Claims
- 1. An optical switch comprising:
a birefringent optical channel having a first port and a second port, the birefringent optical channel providing a pair of orthogonally polarized optical pulses at the second port in response to a first optical pulse received at the first port, the orthogonally polarized optical pulses being separated by a delay time; a first coupler having a first port in optical communication with the second port of the birefringent optical channel, a second port adapted to receive a second optical pulse, and a third port; a nonlinear optical channel having a first port in optical communication with the third port of the first coupler, and having a second port; and a polarization rotation mirror in optical communication with the second port of the nonlinear channel.
- 2. The optical switch of claim 1 wherein the polarization rotation mirror is a Faraday mirror.
- 3. The optical switch of claim 1 wherein the polarization rotation mirror provides a reflected optical pulse in response to an incident optical pulse, the reflected optical pulse having a polarization that is rotated to be orthogonal with respect to the incident optical pulse.
- 4. The optical switch of claim 1 further comprising a control optical channel in optical communication with the second port of the first coupler.
- 5. The optical switch of claim 1 wherein the nonlinear optical channel comprises an optical fiber.
- 6. The optical switch of claim 1 wherein the nonlinear optical channel comprises a dispersion shifted optical fiber.
- 7. The optical switch of claim 1 wherein the nonlinear optical channel comprises an optical semiconductor.
- 8. The optical switch of claim 1 wherein the first coupler comprises a wavelength division multiplexer.
- 9. The optical switch of claim 1 wherein the birefringent optical channel comprises a polarization maintaining optical fiber.
- 10. The optical switch of claim 1 wherein the birefringent optical channel comprises a birefringent crystal.
- 11. The optical switch of claim 1 further comprising a circulator having a first port adapted to receive the first optical pulse, a second port in optical communication with the first port of the birefringent optical channel and a third port to provide a first output optical pulse.
- 12. The optical switch of claim 11 further comprising a bandpass filter in optical communication with the third port of the circulator.
- 13. The optical switch of claim 11 further comprising a bandpass filter in optical communication with the second port of the birefringent optical channel and the first port of the first coupler.
- 14. The optical switch of claim 1 further comprising a bandpass filter in optical communication with the second port of the birefringent optical channel and the first port of the first coupler.
- 15. The optical switch of claim 1 further comprising a polarization dependent beamsplitter having a first port adapted to receive the first optical pulse, a second port in optical communication with the first port of the birefringent optical channel and a third port to provide a second output optical pulse.
- 16. The optical switch of claim 15 wherein the polarization dependent beamsplitter has a transmission polarization axis and the birefringent optical channel has a fast axis and a slow axis, the transmission polarization axis being oriented at approximately 45° to the fast axis and the slow axis of the birefringent optical channel.
- 17. The optical switch of claim 11 further comprising:
an optical source having a control terminal and having a source output port in optical communication with the first port of the circulator, the optical source configured to generate the first optical pulse at the source output port in response to a control signal received at the control terminal; and a clock recovery circuit having an input port in optical communication with the third port of the circulator and an output terminal in communication with the control terminal of the optical source.
- 18. The optical switch of claim 17 further comprising a time delay module in electrical communication with the clock recovery circuit and in optical communication with the second port of the first coupler, the time delay module delaying the second optical pulse in response to a delay signal generated by the clock recovery circuit.
- 19. The optical switch of claim 17 further comprising a time delay module in electrical communication with the clock recovery circuit and in optical communication with the first port of the circulator, the time delay module delaying the first optical pulse in response to a delay signal generated by the clock recovery circuit.
- 20. The optical switch of claim 17 wherein the clock recovery circuit comprises a phase lock loop circuit.
- 21. The optical switch of claim 1 further comprising a second coupler having a first port adapted to receive the second optical pulse, a second port adapted to receive a third optical pulse, and a third port in optical communication with the second port of the first coupler.
