Optical path switching method, device and system

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of light path switching, and provides a light path switching method, device and system.The method comprises the steps that target incident light is sent, and the target incident light is propagated in the direction of a first coordinate axis of a preset three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system, the preset three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system comprises a first coordinate axis direction, a second coordinate axis direction and a third coordinate axis direction; a first voltage input configuration acts on the first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light deflects in the direction of the second coordinate axis; a second voltage input configuration acts on a second light-transmitting material module connected in series with the first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light deflects in the direction of a third coordinate axis; and receiving target incident light passing through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module. According to the technical scheme provided by one or more embodiments of the invention, the link switching time can be reduced, and the optical path data transmission efficiency can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of optical circuit switching technology, specifically to an optical circuit switching method, apparatus and system. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of technologies such as the Internet, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, global data traffic is experiencing explosive growth. For example, AI training clusters have extremely high bandwidth requirements, and various cloud service providers need to process massive amounts of data. Traditional electrical switching technology is unable to meet the market demands for high bandwidth and low latency, which has spurred the development of optical circuit switching (OCS) technology. OCS technology, through all-optical signal transmission and dynamic reconstruction of the physical path, eliminates the need for photoelectric conversion, and boasts significant advantages such as ultra-low latency, ultra-low power consumption, and ultra-high bandwidth.

[0003] Currently, data centers are evolving from traditional architectures towards more efficient and energy-saving designs. OCS (Optical Server Configuration) technology enables efficient interconnection within and between data centers, improving network throughput and flexibility while significantly reducing power consumption. Therefore, OCS technology has become a crucial choice for data center architecture upgrades.

[0004] Existing relatively mature OCS technologies mainly include microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based OCS, digital liquid crystal based OCS, piezoelectric ceramic based OCS, and silicon photonics based OCS. However, the link switching time of these OCS technologies is typically in the millisecond or microsecond range. Compared to the nanosecond-level link switching time in conventional electrical switching technologies, existing OCS technologies suffer from the drawback of excessively long link switching times. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, one or more embodiments of this disclosure provide an optical path switching method, apparatus and system that can reduce link switching time and improve optical path data transmission efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides an optical path switching method, the method comprising: transmitting target incident light, the target incident light propagating along a first coordinate axis direction of a preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, the preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system including the first coordinate axis direction, the second coordinate axis direction, and the third coordinate axis direction; configuring a first voltage input to act on a first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the second coordinate axis direction; configuring a second voltage input to act on a second light-transmitting material module connected in series with the first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the third coordinate axis direction; and receiving the target incident light passing through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module; wherein, by changing the first voltage input configuration and the second voltage input configuration, a nanosecond or picosecond-level optical path link switching is achieved.

[0007] During the propagation of the target incident light from the transmitter to the receiver along the first coordinate axis, the propagation direction of the target incident light along the second and third coordinate axes can be effectively controlled by precisely controlling the configuration parameters of two sets of input voltages applied to the two sets of light-transmitting material modules. This allows the target incident light to be precisely guided to the preset output optical path position, realizing data routing based on optical path control. Furthermore, simply changing the voltage input configuration can efficiently complete the dynamic switching of the optical path channel, achieving the expected optical switching operation. Since this solution does not involve physical displacement, the link switching time can be reduced to the nanosecond or even picosecond level.

[0008] In one alternative embodiment, the first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, and the first voltage input configuration and / or the second voltage input configuration are combinations of voltage conditions applied to different light-transmitting material layers or different regions of the same light-transmitting material layer.

[0009] The light-transmitting material module, composed of a layer of light-transmitting material, deeply integrates light transmission and electrical control requirements. Upon receiving different combinations of voltage conditions, the light-transmitting material layer can correspondingly change its refractive index, thereby achieving precise, flexible, and stable beam control. The light-transmitting material layer can be controlled layer by layer or region by region, which not only enhances the ability to control the beam but also enables complex optical path transformations with lower driving voltages, ensuring the stability and reconfigurability of the data routing function.

[0010] In one alternative embodiment, the light-transmitting material layer is composed of an optical material having an electro-optic effect.

[0011] The light-transmitting material layer is made of optical materials with electro-optic effects, which makes it easy to control the light refractive index of the light-transmitting material layer and thus flexibly control the light propagation path.

[0012] In one alternative implementation, the first voltage input configuration includes a differential voltage applied to a pair of electrodes of the first light-transmitting material module arranged along the third coordinate axis; the second voltage input configuration includes a differential voltage applied to a pair of electrodes of the second light-transmitting material module arranged along the second coordinate axis.

