Digital optical switch

Details Digital optical switch Digital optical switch

1991-05-10

1993-01-19

Lee, John D.

Optical waveguides

With optical coupler

Switch

385 9, G02B 626, G02B 642

Patent

active

051812622

ABSTRACT:
In a digital optical switch which is based on the mode-selectivity principle, made up of a passive section (A) containing a first optical wave guide (1) and a second optical wave guide (2) and a switching section (B) containing a third optical wave guide (3) and a fourth optical wave guide (4), both the required asymmetry and the bringing of the optical wave guides within or outside each other's interaction region are achieved with the aid of curves (K.sub.1, K.sub.2) in respective walls of the optical wave guides. In the switching section (B) said asymmetry is reversible. Use is made of the effect that a curved wall results, in general, in a reduction of the propagation constant in the optical wave guide. Suitable curves are of circular-arc shape and sinusoidal. The switching section (B) may furthermore incorporate a short intermediate section (s-u) in which the optical wave guides (12, 13) run straight at a small mutual angle (.PHI.) in the event that the reversible asymmetry is in the first instance too small with a particular choice of material. The invention makes possible much shorter switches which have a greater packing density.

REFERENCES:
patent: 5058972 (1991-10-01), Erman et al.
Dutch Novelty Search Report (International type).
Optical Society of America, "Optical Fiber Communication Conference & Sixth International Conference on Integrated Optics and Optical Fiber Communication Technical Digest" Jan. 1987, 2 pages.
M. Heiblum et al., "Analysis of Curved Optical Waveguides by Conformal Transformation", vol. QE-11, No. 2, Feb. 1975, pp. 75-83.

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