IP Library Granted Patent US 12,169,306
Granted Patent B2
US 12,169,306 · App. 17/795,947 · Granted Dec 17, 2024

Mode multiplexer/demultiplexer using metamaterials for optical communication system, and optical communication

Inventors: Federico Capasso (Cambridge, MA); Wei-Ting Chen (Plainsboro, NJ); Paulo Clovis Dainese, Jr. (Painted Post, NY); Kangmei Li (San Jose, CA); Ming-Jun Li (Horseheads, NY); Jaewon Oh (Cambridge, MA); Jun Yang (Horseheads, NY)
Assignees: CORNING INCORPORATED; President and Fellows of Harvard College
G02B6/29367G02B1/002G02B6/2938
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,169,306
App. No.
17/795,947
Granted
Dec 17, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

An optical system, comprising: (i) multiple input optical fibers; (ii) an optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer coupled to said input optical fibers with, said optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer comprising a plurality of metamaterial structures having length and forming at least one stage of metamaterials, the at least one stage of metamaterials is being situated on a surface of the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer facing the input optical fibers, and the at least one stage of metamaterials is oriented at angles between 60 and 120 degrees relative to the axis of the input fibers; and the metasurfaces are structured to receive a first optical signal having a first mode from at least one of said multiple input optical fibers and convert the first mode to a different mode.

Claims (58)

1. An optical system, comprising:

(i) multiple input optical fibers;

(ii) an optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer coupled to said input optical fibers said optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer comprising a plurality of metamaterial structures having length l and forming at least one stage of metamaterials having a length L and a width W, and

a. the at least one stage of metamaterials is being situated on a surface of the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer facing the input optical fibers, and the length L of the at least one stage of metamaterials is oriented at angles between 60 and 120 degrees relative to the axis of the input fibers; and

b. the metasurfaces are structured to receive a first optical signal having a first mode from at least one of said multiple input optical fibers and convert the first mode to a different mode.

2. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one stage of metamaterials is oriented at angles between 70 and 110 degrees relative to the axis of the input fibers.

3. The optical system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one stage of metamaterials is oriented at angles between 80 and 100 degrees relative to the axis of the input fibers.

4. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one stage of metamaterials is not oriented at a normal angle relative to the axis of the input fibers.

5. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one stage of metamaterials is oriented at a 89 degree to 91 degree angle relative to the axis of the input fiber.

6. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one stage of metamaterials is oriented at a normal angle relative to the axis of the input fibers.

7. The optical system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one multicore or multimode fiber optically coupled to said optical mode multiplexer, wherein said at least one multicore or multimode fiber receives the output light beam from said optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer.

8. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the input optical fibers are adhered directly to an input surface of the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer.

9. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein the said input optical fibers are coupled to the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer through a connector interface.

10. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality metamaterial structures have the length l, wherein 5 μm>l>100 nm, and the lengths of said plurality of metamaterial structures are oriented normal to the substrate.

11. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality metamaterial structures have the length l, wherein 5 μm>l>100 nm, and the lengths of said plurality of metamaterial structures are oriented parallel to the axes of the input optical fibers.

12. The optical system of claim 1 , wherein 100 mm >L>10 um, and 100 mm>W>10 um.

13. An optical system, comprising:

(i) multiple input optical fibers;

(ii) an optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer coupled to said input optical fibers, said optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer comprising a plurality of metamaterial structures having length l and forming at least one stage of metamaterials having a length L and a width W, and

a. the at least one stage of metamaterials is being situated on a surface of the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer facing the input optical fibers, and the length L of the at least one stage of metamaterials is oriented at angles between 60 and 120 degrees relative to the axis of the input fibers; and

b. the metasurfaces are structured to receive a first optical signal having a first mode from at least one of said multiple input optical fibers and convert the first mode to a different mode,

the optical system further comprising at least one multicore or multimode fiber and,

wherein said at least one multicore or multimode fiber is coupled to said optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer and receives said different mode from said optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer without any focusing lenses being situated between said least one multicore or multimode fiber and the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer.

14. An optical system, comprising:

(i) N input optical fibers wherein said input optical fibers are single mode fibers and N≥2;

(ii) an optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer coupled to the input optical fibers and comprising M metamaterial stages, wherein M≥2;

(iii) and at least one multicore or multimode fiber coupled to the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer wherein the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer is configured to covert single mode inputs received from the input optical fibers into N different spatial modes, and transmit them over the multicore or multimode fiber;

(iv) said optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer comprising a plurality of metamaterial structures having length l and forming at least one stage of metamaterials having a length L and a width W, and

a. the at least one stage of metamaterials is being situated on a surface of the optical mode multiplexer or demultiplexer facing the input optical fibers, and the length L of the at least one face of one stage of metamaterials is oriented at angles between 60 and 120 degrees relative to the axis of the input fibers; and

the metasurfaces are configured are structured to receive a first optical signal having a first mode from at least one of said multiple input optical fibers and convert the first mode to a different mode.