[0013] Electrodes on the first transparent material module are arranged along the third coordinate axis, driving the beam to deflect in the second coordinate axis direction; electrodes on the second transparent material module are arranged along the second coordinate axis direction, driving the beam to deflect in the third coordinate axis direction. The deflection in both dimensions can be controlled independently, avoiding mutual interference. The use of differential voltage drive further improves the linearity and anti-interference capability of electro-optic modulation, facilitating high-precision and high-stability beam pointing control.

[0014] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: querying a pre-stored voltage configuration mapping table based on the position of the target outgoing optical path to determine the corresponding first voltage input configuration and second voltage input configuration.

[0015] The correspondence between the target outgoing optical path and the voltage input configuration is pre-calibrated and stored as a mapping table. This allows the voltage input configuration to be quickly determined simply by looking up the table during the real-time control phase of the optical path. The voltage configuration mapping table saves a significant amount of computational work, such as online calculation of refractive index gradient, electric field intensity, and beam tracing. This not only reduces the cost of implementation control but also provides accurate driving parameters in a shorter time, improving the efficiency of optical path link switching.

[0016] In one optional embodiment, the first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of at least two light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, wherein the at least two light-transmitting material layers are stacked to form the light-transmitting material module, and the method further includes: achieving enhanced or compensated control of beam deflection by applying different voltages to each of the light-transmitting material layers respectively.

[0017] By disassembling a single light-transmitting material module into multiple layers and pressurizing them independently, the required total electric field can be distributed to each layer, with each layer bearing only a lower voltage. This reduces the voltage withstand requirement of the driving power supply and achieves a larger total deflection angle by superimposing refractive index gradients.

[0018] In an optional embodiment, before transmitting the target incident light, the method further includes at least one of the following: using a fixed optical filter to filter out stray spectral components in the target incident light that deviate from the operating wavelength band; using a power amplifier to increase the signal power of the target incident light; using a first polarization controller to calibrate the polarization state of the target incident light; and using a first dispersion compensator to correct the signal waveform of the target incident light.

[0019] Before transmitting the target incident light, operations such as filtering, power amplification, polarization control, and dispersion compensation can be performed to actively optimize the signal transmission quality.

[0020] In an optional implementation, after receiving the target incident light passing through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module, the method further includes at least one of the following: using a tunable light filter to select and extract an optical channel with a target operating wavelength from the received target incident light; using a preamplifier to adjust the signal power of the target incident light to the optimal operating range of the receiver; using a second polarization controller to track and compensate for random changes in polarization state caused by the transmission link in real time; and using a second dispersion compensator to inversely compensate for dispersion damage accumulated during transmission.

[0021] After receiving the incident light from the target, operations such as filtering, power amplification, polarization control, and dispersion compensation can be performed to restore the signal quality after transmission.

[0022] Secondly, this disclosure provides an optical path switching device, the device comprising: an optical transmitting unit for transmitting target incident light, the target incident light propagating along a first coordinate axis direction of a preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, the preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system including the first coordinate axis direction, the second coordinate axis direction, and the third coordinate axis direction; a first control unit for configuring a first voltage input to act on a first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the second coordinate axis direction; a second control unit for configuring a second voltage input to act on a second light-transmitting material module connected in series with the first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the third coordinate axis direction; and an optical receiving unit for receiving the target incident light passing through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module; wherein, by changing the first voltage input configuration and the second voltage input configuration, nanosecond or picosecond-level optical path link switching is achieved.

[0023] Thirdly, this disclosure provides an optical path switching system, comprising an optical transmitting subsystem, an optical modulation subsystem, and an optical receiving subsystem; wherein, the optical transmitting subsystem is used to transmit target incident light to the optical modulation subsystem, the target incident light propagating along a first coordinate axis of a preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, the preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system including the first coordinate axis direction, the second coordinate axis direction, and the third coordinate axis direction; the optical modulation subsystem is used to configure a first voltage input to act on a first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the second coordinate axis direction; the optical modulation subsystem is also used to configure a second voltage input to act on a second light-transmitting material module connected in series with the first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the third coordinate axis direction; the optical receiving subsystem is used to receive the target incident light passing through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module; by changing the first voltage input configuration and / or the second voltage input configuration, the optical modulation subsystem achieves nanosecond or picosecond-level optical path link switching. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the steps of an optical path switching method in one embodiment of this disclosure is shown; Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the application of the optical path switching method in one embodiment of this disclosure is shown; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the functional units of an optical path switching device in one embodiment of this disclosure is shown; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an optical path switching system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0027] Among related technologies, the mainstream OCS technologies based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), digital liquid crystal (LCD), and piezoelectric ceramics typically have single-link switching times in the millisecond range. Silicon photonics-based OCS technologies also generally have single-link switching times in the microsecond range. This excessively long link switching time is the main factor hindering the widespread adoption of OCS technology.

