again to change the polarization state, and then can directly pass through the functional film and project onto the switching engine 116. The sub-beams separated by dispersion after the second light beam and the fourth light beam are combined are also processed in a similar manner as described above, so that sub-beams of different wavelengths from light beams of different input and output arrays are irradiated at different positions on the switching engine 116 .

[0094] The light beam finally irradiated on the switching engine 116 is a light beam in the P polarization state. If the switching engine 116 is sensitive to the S polarization state, a half wave plate may be arranged before the switching engine 116, such as Figure 7 As shown by the dotted line at the bottom, the P-polarization state light beam is converted to the S-polarization state, so that the switching engine can adjust the incident light beam.

[0095] Finally, the switching engine 116 can be formed Figure 8 As shown in the light spots, light beams from different input and output arrays are projected to different positions of the switching engine 116 according to the wavelengths (λ1, λ2 . . . λn) and the input and output arrays to which they belong.

[0096] In an embodiment of the present application, when multiple input-output arrays are stacked along the X-axis, for example, a fifth input-output array and a sixth input-output array are set, and the light beams of the fifth input-output array and the sixth input-output array can also be combined after passing through the first polarization component 110, then the light beams of different wavelengths from the fifth input-output array and the sixth input-output array will also be separated.

[0097] In addition, the light beams from the third light beam and the fourth light beam in the figure mainly propagate in a direction perpendicular to the propagation of the light beams from the first light beam and the second light beam when reaching the first polarization component 110, but the propagation direction is only schematically shown, for example, the light beams output by the third input-output array 1041 and the fourth input-output array 1042 can also propagate in a direction parallel to the propagation direction of the first light beam and the second light beam, but are reflected by a reflector before entering the first polarization component 110, so as to be incident on the first polarization component 110 in a direction perpendicular to the main propagation direction of the first light beam and the second light beam. Alternatively, the first polarization component 110 can be changed into other forms, so that the light beams from the third light beam and the fourth light beam can propagate in a direction parallel to the light beams from the first light beam and the second light beam.

[0098] like Fig. 9 As shown in (a), the upper first polarization state light beam can directly pass through the functional film of the first polarization component 110, while the lower second polarization state light beam can be combined with the upper light beam after being totally reflected by the boundary below the first polarization component 110 and then reflected by the functional film. Fig. 9 In (b), a reflector is added, and the reflector is Fig. 9 The effect of the boundary in (a) is consistent, so that the upper light beam and the lower light beam can also be combined and propagated.

[0099] Furthermore, the switching direction, dispersion direction, and optical axis direction mentioned in the present application are not necessarily completely physically the same direction at different optical device positions of the optical switching device. For example, for the optical axis direction, when the optical device is arranged in a Figure 3 When the arrangement is performed in this manner, the optical axes of the third light beam and the fourth light beam before entering the first polarization component 110 and the optical axes of the optical device after emitting the first polarization component 110 are perpendicular to each other, and the dispersion directions are also perpendicular to each other.

[0100] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The optical path of the light beam reaching the second polarization component 114 and the switching engine 116 is only schematically shown, and the orientation of the switching engine is also drawn to be perpendicular to the optical axis for simplicity. The form of the switching engine 116 can also be determined according to requirements, for example, according to Figure 7 or set in other ways.

[0101] In addition, the focal lengths of the two lenses of each of the above relay assemblies may be the same or different, so as to adjust the light beam or change the spot size.

[0102] Fig.10 FIG. 2 shows another configuration of the second polarization component 114 and the switching engine 116 provided in an embodiment of the present application. Fig.10 As shown, a switching engine 116 is arranged on the right side and bottom side of the second polarization component. The light beams belonging to the first input-output array 1021 and the second input-output array 1022 reach the right side surface of the switching engine 116, while the light beams belonging to the third input-output array 1041 and the fourth input-output array 1042 reach the bottom surface of the switching engine 116.

[0103] Although the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described above, those skilled in the art should understand that the optical switching device provided by the embodiments of the present application can be adjusted without departing from the principles and spirit of the embodiments of the present application. For example, the various components, lenses, and prisms described above can be implemented by one or more optical devices, not limited to only one optical device. In addition, different components or lenses can include the same optical device to implement their functions.