- 22. The optical switch of claim 21 further comprising an optical delay module in optical communication with the second port of the second coupler, the optical delay module delaying the third optical pulse relative to the second optical pulse by substantially the delay time.
- 23. An optical switch comprising:
a birefringent optical channel having a first port and a second port, the birefringent optical channel providing a first pair of orthogonally polarized optical pulses and a second pair of orthogonally polarized pulses at the second port in response to a first optical pulse and a second optical pulse, respectively, received at the first port, the first optical pulse and the second optical pulse being orthogonally polarized, each of the pulses in the first pair and the second pair of orthogonally polarized optical pulses being separated by a delay time; a coupler having a first port in optical communication with the second port of the birefringent optical channel, a second port adapted to receive a third optical pulse, and a third port; a nonlinear optical channel having a first port in optical communication with the third port of the coupler, and having a second port; a polarization rotation mirror in optical communication with the second port of the nonlinear channel; a polarization dependent beamsplitter having a first port, a second port in optical communication with the first port of the birefringent optical channel and a third port; a first circulator having a first port adapted to receive the first optical pulse, a second port in optical communication with the first port of the polarization dependent beamsplitter and a third port adapted to provide a first optical output signal; and a second circulator having a first port adapted to receive the second optical pulse, a second port in optical communication with the third port of the polarization dependent beamsplitter and a third port adapted to provide a second optical output signal.
- 24. A method for regenerating an optical data pulse, the method comprising:
transmitting the optical data pulse and a pair of orthogonally polarized optical pulses through a nonlinear optical channel in a forward direction, the optical data pulse and each of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses having a forward polarization orientation with respect to the nonlinear optical channel, the orthogonally polarized optical pulses being separated in time, the optical data pulse and one of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses being substantially temporally coincident; transmitting the optical data pulse and the orthogonally polarized optical pulses through the nonlinear optical channel in a reverse direction, the optical data pulse and each of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses having a reverse polarization orientation with respect to the nonlinear optical channel, each of the reverse polarization orientations being orthogonal to the respective forward polarization orientation, wherein an optical phase delay is imparted to one of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses relative to the other of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses in response to the coincident transmission of the optical data pulse and the one of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses through the nonlinear optical channel; and delaying one of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses relative to the other of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses to generate a temporal coincidence therebetween.
- 25. The method of claim 24 further comprising providing a regenerated optical pulse in response to the optical phase delay imparted to one of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses relative to the other of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses.
- 26. The method of claim 24 wherein the optical phase delay imparted to one of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses relative to the other of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses is an odd integer multiple of 180°.
- 27. The method of claim 24 wherein the optical data pulse has a wavelength that is not equal to a wavelength of the orthogonally polarized optical pulses.
- 28. A method for performing a logical operation on a first optical data bit and a second optical data bit, the first and second optical data bits being separated by a predetermined time, the method comprising:
transmitting the first and second optical data bits, a first optical clock bit and a second optical clock bit through a nonlinear optical channel in a forward direction, the first and second optical data bits and the first and second optical clock bits each having a forward polarization with respect to the nonlinear optical channel, the first and second optical clock bits being orthogonally polarized and separated by a first time, the first optical data bit being substantially temporally coincident with the first optical clock bit and the second optical data bit being substantially temporally coincident with the second optical data bit; transmitting the first and second optical data bits and the first and second optical clock bits through the nonlinear optical channel in a reverse direction, the first and second optical data bits and the first and second optical clock bits each having a reverse polarization orientation with respect to the nonlinear optical channel, each of the reverse polarization orientations being orthogonal to the respective forward polarization orientation, wherein an optical phase delay is imparted to the first optical clock bit if the first optical data bit is in an asserted state and wherein an optical phase delay is imparted to the second optical clock bit if the second optical data bit is in an asserted state; and delaying the first optical clock bit relative to the second optical clock bit to generate a temporal coincidence therebetween.
- 29. The method of claim 28 further comprising providing a result of the logical operation in response to the optical phase delays imparted to the first optical clock bit and the second optical clock bit.