[0028] In view of this, the technical solutions provided by one or more embodiments of this disclosure can solve the pain point of excessively long link switching time in current OCS technology, and can shorten the link switching time from the millisecond or microsecond level to the nanosecond or picosecond level. By applying the technical solutions provided by one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the link switching time of OCS technology can be shorter than that of electrical switching technology, which is at the level of hundreds of nanoseconds. This greatly increases the possibility of OCS replacing electrical switching or partially replacing electrical switching, thereby enabling faster signal transmission and switching, and laying a solid foundation for further improvements in data transmission rates in technologies such as the Internet, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence.

[0029] Please see Figure 1 The optical path switching method provided in one embodiment of this disclosure may include the following steps.

[0030] S1: Send target incident light, the target incident light propagates along the first coordinate axis direction of a preset three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system, the preset three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system includes the first coordinate axis direction, the second coordinate axis direction and the third coordinate axis direction.

[0031] S2: Configure the first voltage input to act on the first light-transmitting material module so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the direction of the second coordinate axis.

[0032] S3: Configure the second voltage input to act on the second light-transmitting material module connected in series with the first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the direction of the third coordinate axis.

[0033] S4: Receive the target incident light that has passed through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module.

[0034] In this embodiment, by changing the first voltage input configuration and the second voltage input configuration, the switching of optical path links on the order of nanoseconds or picoseconds can be achieved.

[0035] In this embodiment, both the first and second light-transmitting material modules are composed of core control units made of light-transmitting materials with electro-optic effects. When an external voltage is applied to such light-transmitting materials, the internal electric field changes the refractive index of the material. The propagation speed of light changes in media with different refractive indices. Therefore, by precisely designing the material layer structure and voltage distribution, the propagation path of light in a specific direction can be controllably "bent" or deflected, thereby achieving beam guidance.

[0036] In this embodiment, during the propagation of the target incident light from the transmitter to the receiver along the first coordinate axis (e.g., the X-axis), by precisely controlling the two sets of input voltage conditions applied to the two sets of light-transmitting material modules respectively, the propagation direction of the target incident light on the second coordinate axis (e.g., the Y-axis) and the third coordinate axis (e.g., the Z-axis) can be controlled, thereby precisely guiding the target incident light to the preset output light path position and realizing the data routing function based on optical path control.

[0037] In this embodiment, only a change in the voltage input configuration is needed to efficiently complete the dynamic switching of the optical path channel and achieve the expected optical switching operation. Since this method does not involve physical displacement, the link switching time can be reduced to the nanosecond or even picosecond level.

[0038] In a practical application example, please refer to Figure 2Two sets of light-transmitting material modules are arranged in series on the optical path to form a two-dimensional optical control system. The initial emission position of the target incident light is tx1, and the expected position of the target incident light after passing through the two-dimensional optical control system is denoted as rx0 to rx15. When the target incident light initially propagates along the X-axis, by applying a first voltage input to the upper and lower sides of the first light-transmitting material module to configure the corresponding voltage conditions (such as voltage combination A, i.e., a set of differential voltages), the refractive index of the first light-transmitting material module will change as expected due to the electro-optic effect, thereby achieving precise control of the propagation path of the target incident light in the Y-axis direction. The target incident light can reach different coordinate regions in the Y-axis direction, such as rx0, rx1, rx2, and rx3. By applying a second voltage input to the left and right sides of the second light-transmitting material module to configure the corresponding voltage conditions (such as voltage combination B, i.e., another set of differential voltages), the refractive index of the second light-transmitting material module will change as expected due to the electro-optic effect, thereby achieving precise control of the propagation path of the target incident light in the Z-axis direction. The target incident light can reach different coordinate regions in the Z-axis direction, such as rx0, rx4, rx8, and rx12. By precisely controlling the voltage combinations applied to the two sets of light-transmitting material modules (such as voltage combination C), the propagation direction of the outgoing light path on the Y and Z axes can be flexibly controlled. This allows for continuous or discrete positioning of the outgoing light path on the Y and Z axes, thereby precisely guiding the incident light path to the preset target outgoing light path position (e.g., rx15), completing the dynamic switching and routing function of the optical channel, and realizing the expected optical switching operation.

