AN OPTICAL APPARATUS AND A METHOD OF PERFORMING DYNAMIC WAVELNGTH SEPARATING AND ROUTING

摘要

This invention provides a novel wavelength-separating-routing (WSR) apparatus that uses a diffraction grating to separate a multi-wavelength optical signal by wavelength into multiple spectral channels, which are then focused onto an array of corresponding channel ~ micromirrors. The channel micromirrors are individually controllable and continuously pivotable to reflect the spectral channels into multiple output ports. As such, the inventive WSR apparatus is capable of routing the spectral channels on a channel-by-channel basis and coupling any spectral channel into anyone of the output ports. The WSR apparatus of the present invention may be further equipped with servo-control and spectral power- management capabilities, thereby maintaining the coupling efficiencies of the spectral channels into the output ports at desired values. The WSR apparatus of the present invention can be used to construct a novel class of dynamically reconfigurable optical add- drop multiplexers (OADMs) for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical ne~orking applications.