Wavelength selection switch chip and wavelength selection method

Abstract

The invention provides a wavelength selection switch chip and a wavelength selection method, and relates to the field of photon integration, and the wavelength selection switch chip comprises a power divider which comprises a plurality of output ports and is used for carrying out the power division of an input optical signal, and respectively outputting a plurality of first optical signals with different powers; and the wavelength selection output module is used for performing wavelength selective attenuation on each first optical signal and then outputting the first optical signal. According to the wavelength selective switch, the photon integration technology is adopted, the function of the wavelength selective switch can be achieved on a single chip, the size of the wavelength selective switch chip is reduced, the function of the wavelength selective switch can be achieved without a complex spatial light path, and the stability of the system in the aspects of vibration resistance and the like is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of photon integration, and in particular to a wavelength selection switch chip and a wavelength selection method. Background Art

[0002] Wavelength selective switches play a vital role in the field of optics and communications. Through wavelength selective switches, the wavelength of optical signals can be controlled to achieve key functions such as multiplexing, routing management, optical sensing and spectral analysis. However, traditional wavelength selective switches are large in size due to the use of a large number of optical components and mechanical structures. This brings some limitations to integration in compact devices and systems, especially in areas such as data centers, mobile communications and portable devices. With the continuous development of communication technology and the increase in application requirements, the demand for smaller and more compact optical devices is becoming increasingly urgent. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure provides a wavelength selection switch chip and a wavelength selection method.

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a wavelength selective switch chip, including: a power divider, including multiple output ports, for performing power division on an input optical signal and outputting multiple first optical signals with different powers respectively; a wavelength selective output module, for performing wavelength selective attenuation on each first optical signal and then outputting the signal.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the wavelength selection output module further includes: an optical coupler for splitting a first optical signal in a channel into two beams, and outputting a second optical signal and a third optical signal respectively.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the wavelength selection output module also includes: a microring resonator array, including multiple microring resonators, which are used to adjust the resonance state of each microring resonator respectively, and selectively output the input second optical signal to obtain a fourth optical signal and a fifth optical signal containing multiple specific wavelengths; wherein the multiple microring resonators are connected by a waveguide to form a microring resonator array.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the wavelength selection output module further includes: a power monitoring module for performing feedback control on the microring resonator array by comparing the power of the third optical signal with the power of the fifth optical signal output by the microring resonator array.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the microring resonator includes three ports: an input end, a first output end and a second output end; wherein, multiple first output ends of multiple microring resonators are connected through a waveguide to output a fourth optical signal of a specific wavelength; and a fifth optical signal output from the second output end of the microring resonator is connected to a power monitoring module for feedback control by the power monitoring module.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second output ends of the plurality of microring resonators and the input ends of the plurality of microring resonators are connected in series through a waveguide.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the microring resonator is a ring waveguide, and the shape is circular, racetrack, square or triangular.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the wavelength selection switch chip further includes: an optical amplifier for compensating the power of the first optical signal, the second optical signal, and the third optical signal.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the power splitter may be a multimode interference coupler, a directional coupler, a grating coupler, or a Y-splitter.

[0013] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a wavelength selection method, including: performing power division on an input optical signal to output multiple first optical signals with the same power; inputting the multiple first optical signals into multiple wavelength selection output modules respectively to output multiple optical signals of specific wavelengths respectively; and monitoring the power of the multiple optical signals of specific wavelengths respectively to achieve stable optical output.

[0014] At least one of the above-mentioned technical solutions adopted in the embodiments of the present disclosure includes at least the following beneficial effects: the photonic integration technology adopted in the present disclosure can realize the function of the wavelength selective switch on a single chip, reduce the size of the wavelength selective switch chip, realize the function of the wavelength selective switch without a complex spatial optical path, and improve the stability of the system in terms of vibration resistance and other aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference will now be made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 The overall structure diagram of the wavelength selection switch chip provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown;

[0017] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the structure of the microring resonator array provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 3 A flow chart of a wavelength selection method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0019] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0020] 1. Power divider; 2. Wavelength selection output module; 21. Optical coupler; 22. Microring resonator array; 23. Power monitoring module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clearly understood, the present disclosure is further described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0022] The terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The terms "comprise", "include", etc. used herein indicate the existence of the features, steps, operations and / or components, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations or components.

[0023] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or can communicate with each other; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0024] In the description of the present disclosure, it is necessary to understand that the terms "longitudinal", "length", "circumferential", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the subsystem or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0025] Throughout the drawings, the same elements are represented by the same or similar reference numerals. Conventional structures or configurations will be omitted when they may cause confusion in the understanding of the present disclosure. The shapes, sizes, and positional relationships of the components in the drawings do not reflect the actual size, proportion, and actual positional relationship. In addition, in the claims, any reference symbol between brackets shall not be construed as a limitation to the claims.