[0039] It should be noted that the order of the second and third coordinate axes can be flexibly adjusted depending on the actual application scenario. That is, when the incident light initially propagates along the X direction, its propagation direction along the Y axis can be adjusted first, or its propagation direction along the Z axis can be adjusted first.

[0040] In this embodiment, the initial emission position and the final reception position of the target incident light can be flexibly set according to different actual application scenarios. For example, Figure 2The incident light emitted from one transmitting position can reach sixteen pre-set receiving positions through the optical path switching method provided in this embodiment. Obviously, the number of pre-set receiving positions can also be any number, such as nine, twelve, twenty-five, or thirty-six; this application does not specifically limit this. Similarly, the number of pre-set transmitting positions can also be any number, such as four, twelve, sixteen, twenty-five, or thirty-six; this application also does not specifically limit this. However, the voltage input configuration under which the incident light emitted from each transmitting position can reach each receiving position needs to be pre-calculated or measured. The pre-calculated or measured "receiving position-voltage configuration" correspondence can be saved as a table, database, configuration file, knowledge graph, etc., for easy and quick retrieval.

[0041] In some embodiments, the first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, and the first voltage input configuration and / or the second voltage input configuration are combinations of voltage conditions applied to different light-transmitting material layers or different regions of the same light-transmitting material layer.

[0042] Specifically, the light-transmitting material module, composed of a light-transmitting material layer, can deeply integrate light transmission requirements with electrical control requirements. Upon receiving different combinations of voltage conditions, the light-transmitting material layer can correspondingly change its refractive index, thereby achieving precise, flexible, and stable beam control. The light-transmitting material layer can be controlled layer by layer or region by region, which not only enhances the ability to control the beam but also enables complex optical path transformations with lower driving voltages, ensuring the stability and reconfigurability of the data routing function.

[0043] In some embodiments, the light-transmitting material layer is composed of an optical material exhibiting an electro-optic effect. Using an optical material with an electro-optic effect in the light-transmitting material layer allows for easy control of its refractive index, thereby flexibly controlling the light propagation path. For example, the light-transmitting material layer can be composed of one or more of the following optical materials: lithium niobate, silicon nitride, silicon, barium titanate, lithium tantalate, and lead zirconate titanate. The principle is that an applied electric field can change the refractive index of the optical material, thereby controlling the direction of light propagation.

[0044] In addition to lithium niobate, silicon nitride, silicon, barium titanate, lithium tantalate, and lead zirconate titanate listed in this embodiment, other electro-optic materials known to those skilled in the art, such as gallium arsenide and certain polymer electro-optic materials, are applicable to this invention as long as they can achieve voltage-controlled refractive index.

[0045] Among them, silicon and silicon nitride have mature processes, are easy to integrate on a large scale, and have low losses; barium titanate and lead zirconate titanate have extremely high electro-optic coefficients and outstanding modulation efficiency; lithium tantalate has similar performance to lithium niobate but is more resistant to photorefractive indexes. By combining them, transparent material modules with low loss, high modulation efficiency, and good stability can be designed, achieving complementary advantages in performance.

[0046] Preferably, lithium niobate is selected as the core electro-optic material for the transparent material layer. Its advantages lie in its simultaneous presence of strong electro-optic effects, a wide optical transparency window, and extremely low optical loss. A transparent material layer using lithium niobate as the core electro-optic material can achieve efficient and high-speed optical modulation and deflection with a relatively low driving voltage, while also ensuring the quality of optical signals during long-distance transmission within the chip. Furthermore, the fabrication process of lithium niobate is relatively mature, allowing for easy integration into OCS devices with compact device dimensions while maintaining excellent electro-optic performance.

[0047] In some embodiments, the light-transmitting material layer is square or circular. Designing the light-transmitting material layer as square or circular allows for a better balance between processability, optical performance, and structural stability.

[0048] When integration density and ease of fabrication are prioritized, the transparent material layer can be fabricated as a square device. The advantage of a square shape is that it is fully compatible with mainstream planar micro-nano fabrication processes (such as photolithography and etching), and it is easy to achieve high-precision patterning, interlayer alignment, and integration with other waveguides or electrodes, making it very suitable for building compact, regular photonic integrated circuits.