[0104] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An optical switching device, characterized in that: The system comprises a first group of input and output components (102), a second group of input and output components (104), a first switching component (124), a second switching component (125), a first polarization conversion component (106), a second polarization conversion component (108), a first polarization component (110), a dispersion component (112), a second polarization component (114), and a switching engine (116), wherein: The first group of input-output components (102) and the second group of input-output components (104) respectively include at least two input-output arrays arranged along a switching direction, the first group of input-output components (102) is used to transmit an input light beam to the first switching component (124), and the second group of input-output components (104) is used to transmit an input light beam to the second switching component (125); The first polarization conversion component (106) is used to convert the light beam passing through the first switching component (124) into a first polarization state; The second polarization conversion component (108) is used to convert the light beam passing through the second switching component (125) into a second polarization state, and the polarization directions of the first polarization state and the second polarization state are orthogonal; The first polarization component (110) is used to combine the light beams passing through the first polarization conversion component (106) and the second polarization conversion component (108); The dispersion component (112) is used to separate the light beam passing through the first polarization component (110) according to wavelength along a dispersion direction, wherein the dispersion direction is perpendicular to the exchange direction; The second polarization component (114) is used to separate the light beam passing through the dispersion component (112) according to the polarization state; The switching engine (116) is used to adjust the angle of the light beam returned from the second polarization component (114), so that the returned light beam is switched by the first switching component (124) to the output port of the input-output array of the first group of input-output components (102) and / or is switched by the second switching component (125) to the output port of the input-output array of the second group of input-output components (104).

2. The optical switching device according to claim 1, wherein: The optical exchange device further comprises: a first prism (118) and a second prism (120), wherein the first prism (118) is located between the first switching component (124) and the first polarization component (110), and the second prism (120) is located between the second switching component (125) and the first polarization component (110), wherein the first prism (118) is used to make the light beams from each input and output array in the first group of input and output components (102) translate toward the central axis along the exchange direction, and the second prism (120) is used to make the light beams from each input and output array in the second group of input and output components (104) translate toward the central axis along the exchange direction.

3. The optical switching device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first switching component (124) includes a switching lens corresponding to each input-output array in the first group of input-output components (102), and the second switching component (125) includes a switching lens corresponding to each input-output array in the second group of input-output components (104).

4. The optical switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first group of input-output components (102) is located on a focal plane of the first switching component (124), and the second group of input-output components (104) is located on a focal plane of the second switching component (125).

5. The optical switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The optical switching device also includes a first lens (1221) and a second lens (1222), wherein the first lens is located between the first polarization component (110) and the dispersion component (112), and the second lens is located between the dispersion component (112) and the switching engine (116).

6. The optical switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The optical switching device also includes a third lens (1261), a fourth lens (1262), a fifth lens (1281) and a sixth lens (1282), wherein the third lens (1261) and the fourth lens (1262) are located between the first group of input-output components (102) and the first polarization conversion component (106), and the fifth lens (1281) and the sixth lens (1282) are located between the second group of input-output components (104) and the second polarization conversion component (108).

7. The optical switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The optical switching device further comprises a seventh lens (1221') and an eighth lens (1222'), wherein the seventh lens (1221') is located between the first polarization component (110) and the dispersion component (112), and the eighth lens (1222') is located between the dispersion component (112) and the second polarization component (114).

8. The optical switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The first polarization conversion component (106) comprises a first Wollaston prism (1061) and a first half-wave plate (1062); the second polarization conversion component (108) comprises a second Wollaston prism (1081) and a second half-wave plate (1082); the first half-wave plate (1062) is located between the first Wollaston prism (1061) and the first polarization component (110); and the second half-wave plate (1082) is located between the second Wollaston prism (1081) and the first polarization component (110).

9. The optical switching device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first Wollaston prism (1061) and the second Wollaston prism (1081) are located on a first focal plane of the first lens (1221), the switching engine (116) is located on a first focal plane of the second lens (1222), and the dispersion component (112) is located on a second focal plane of the first lens (1221) and the second lens (1222).

10. The optical switching device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The first group of input-output components (102) is located on the first focal plane of the third lens (1261), the first Wollaston prism (1061) is located on the first focal plane of the fourth lens (1262), the second group of input-output components (104) is located on the first focal plane of the fifth lens (1281), the second Wollaston prism (1081) is located on the first focal plane of the sixth lens (1282), the third lens (1261) and the fourth lens (1262) have the same second focal plane, and the fifth lens (1281) and the sixth lens (1282) have the same second focal plane.

11. The optical switching device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that: The dispersion component (112) is located on the focal plane of the seventh lens (1221') and the eighth lens (1222').

12. The optical switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The first group of input-output components (102) includes a first input-output array (1021) and a second input-output array (1022); the second group of input-output components (104) includes a third input-output array (1041) and a fourth input-output array (1042); and the first polarization component (110) is used to combine light beams from the first input-output array (1021) and the third input-output array (1041), and to combine light beams from the second input-output array (1022) and the fourth input-output array (1042).

13. The optical switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The first polarization component (110) and the second polarization component (114) include a polarization beam splitter PBS.

14. The optical switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: The dispersion component is a transmissive diffraction grating or a reflective diffraction grating or a transmissive diffraction prism or a reflective diffraction prism.

15. The optical switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that: The switching engine is any one of a liquid crystal on silicon chip, a micro-electromechanical system chip or a liquid crystal switching chip.

16. A reconfigurable optical add / drop multiplexer, comprising the optical switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

Images