15. The optical system according to claim 14 , wherein the metamaterial stages comprise a plurality of metamaterial structures having length l, 5 μm>1>100 nm.

16. An optical system, comprising:

(i) N input optical fibers wherein said input optical fibers are single mode fibers and N≥2;

(ii) an optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer coupled to the input optical fibers and comprising M metamaterial stages, wherein M≥2;

(iii) and at least one multicore or multimode fiber coupled to the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer wherein the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer is configured to covert single mode inputs received from the input optical fibers into N different spatial modes, and transmit them over the multicore or multimode fiber

(iv) said optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer comprising a plurality of metamaterial structures having length/and forming at least one stage of metamaterials having a length L and a width W, and

a. the at least one stage of metamaterials is being situated on a surface of the optical mode multiplexer or demultiplexer facing the input optical fibers, and the length L of the at least one face of one stage of metamaterials is oriented at angles between 60 and 120 degrees relative to the axis of the input fibers; and

b. the metasurfaces are configured are structured to receive a first optical signal having a first mode from at least one of said multiple input optical fibers and convert the first mode to a different mode,

wherein the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer is coupled directly to the input optical fibers with no focusing lenses situated there between.

17. An optical system, comprising:

(i) multiple input optical fibers;

(ii) an optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer coupled to said input optical fibers with, said optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer comprising a plurality of metamaterial structures arranged in a A by B array, wherein A≥3 and B≥3, the metamaterial structures forming at least one stage of metamaterials, and

a. the at least one stage of metamaterials is being situated on a surface of the optical mode multiplexer/demultiplexer such that plane of the metasurface is oriented at angles between 60 and 120 degrees relative to the axis of the input fibers; and

b. the metasurfaces are structured to receive a first optical signal having a first mode from at least one of said multiple input optical fibers and convert the first mode to a different mode.

18. The optical system of claim 17 , wherein the at least one stage of metamaterials is oriented at angles between 70 and 110 degrees relative to the axis of the input fibers.

19. The optical system of claim 17 wherein the metamaterial structures have a length l, and 5 μm>l>100 nm.

20. The optical system of claim 17 , wherein A≥5, B≥5, and said plurality of metamaterial structures is greater than 500.

21. The optical system of claim 17 , wherein A≥5, B≥5, and said plurality of metamaterial structures is greater than 1000.

22. The optical system of claim 17 , wherein A≥5, B≥5, and said plurality of metamaterial structures is greater than 10,000.

23. The optical system of claim 17 , wherein A≥5, B≥5, and said plurality of metamaterial structures is greater than 100,000.

24. The optical system of claim 17 , wherein A≥5, B≥5, and said plurality of metamaterial structures is greater than 1,000,000.

25. The optical system of claim 17 wherein A≥10, B≥10, and said plurality of metamaterial structures is greater than 1,000,000.

26. The optical system of claim 17 wherein:

1,000,000>A≥10; 1,000,000>B≥10; and said plurality of metamaterial structures is greater than 1,000,000.

27. The optical system of claim 17 wherein a mode multiplexer/demultiplexer comprises a substrate having a thickness of >5 μm.

28. The optical system of claim 17 wherein mode a mode multiplexer/comprises a substrate having a thickness of >20 μm.

29. The optical system of claim 17 wherein mode a mode multiplexer/comprises a substrate having a thickness of >20 μm.

30. The optical system of claim 17 wherein mode a mode multiplexer/comprises a substrate having a thickness of >100 μm.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2024
From: DAINESE, PAULO CLOVIS, JR.; LI, KANGMEI; LI, MING-JUN; YANG, JUN
To: CORNING INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 067727/0583 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2024
From: CAPASSO, FEDERICO; OH, JAEWON; CHEN, WEI-TING
To: PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE
Reel/Frame 067727/0734 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 15, 2022
From: CAPASSO, FEDERICO; CHEN, WEI-TING; OH, JAEWON
To: PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE
Reel/Frame 061772/0574 →
Continuity (4)
Provisional Application 63085361 · Sep 30, 2020
Provisional Application 62968549 · Jan 31, 2020
Provisional Application 62968531 · Jan 31, 2020
Related Publication 20230088292A1 · Mar 23, 2023