[0049] When optical mode quality and environmental stability are prioritized, the transparent material layer can be fabricated as a circular device. The advantage of a circle lies in its perfect rotational symmetry, which allows for a uniform response to physical or thermal stresses from any direction, contributing to improved long-term device stability. More importantly, the circular boundary effectively reduces unnecessary scattering and mode distortion during light propagation, particularly beneficial for maintaining the quality of circularly symmetrical beams such as Gaussian beams, thereby reducing optical loss and improving coupling efficiency.

[0050] In some practical applications, light-transmitting materials can also be made into other shapes, including irregular shapes.

[0051] In one alternative implementation, the first voltage input configuration includes a differential voltage applied to a pair of electrodes of the first light-transmitting material module arranged along the third coordinate axis; the second voltage input configuration includes a differential voltage applied to a pair of electrodes of the second light-transmitting material module arranged along the second coordinate axis.

[0052] Specifically, electrodes on the first transparent material module are arranged along the third coordinate axis, driving the beam to deflect in the second coordinate axis direction; electrodes on the second transparent material module are arranged along the second coordinate axis direction, driving the beam to deflect in the third coordinate axis direction. The deflection in both dimensions can be controlled independently, avoiding mutual interference. The use of differential voltage drive further improves the linearity and anti-interference capability of the electro-optic modulation, facilitating high-precision and high-stability beam pointing control.

[0053] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: querying a pre-stored voltage configuration mapping table based on the position of the target outgoing optical path to determine the corresponding first voltage input configuration and second voltage input configuration.

[0054] Specifically, the correspondence between the target outgoing optical path and the voltage input configuration is pre-calibrated and stored as a mapping table. This allows the voltage input configuration to be quickly determined simply by looking up the table during the real-time control phase of the optical path. The voltage configuration mapping table saves a significant amount of computational work, such as online calculation of refractive index gradient, electric field intensity, and beam tracing. This not only reduces the cost of implementation control but also provides accurate driving parameters in a shorter time, improving the efficiency of optical path link switching.

[0055] In one optional embodiment, the first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of at least two light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, wherein the at least two light-transmitting material layers are stacked to form the light-transmitting material module, and the method further includes: achieving enhanced or compensated control of beam deflection by applying different voltages to each of the light-transmitting material layers respectively.

[0056] Specifically, by breaking down a single light-transmitting material module into multiple layers and applying pressure independently, the required total electric field can be distributed across each layer. Each layer bears only a lower voltage, which reduces the voltage withstand requirement of the driving power supply and achieves a larger total deflection angle by superimposing refractive index gradients. By refining the control of the voltage conditions corresponding to each layer of light-transmitting material, the optical path difference can be accumulated or precisely compensated, thereby obtaining a larger effective deflection angle and higher pointing accuracy in both the second and third coordinate axes.

[0057] In a practical application example, by fine-tuning the voltage of each layer, material uniformity errors, temperature drift, or wavelength dispersion can be compensated in real time along the same path, which is equivalent to performing "optical calibration" inside the device, maintaining high pointing accuracy without external feedback.

[0058] In a practical application example, the stacked structure allows "enhancement" and "compensation" to share a set of electrode wiring, which expands the beam deflection range while maintaining the thin package of the light-transmitting material module, taking into account the four indicators of large angle, high linearity, low power consumption and low cost.

[0059] In some embodiments, before transmitting the target incident light, the method further includes at least one of the following: using a fixed optical filter to filter out stray spectral components in the target incident light that deviate from the operating wavelength band; using a power amplifier to increase the signal power of the target incident light; using a first polarization controller to calibrate the polarization state of the target incident light; and using a first dispersion compensator to correct the signal waveform of the target incident light.

[0060] Specifically, filtering, power amplification, polarization control, and dispersion compensation are performed before transmitting the target incident light to actively optimize signal transmission quality. Using a fixed optical filter to pre-filter out stray spectral components deviating from the operating wavelength in the target incident light achieves spectral purification. Using a power amplifier to increase the signal power of the target incident light ensures sufficient energy at the transmitting end. Using a first polarization controller to calibrate the polarization state of the target incident light establishes a standard polarization reference. Using a first dispersion compensator to pre-correct the signal waveform of the target incident light suppresses initial waveform distortion.

[0061] In some embodiments, after receiving the target incident light passing through the first and second light-transmitting material modules, the method further includes at least one of the following: using a tunable light filter to select and extract an optical channel with a target operating wavelength from the received target incident light; using a preamplifier to adjust the signal power of the target incident light to the optimal operating range of the receiver; using a second polarization controller to track and compensate for random changes in polarization state caused by the transmission link in real time; and using a second dispersion compensator to inversely compensate for dispersion damage accumulated during transmission.

