Wavelength selective switch
View Patent ↗A wavelength selective switch includes a substrate. On the substrate, the wavelength selective switch includes at least one input port, a dispersive element, a light converging element, a light deflecting member, an output port, and a driving mechanism which drives at least one of the dispersive element, the light condenser element, and the light deflecting member, and drive by the driving mechanism is a rotational drive around an axis perpendicular to the substrate, for the dispersive element, and is a translational drive in a direction of dispersion of wavelength with respect to the substrate, for the light condenser element or the light deflecting member.
1. A wavelength selective switch including a substrate,
wherein, on the substrate, the wavelength selective switch comprising:
at least one input port from which, wavelength-multiplexed light is made to be incident in the wavelength selective switch,
a dispersive element which receives the light from the input port, and disperses the light,
a light condenser element which converges light for each wavelength which has been dispersed by the light dispersive element,
a light deflecting member including a plurality of deflecting elements, which is capable of deflecting light for each wavelength from the light condenser element, independently for each wavelength,
an output port which receives light for each wavelength which has been deflected by the light deflecting member, and
a driving mechanism which drives at least the light deflecting member, and
wherein drive of the light deflecting member by the driving mechanism is a translational drive in a direction of dispersion of wavelength with respect to the substrate, wherein the plurality of deflecting elements are driven as a whole.
2. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 1 , wherein the following expression (1) is satisfied for all ν iL ≦ν i ν iH-1 and T L <T<T H ,
S
(
v
iL
,
T
)
S
(
v
i
,
T
)
_
-
S
(
v
iL
,
T
L
)
S
(
v
i
,
T
L
)
_
S
(
v
i
,
T
L
)
S
(
v
i
+
1
,
T
L
)
_
≤
0.05
(
1
)
where,
ν i denotes a grid frequency,
ν iL denotes the lowest grid frequency of a spectral band,
ν iH denotes the highest grid frequency of the usable band,
iL, i, and iH denote integer numbers which satisfy a relationship iL≦i≦iH,
ν i <ν i+1 ,
T denotes a temperature,
T L denotes a lowest temperature in a range of a operating temperature,
T H denotes a highest temperature in the range of the operating temperature,
T L <T<T H ,
S(ν i , T) is a point of intersection of a principal ray of light of the frequency ν i at temperature T, and a plane overlapping with the light deflecting member, and
a distance between two points S 1 and S 2 is expressed by the following expression (2),
S 1 S 2 (2).
3. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 2 , comprising:
a temperature measuring section which measures a temperature inside an apparatus; and
a control section which receives temperature information from the temperature measuring section, and makes the driving mechanism drive by a drive amount based on the temperature information.
4. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 2 , wherein the driving mechanism includes an expanding and contracting member which expands and contracts according to a change in the temperature.
5. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 1 , wherein the following expression (3) is satisfied for all ν iL ≦ν i ≦ν iH-1 and T L <T<T H ,
θ
G
(
v
i
,
T
)
-
θ
G
(
v
i
,
T
L
)
θ
G
(
v
i
,
T
L
)
-
θ
G
(
v
i
+
1
,
T
L
)
≤
0.05
(
3
)
where,
θ G (ν i , T) is an angle of deflection by the deflecting element of light of frequency ν i at temperature T.
6. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 5 , comprising:
a temperature measuring section which measures a temperature inside an apparatus; and
a control section which receives temperature information from the temperature measuring section, and makes the driving mechanism drive by a drive amount based on the temperature information.
7. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 5 , wherein the driving mechanism includes an expanding and contracting member which expands and contracts according to a change in the temperature.
8. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 1 , wherein the dispersive element is further driven by a rotational drive around an axis perpendicular to the substrate.
9. The wavelength selective switch according to claim 1 , wherein the light condenser element is further driven by an additional translational drive in a direction of dispersion of wavelength with respect to the substrate.
10. A wavelength selective switch including a substrate,
wherein, on the substrate, the wavelength selective switch comprising:
at least one input port from which, wavelength-multiplexed light is made to be incident in the wavelength selective switch,
a dispersive element which receives the light from the input port, and disperses the light,
a light condenser element which converges light for each wavelength which has been dispersed by the light dispersive element,
a light deflecting member including a plurality of deflecting elements, which is capable of deflecting light for each wavelength from the light condenser element, independently for each wavelength,
an output port which receives light for each wavelength which has been deflected by the light deflecting member, and
a driving mechanism which drives at least the dispersive element, and
wherein drive of the dispersive element by the driving mechanism is a rotational drive around an axis perpendicular to the substrate.
11. A wavelength selective switch including a substrate,
wherein, on the substrate, the wavelength selective switch comprising:
at least one input port from which, wavelength-multiplexed light is made to be incident in the wavelength selective switch,
a dispersive element which receives the light from the input port, and disperses the light,
a light condenser element which converges light for each wavelength which has been dispersed by the light dispersive element,
a light deflecting member including a plurality of deflecting elements, which is capable of deflecting light for each wavelength from the light condenser element, independently for each wavelength,
an output port which receives light for each wavelength which has been deflected by the light deflecting member, and
a driving mechanism which drives at least the light condenser element, and
wherein drive of the light condenser element by the driving mechanism is a translational drive in a direction of dispersion of wavelength with respect to the substrate.