Claims
- 1. An apparatus for use in optical communication systems to multiplex or demultiplex an optical signal, the apparatus comprising:
a plurality of optical waveguides aligned generally along the same optical axis each having a propagating end; a reflective grating optically coupled to the plurality of optical waveguides along the optical axis having a surface receiving an optical signal emitted from the propagating end of at least one of the optical wavegnides and diffracting the optical signal(s) into the propagating end of at least one other of the optical waveguides; and a collimating/focusing optic having a select focal length optically coupled between the propagating ends of the plurality of optical waveguides and the reflective grating along the optical axis, the collimating/focusing optic being positioned relative to the propagating ends of the plurality of optical waveguides and the reflective grating to propagate a telecentric optical beam(s) into the at least one other of the optical waveguides.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the collimating/focusing optic is positioned with the propagating ends of the waveguides at about the select focal length from the collimating/focusing optic and a point on the surface of the reflective echelle grating being spaced the select focal length from the collimating/focusing optic.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of optical waveguides comprise at least one multiplex waveguide propagating a plurality of multiplexed channels and the others of the optical waveguides are single channel waveguides propagating single channels, the single channel optical waveguides being in a linear array, the apparatus further comprising:
a linear array of microlenses with a microlens optically coupled to each single channel waveguide, the microlens array residing between the propagating end of the single channel waveguides and the collimating/focusing optic.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the linear array of microlenses is located at about a focal plane spaced about the select focal length from the collimating/focusing optic.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reflective grating is an echelle grating having a groove spacing of between about 50-300 grooves per millimeter and a blaze angle of between about 51-53 degrees.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reflective grating is an echelle grating having a groove spacing of between about 50-300 grooves per millimeter and a blaze angle providing an angular dispersion of between about 0.091 and 0.11 degrees per nanometer for a select order of diffraction of between 4-7.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein a focal point of at least one microlens is in a corresponding waveguide.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the focal point of at least one microlens is at the propagating end of a corresponding waveguide.
- 9. An apparatus for use in optical communication systems to multiplex or demultiplex an optical signal, the apparatus comprising:
a plurality of optical waveguides aligned generally along the same optical axis each having a propagating end, the plurality of optical waveguides including at least one multiplex waveguide propagating a plurality of multiplexed channels and the others of the optical waveguides being single channel wavegnides propagating single channels; a reflective grating optically in optically coupled with the plurality of optical waveguides along the optical axis having a reflective surface receiving an optical signal emitted from at least one of the optical waveguides and diffracting the optical signal(s) into at least one other of the optical waveguides; a collimating/focusing optic having a select focal length optically coupled between the propagating ends of the plurality of optical waveguides and the reflective surface of the echelle grating along the optical axis, the reflective surface of the echelle grating being spaced about the select focal length from the collimating/focusing optic; and an array of microlenses residing in optical communication between the propagating end of the single channel waveguides and the collimating/focusing optic, the array of microlenses being positioned relative to the collimating/focusing optic to propagate a telecentric optical beam(s) into the at least one other of the optical waveguides.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the single channel optical waveguides are in a linear array and the array of microlenses is a linear array.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the reflective grating is an echelle grating having a groove spacing of between about 50-300 grooves per millimeter and a blaze angle of between about 51-53 degrees.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the reflective grating is an echelle grating having a groove spacing of between about 50-300 grooves per millimeter and a blaze angle providing an angular dispersion of between about 0.091 and 0.11 degrees per nanometer for a select order of diffraction of between 4-7.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the focal point of at least one microlens is in a corresponding waveguide.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the focal point of at least one microlens is at the propagating end of a corresponding waveguide.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the reflective grating is spaced a distance from the collimating/focusing lens such that a point on a reflective surface of the grating is spaced the select focal length from the collimating/focusing lens.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the point on the reflective surface of the grating is at about the center of the reflective surface of the grating.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the array of microlenses is positioned at about a focal plane of the collimating/focusing optic spaced the select focal length from the collimating/focusing optic.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/272,748, filed Mar. 1, 2001, entitled “Echelle Grating (De)Multiplexer with Four “F” Configuration and Hybrid Lens” and is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/628,774, filed Jul. 29, 2000, entitled “Echelle Grating Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexer/Demultiplexer.” application Ser. No. 09/628,774 claimed priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/209,018, filed Jun. 1, 2000, entitled “Lens-coupled Wavelength Division (De)multiplexing System Utilizing an Echelle Grating;” No. 60/152,218, filed Sep. 3, 1999, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Dense Wavelength Multiplexing and De-multiplexing Fiber Optic Signals Using an Echelle Grating Spectrograph;” No. 60/172,843, filed Dec. 20, 1999, entitled “Improved Method and Apparatus for Dense Wavelength Multiplexing and De-multiplexing Fiber Optic Signals Using an Echelle Grating Spectrograph;” and No. 60/172,885, filed Dec. 20, 1999, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Dense Wavelength Multiplexing and De-multiplexing Fiber Optic Signals from a Single or Many Individual Fibers Using a Single Echelle Grating Spectrograph,” each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
Provisional Applications (5)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60272748 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
|
60209018 |
Jun 2000 |
US |
|
60152218 |
Sep 1999 |
US |
|
60172843 |
Dec 1999 |
US |
|
60172885 |
Dec 1999 |
US |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09628774 |
Jul 2000 |
US |
Child |
10091128 |
Mar 2002 |
US |