[0062] Specifically, after receiving the target incident light, operations such as filtering, power amplification, polarization control, and dispersion compensation are performed to restore the signal quality after transmission. Using a tunable optical filter, the optical channel for the target operating wavelength is dynamically selected and extracted from the received target incident light, allowing for precise extraction of the target wavelength. Using a preamplifier, the signal power of the target incident light is finely adjusted to the receiver's optimal operating range, preventing it from being too weak or overloaded. Using a second polarization controller, random changes in polarization state caused by the transmission link are tracked and compensated in real time, ensuring polarization consistency. Using a second dispersion compensator, dispersion damage accumulated during transmission is compensated in reverse, restoring the original waveform characteristics and compensating for transmission impairments.

[0063] In a practical application example of the optical path switching method provided in this disclosure, the modulation bandwidth of the light-transmitting material is calculated based on 50 GHz. For a typical 64-input, 64-output optical switching scenario, a total of 128 sets of light-transmitting materials need to be deployed at the transmitting end (i.e., two sets of light-transmitting material modules correspond to each target input light). If managed in a simple manner where the receiving end only receives one transmitting signal at a time, the link switching time is 1 / 50 GHz * 64 = 1280 picoseconds = 1.28 nanoseconds. If wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) or similar technologies are used (whether it is actually needed is not limited in this disclosure), the receiving end can simultaneously receive optical path signals from any transmitting end, thus the switching time becomes 1280 picoseconds / 64 = 20 picoseconds. It is evident that both 1.28 nanoseconds and 20 picoseconds are far lower than the millisecond-level link switching time in OCS technology based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).

[0064] This disclosure provides a technical solution through one or more embodiments. During the propagation of target incident light from the transmitting end to the receiving end along the first coordinate axis, by precisely controlling the configuration parameters of two sets of input voltages applied to two sets of light-transmitting material modules, the propagation direction of the target incident light along the second and third coordinate axes can be effectively controlled. This allows the target incident light to be precisely guided to a preset output optical path position, achieving data routing based on optical path control. Furthermore, only a change in the voltage input configuration is needed to efficiently complete the dynamic switching of the optical path channel, realizing the expected optical switching operation. Since this solution does not involve physical displacement, the link switching time can be reduced to the nanosecond or even picosecond level.

[0065] Please see Figure 3 This disclosure also provides an optical path switching device that can achieve nanosecond or picosecond-level optical path link switching by changing a first voltage input configuration and a second voltage input configuration. The device includes: The light transmitting unit 100 is used to transmit target incident light, which propagates along the first coordinate axis direction of a preset three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system. The preset three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system includes the first coordinate axis direction, the second coordinate axis direction, and the third coordinate axis direction. The first control unit 200 is configured to input a first voltage and apply it to the first light-transmitting material module so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the direction of the second coordinate axis. The second control unit 300 is configured to input a second voltage and apply it to the second light-transmitting material module connected in series with the first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the direction of the third coordinate axis. The light receiving unit 400 is used to receive the target incident light that has passed through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module.

[0066] In one embodiment, the first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, and the first voltage input configuration and / or the second voltage input configuration are combinations of voltage conditions applied to different light-transmitting material layers or different regions of the same light-transmitting material layer.

[0067] In one embodiment, the light-transmitting material layer is composed of an optical material having an electro-optic effect.

[0068] In one embodiment, the first voltage input configuration includes a differential voltage applied to a pair of electrodes arranged along the third coordinate axis of the first light-transmitting material module; the second voltage input configuration includes a differential voltage applied to a pair of electrodes arranged along the second coordinate axis of the second light-transmitting material module.

[0069] In one embodiment, the device further includes a query positioning unit, configured to: query a pre-stored voltage configuration mapping table based on the position of the target outgoing optical path, and determine the corresponding first voltage input configuration and second voltage input configuration.

[0070] In one embodiment, the first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of at least two light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, wherein the at least two light-transmitting material layers are stacked to form the light-transmitting material module, and the first control unit 200 and the second control unit 300 are further configured to: achieve enhanced or compensated control of beam deflection by applying different voltages to each of the light-transmitting material layers respectively.

[0071] In one embodiment, before transmitting the target incident light, the optical transmitting unit 100 is further configured to: filter out stray spectral components deviating from the operating wavelength in the target incident light using a fixed optical filter; increase the signal power of the target incident light using a power amplifier; calibrate the polarization state of the target incident light using a first polarization controller; and correct the signal waveform of the target incident light using a first dispersion compensator.

