Integrated acousto-optic filters and switches

摘要

An acousto-optica converter fabricated on x-cut (LiNbO3 and having an optical waveguide extending along the y-direction. An interdigital transducer is oriented at 5 DEG with respect to the y-direction in order to compensate for the acoustic walk-off on such an orientation. Such as integrated acousto-optical converter allows multiple stages of such converters so as to provide for (1) two-stage zero-frequency shifted converters and filters, (2) lasers using an acousto-optic filter as a tuning element, (3) polarization-independent converters in which the modes are divided, separately polarization converted, and recobined according to frequency, (4) and wavelength division multiplexing routing switches capable of simultaneously switching multiple channels.