[0026] Similarly, in order to simplify the present disclosure and help understand one or more of the various disclosed aspects, in the above description of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the various features of the present disclosure are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. The description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" and the like means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0027] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the feature. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0028] Wavelength selective switches play a vital role in the field of optics and communications. Through wavelength selective switches, the wavelength of optical signals can be controlled to achieve key functions such as multiplexing, routing management, optical sensing and spectral analysis. However, traditional wavelength selective switches are large in size due to the use of a large number of optical components and mechanical structures. This brings some limitations to integration in compact devices and systems, especially in areas such as data centers, mobile communications and portable devices. With the continuous development of communication technology and the increase in application requirements, the demand for smaller and more compact optical devices is becoming increasingly urgent.

[0029] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure provides a wavelength selection switch chip. Figure 1 The overall structural diagram of the wavelength selection switch chip provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the present disclosure provides a wavelength selection switch chip, including: a power divider 1, including multiple output ports, for performing power division on an input optical signal and outputting multiple first optical signals with different powers respectively; a wavelength selection output module 2, for performing wavelength selective attenuation on each first optical signal and then outputting it.

[0031] The wavelength selection output module 2 also includes: a microring resonator array 22, including multiple microring resonators, which are used to adjust the resonance state of each microring resonator respectively, and selectively output the input second optical signal to obtain a fourth optical signal and a fifth optical signal containing multiple specific wavelengths; wherein the multiple microring resonators are connected by waveguides to form a microring resonator array 22.

[0032] In the disclosed embodiment, the input optical signal is divided into N channels according to power, and the first optical signals of the N channels are output respectively; N microring resonator arrays 22 are used to adjust the resonance states of the first optical signals of the N channels respectively to output N optical signals of specific wavelengths; a plurality of microring resonators are connected through waveguides to form a microring resonator array 22; wherein N is a positive integer.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the power divider 1 can be a multimode interference coupler or a directional coupler. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, a grating coupler or a Y-splitter can also be used to power divide the input optical signal, which is not limited here.

[0034] The wavelength selection switch chip also includes: an optical coupler 21, which is used to split the power of the first optical signal in a channel into two beams, and output a second optical signal and a third optical signal respectively; wherein the second optical signal is input into the microring resonator. A power monitoring module 23 performs feedback control on the microring resonator array 22 by comparing the power of the third optical signal with the optical signal output by the microring resonator. The optical coupler 21, the microring resonator array 22 and the power monitoring module 23 together constitute the wavelength selection output module 2.

[0035] The present disclosure adopts photon integration technology, and can realize the function of wavelength selective switch on a single chip, reducing the size of the wavelength selective switch chip, realizing the function of wavelength selective switch without complex spatial optical path, and improving the stability of the system in terms of vibration resistance and so on.

[0036] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the structure of the micro-ring resonator array provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically. Figure 2 As shown, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the microring resonator includes three ports: an input end, a first output end and a second output end; wherein, the M first output ends of the M microring resonators are connected by a waveguide to output a fourth optical signal of a specific wavelength; among the M microring resonators, the second output end of the previous microring resonator and the input end of the next microring resonator are connected end to end through a waveguide, and the second output end of the Mth microring resonator is connected to the power monitoring module 23 for monitoring by the power monitoring module 23, wherein M is a positive integer.

[0037] Specifically, the second optical signal received at the input end of the microring resonator is divided into: a fourth optical signal of a specific wavelength output through the first output end; and an optical signal output to the power monitoring module 23 through the second output end. The microring resonator changes the resonant state of the microring resonator based on a combination of one or more of the thermo-optical effect, the acousto-optical effect, the electro-optical effect, or the optical-optical effect, so that different optical wavelengths are coupled into the microring resonator and output through the first output end. Each microring resonator processes a wavelength or multiple wavelengths separated by the free spectral range (FSR) of the microring resonator, and multiple microring resonators jointly complete the selective attenuation and output of each wavelength in the entire working wavelength range.

[0038] The monitoring process of the power monitoring module 23 specifically includes: obtaining the spectral distribution of the input microring resonator array 22 by measuring the spectrum of the third optical signal input from the optical coupler 21, and obtaining spectrum 1; measuring the spectral distribution of the optical signal input from the second output end of the microring resonator array 22, and obtaining spectrum 2; the coupling loss and insertion loss of the microring resonator array 22 are obtained by calibration and used as fixed parameters of the wavelength selection switch chip, as spectrum 3; according to the spectral comparison of the optical coupler 21, spectrum 1 and spectrum 2 are multiplied by a certain proportional coefficient and spectrum 3 is subtracted to obtain the spectrum output by the wavelength selection output module 2.

