Apparatus and Manufacturing Method for an Integrated Multicast Switch, For Use in Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Networks

摘要

In one embodiment, each of the output/input ports of each one of a plurality of optical splitters is connected to one of a plurality of optical switches by means of optical fibers without any fusion splicing in a majority of the optical fibers, and each of the input/output ports of each one of the switches is connected to one of the optical splitters by means of the optical fibers without any fusion splicing in a majority of the optical fibers. Each of the output/input ports of each one of the optical splitters may be directly connected to the ferrule and one of the input/output ports of one of the switches by the optical fibers. The optical splitters may be implemented in at least one planar lightwave circuit (PLC) chip. Optionally, at least one fiber holder defining a plurality of channels therein may be used to hold the optical fibers each of which is aligned with a corresponding output/input port of one of the optical splitters.

主权项

1. A multicast optical switching device comprising:
M optical splitters, each having one input/output port and N output/input ports, and thereby designated as an 1×N optical splitter, M and N being integers greater than 1; N optical switches, each having a ferrule, M input/output ports and one output/input port, and thereby designated as a M×1 optical switch; a first set of optical fibers, each of the fibers in the first set connecting one of the N output/input ports of one of the optical splitters to the ferrule and one of the input/output ports of one of the N switches, wherein each of the N output/input ports of each one of the optical splitters is connected to one of the N switches by means of the optical fibers in the first set without any fusion splicing in a majority of said optical fibers in the first set, and each of the M input/output ports of each one of the switches is connected to one of the M optical splitters by means of the optical fibers in the first set without any fusion splicing in a majority of said optical fibers in the first set; and a second set of N optical fibers; said ferrule of each of said N optical switches housing the M optical fibers in the first set connected to the M input/output ports of such switch and an optical fiber in the second set connected to the one output/input port of such switch.