[0072] In one embodiment, after receiving the target incident light passing through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module, the light receiving unit 400 is further configured to: select and extract the optical channel of the target operating wavelength from the received target incident light using a tunable light filter; adjust the signal power of the target incident light to the optimal operating range of the receiver using a preamplifier; track and compensate for random changes in polarization state caused by the transmission link in real time using a second polarization controller; and compensate for the dispersion damage accumulated during transmission using a second dispersion compensator.

[0073] The various units described in the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer chip or by a product with a certain function. A typical implementation device is a computer. Specifically, the computer can be, for example, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a cellular phone, a camera phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, a game console, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or any combination of these devices.

[0074] For ease of description, the above devices are described separately by function as various units. Of course, in implementing this application, the functions of each unit can be implemented in one or more software and / or hardware.

[0075] Please see Figure 4 This disclosure also provides an optical path switching system, which includes an optical transmitting subsystem, an optical modulation subsystem, and an optical receiving subsystem.

[0076] In this embodiment, an optical transmitting subsystem transmits target incident light to the optical modulation subsystem. The target incident light propagates along a first coordinate axis of a preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, which includes the first coordinate axis, a second coordinate axis, and a third coordinate axis. The optical modulation subsystem configures a first voltage input to act on a first light-transmitting material module, causing the propagation path of the target incident light to deflect along the second coordinate axis. The optical modulation subsystem further configures a second voltage input to act on a second light-transmitting material module connected in series with the first light-transmitting material module, causing the propagation path of the target incident light to deflect along the third coordinate axis. An optical receiving subsystem receives the target incident light after passing through the first and second light-transmitting material modules. By changing the first and / or second voltage input configurations, the optical modulation subsystem can achieve nanosecond or picosecond-level optical path switching.

[0077] In some implementations, the optical control subsystem is also used to: query a pre-stored voltage configuration mapping table based on the position of the target outgoing optical path, and determine the corresponding first voltage input configuration and second voltage input configuration.

[0078] In some embodiments, the first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of at least two light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, wherein the at least two light-transmitting material layers are stacked to form the light-transmitting material module, and the light control subsystem is further used to: achieve enhanced or compensated control of beam deflection by applying different voltages to each of the light-transmitting material layers respectively.

[0079] It should be noted that the first light-transmitting material module, the second light-transmitting material module, the first voltage input configuration, and the second voltage input configuration in this optical path switching system embodiment are consistent with those in the optical path switching method embodiment. For a detailed explanation, please refer to the relevant content of the optical path switching method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0080] Similar to the optical path switching method embodiment, the optical transmitting subsystem can perform operations such as filtering, power amplification, polarization control, and dispersion compensation on the target incident light before transmitting it, and the optical receiving subsystem can perform operations such as filtering, power amplification, polarization control, and dispersion compensation on the target incident light after receiving it.

[0081] The optical path switching system provided in this embodiment can be applied in fields such as artificial intelligence server clusters, supercomputing clusters, and telecommunications-grade cross-domain networks, replacing existing optical circuit switching systems (such as those based on microelectromechanical systems, digital liquid crystal systems, piezoelectric ceramics, and silicon photonics). This significantly reduces optical link switching time from milliseconds and microseconds to nanoseconds and picoseconds, thereby improving data exchange efficiency within and between data centers.

[0082] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the device and system embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the descriptions are relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions of the method embodiments.

[0083] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of the claims of this application.

[0084] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and such modifications and variations all fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An optical path switching method, characterized in that, The method includes: The target incident light is transmitted, and the target incident light propagates along the first coordinate axis direction of a preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, the preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system including the first coordinate axis direction, the second coordinate axis direction and the third coordinate axis direction; The first voltage input configuration is applied to the first light-transmitting material module so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the direction of the second coordinate axis; The second voltage input is configured to act on the second light-transmitting material module connected in series with the first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the direction of the third coordinate axis. Receive the target incident light that has passed through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module; Specifically, by changing the first voltage input configuration and the second voltage input configuration, the optical path link switching at the nanosecond or picosecond level can be achieved.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, and the first voltage input configuration and / or the second voltage input configuration are combinations of voltage conditions applied to different light-transmitting material layers or different regions of the same light-transmitting material layer.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The light-transmitting material layer is composed of an optical material with an electro-optic effect.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first voltage input configuration includes a differential voltage applied to a pair of electrodes arranged along the third coordinate axis of the first light-transmitting material module; the second voltage input configuration includes a differential voltage applied to a pair of electrodes arranged along the second coordinate axis of the second light-transmitting material module.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the position of the target's outgoing optical path, the pre-stored voltage configuration mapping table is queried to determine the corresponding first voltage input configuration and second voltage input configuration.

6. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of at least two light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, wherein the at least two light-transmitting material layers are stacked to form the light-transmitting material module, and the method further includes: By applying different voltages to each of the light-transmitting material layers, the beam deflection can be enhanced or compensated.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before transmitting the target incident light, the method further includes at least one of the following: By using a fixed optical filter, stray spectral components that deviate from the working wavelength in the incident light of the target are filtered out; A power amplifier is used to increase the signal power of the incident light from the target. The polarization state of the incident light is calibrated using a first polarization controller. The signal waveform of the incident light to the target is corrected using a first dispersion compensator.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that, After receiving the target incident light that has passed through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module, the method further includes at least one of the following: Using a tunable optical filter, the optical channel of the target operating wavelength is selected and extracted from the received target incident light; The signal power of the incident light from the target is adjusted to the optimal operating range of the receiver using a preamplifier; Using a second polarization controller, random changes in polarization state caused by the transmission link are tracked and compensated in real time. The second dispersion compensator is used to compensate for the dispersion damage accumulated during transmission.

9. An optical path switching device, characterized in that, The device includes: An optical transmitting unit is used to transmit target incident light, which propagates along the first coordinate axis direction of a preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, the preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system including the first coordinate axis direction, the second coordinate axis direction and the third coordinate axis direction; The first control unit is configured to input a first voltage and apply it to the first light-transmitting material module so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the direction of the second coordinate axis. The second control unit is configured to input a second voltage and apply it to the second light-transmitting material module connected in series with the first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the direction of the third coordinate axis. A light receiving unit is used to receive the target incident light that has passed through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module; Specifically, by changing the first voltage input configuration and the second voltage input configuration, the optical path link switching at the nanosecond or picosecond level can be achieved.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, and the first voltage input configuration and / or the second voltage input configuration are combinations of voltage conditions applied to different light-transmitting material layers or different regions of the same light-transmitting material layer.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The first voltage input configuration includes a differential voltage applied to a pair of electrodes arranged along the third coordinate axis of the first light-transmitting material module; the second voltage input configuration includes a differential voltage applied to a pair of electrodes arranged along the second coordinate axis of the second light-transmitting material module.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The device further includes: The query positioning unit is used to query a pre-stored voltage configuration mapping table based on the position of the target's outgoing optical path to determine the corresponding first voltage input configuration and second voltage input configuration.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of at least two light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, wherein the at least two light-transmitting material layers are stacked to form the light-transmitting material module. The first control unit and the second control unit are further configured to: By applying different voltages to each of the light-transmitting material layers, the beam deflection can be enhanced or compensated.

14. An optical path switching system, characterized in that, The system includes an optical transmission subsystem, an optical modulation subsystem, and an optical receiving subsystem; wherein... The optical transmission subsystem is used to transmit target incident light to the optical control subsystem. The target incident light propagates along the first coordinate axis direction of a preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. The preset three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system includes the first coordinate axis direction, the second coordinate axis direction, and the third coordinate axis direction. The light modulation subsystem is used to configure the first voltage input to act on the first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the direction of the second coordinate axis. The light modulation subsystem is also used to configure the second voltage input to act on the second light-transmitting material module connected in series with the first light-transmitting material module, so that the propagation path of the target incident light is deflected in the direction of the third coordinate axis. The light receiving subsystem is used to receive the target incident light that has passed through the first light-transmitting material module and the second light-transmitting material module; By changing the first voltage input configuration and / or the second voltage input configuration, the optical control subsystem achieves nanosecond or picosecond-level optical path link switching.

15. The system according to claim 14, characterized in that, The optical modulation subsystem is also used for: Based on the position of the target's outgoing optical path, the pre-stored voltage configuration mapping table is queried to determine the corresponding first voltage input configuration and second voltage input configuration.

16. The system according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The first light-transmitting material module and / or the second light-transmitting material module are composed of at least two light-transmitting material layers with electro-optic effects, wherein the at least two light-transmitting material layers are stacked to form the light-transmitting material module, and the light control subsystem is further used for: By applying different voltages to each of the light-transmitting material layers, the beam deflection can be enhanced or compensated.

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