[0039] The second output ends of the M microring resonators and the input ends of the M microring resonators are connected in series through a waveguide. That is, the input end of the first microring resonator is used to receive the second optical signal, and the second output end of the last microring resonator is connected to the input end of the power monitoring module 23.

[0040] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the microring resonator is a circular ring waveguide. In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, microring resonators of other shapes may also be used, such as a racetrack shape, a square shape, or a triangle shape. As long as the requirements for wavelength selection output are met, no limitation is made here.

[0041] The wavelength selection switch chip further includes: an optical amplifier, which is used to compensate the power of the first optical signal, the second optical signal and the third optical signal. The optical amplifier can be cascaded at any position of the wavelength selection switch chip.

[0042] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the power divider 1 may be a multimode interference coupler, a directional coupler, a grating coupler, or a Y-splitter.

[0043] Figure 3 A flow chart of a wavelength selection method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. Figure 3As mentioned, another aspect of the present disclosure provides a wavelength selection method, comprising: performing power division on an input optical signal to output a plurality of first optical signals with the same power; inputting the plurality of first optical signals into a plurality of wavelength selection output modules respectively to output a plurality of optical signals of specific wavelengths respectively;

[0044] The power of multiple optical signals of specific wavelengths is monitored separately to achieve stable optical output.

[0045] In operation S101, power division is performed on an input optical signal to output a plurality of first optical signals with the same power.

[0046] In operation S102, a plurality of first optical signals are respectively input to a plurality of wavelength selection output modules to respectively output a plurality of optical signals of specific wavelengths.

[0047] In operation S103, the powers of multiple optical signals of specific wavelengths are monitored respectively to achieve stable optical output.

[0048] It should be noted that the wavelength selection method embodiment part corresponds to the wavelength selection switch chip embodiment part, and its specific implementation details and the technical effects brought about are similar or identical to those of the wavelength selection switch chip embodiment part, and will not be repeated here.

[0049] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure in detail. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure should be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A wavelength selective switch chip, characterized in that: include: A power splitter (1) comprises a plurality of output ports, and is used to perform power splitting on an input optical signal, and output a plurality of first optical signals with different powers respectively; The wavelength selective output module (2) is used for performing wavelength selective attenuation on each of the first optical signals and then outputting the signals.

2. The wavelength selective switch chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wavelength selection output module comprises: The optical coupler (21) is used to split the first optical signal in a channel into two beams, and output a second optical signal and a third optical signal respectively.

3. The wavelength selective switch chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wavelength selection output module also includes: A microring resonator array (22) comprises a plurality of microring resonators, and is used to adjust the resonance state of each microring resonator respectively, and selectively output the input second optical signal to obtain a fourth optical signal and a fifth optical signal containing multiple specific wavelengths; wherein the plurality of microring resonators are connected via a waveguide to form the microring resonator array (22).

4. The wavelength selective switch chip according to claim 3, characterized in that: The wavelength selection output module also includes: The power monitoring module (23) performs feedback control on the microring resonator array (22) by comparing the power of the third optical signal with the power of the fifth optical signal output by the microring resonator array (22).

5. The wavelength selective switch chip according to claim 4, characterized in that: The microring resonator comprises three ports: an input end, a first output end and a second output end; wherein the first output ends of the plurality of microring resonators are connected via a waveguide to output a fourth optical signal of a specific wavelength; and the fifth optical signal outputted from the second output end of the microring resonator is connected to the power monitoring module (23) for feedback control by the power monitoring module (23).

6. The wavelength selective switch chip according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second output ends of the plurality of microring resonators and the input ends of the plurality of microring resonators are connected in series through a waveguide.

7. The wavelength selective switch chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The microring resonator is a ring waveguide, and its shape is circular, racetrack, square or triangular.

8. The wavelength selective switch chip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The wavelength selection switch chip also includes: An optical amplifier is used to compensate the power of the first optical signal, the second optical signal and the third optical signal.

9. The wavelength selective switch chip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power divider (1) may be a multimode interference coupler, a directional coupler, a grating coupler, or a Y-brancher.

10. A wavelength selection method, applicable to the wavelength selection switch chip according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: include: Performing power division on the input optical signal and outputting a plurality of first optical signals with the same power; Inputting the plurality of the first optical signals into a plurality of wavelength selection output modules respectively, so as to output a plurality of optical signals of specific wavelengths respectively; The power of multiple optical signals of specific wavelengths is monitored separately to achieve stable optical output.

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