- 30. The method of claim 28 wherein the optical phase delay imparted to one of the first optical clock bit and the second optical clock bit is an odd integer multiple of 180°.
- 31. The method of claim 28 wherein the logical operation is an XOR operation.
- 32. The method of claim 28 wherein the logical operation is a complementary XOR operation.
- 33. A method for performing a logical operation on a first optical data bit and a second optical data bit, the method comprising:
generating a pair of orthogonally polarized optical bits in response to the first optical data bit, the orthogonally polarized optical bits being separated in time, one of the orthogonally polarized optical bits being substantially temporally coincident with the second optical data bit; transmitting the orthogonally polarized optical bits and the second optical data bit through a nonlinear optical channel in a forward direction, the orthogonally polarized optical bits and the second optical data bit each having a forward polarization with respect to the nonlinear optical channel; transmitting the orthogonally polarized optical bits and the second optical data bit through the nonlinear optical channel in a reverse direction, the orthogonally polarized optical bits and the second optical data bit each having a reverse polarization orientation with respect to the nonlinear optical channel, each of the reverse polarization orientations being orthogonal to the respective forward polarization orientation, wherein an optical phase delay is imparted to the one of the orthogonally polarized optical bits in response to the coincident transmission of the one of the orthogonally polarized optical bits and the second optical bit; and delaying one of the orthogonally polarized optical bits relative to the other of the orthogonally polarized optical bits to generate a temporal coincidence therebetween.
- 34. The method of claim 33 further comprising providing a result of the logical operation in response to the optical phase delay imparted to the one of the orthogonally polarized optical bits relative to the other of the orthogonally polarized optical bits.
- 35. The method of claim 33 wherein the optical phase delay imparted to one of the first optical clock bit and the second optical clock bit is an odd integer multiple of 180°.
- 36. The method of claim 33 wherein the logical operation is an AND operation.
- 37. The method of claim 36 further comprising inverting one of the first optical data bit and the second optical data bit prior to the step of generating the pair of orthogonally polarized optical bits.
- 38. A method for performing a logical operation on a first optical data bit and a second optical data bit, the method comprising:
transmitting the first and second optical data bits, a first optical clock bit and a second optical clock bit through a nonlinear optical channel in a forward direction, the first and second optical data bits and the first and second optical clock bits each having a forward polarization with respect to the nonlinear optical channel, the first and second optical clock bits being orthogonally polarized and separated by a first time, the first optical data bit and the second optical data bit being substantially temporally coincident with the first optical clock bit; transmitting the first and second optical data bits and the first and second optical clock bits through the nonlinear optical channel in a reverse direction, the first and second optical data bits and the first and second optical clock bits each having a reverse polarization orientation with respect to the nonlinear optical channel, each of the reverse polarization orientations being orthogonal to the respective forward polarization orientation, wherein an optical phase delay is imparted to the first optical clock bit if the first optical data bit is in an asserted state, the second optical data bit is in an asserted state or the first optical clock bit and the second optical clock bits are in an asserted state; and delaying the first optical clock bit relative to the second optical clock bit to generate a temporal coincidence therebetween.
- 39. The method of claim 38 further comprising providing a result of the logical operation in response to the optical phase delay imparted to the first optical clock bit.
- 40. The method of claim 38 wherein the optical phase delay imparted to the first optical clock bit is an odd integer multiple of 180°.
- 41. The method of claim 38 wherein the logical operation is an OR operation.
- 42. The method of claim 38 wherein the logical operation is a NOR operation.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to provisional U.S. patent application serial No. 60/378,746, filed May 8, 2002, titled “Polarization Stabilized All-Optical Switch,” the entirety of which provisional application is incorporated by reference herein.
GOVERNMENT RIGHTS IN THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention was made with United States government support under Contract No. F19628-00-C-002 awarded by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA). The government may have certain rights in the invention.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60378746 |
May 2002 |
US |