| US 7,542,686 B2 | ||
| Reset free devices | ||
| Christi Kay Madsen, South Plainfield, N.J. (US); and Albert Georg Peter Oswald, Dresden (Germany) | ||
| Assigned to Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc., Murray Hill, N.J. (US) | ||
| Filed on Aug. 31, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/930,248. | ||
| Application 10/930248 is a continuation in part of application No. 10/783516, filed on Feb. 20, 2004, abandoned. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2005/0185971 A1, Aug. 25, 2005 | ||
| Int. Cl. H04B 10/06 (2006.01); H04B 10/18 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 398—208 [398/214] | 17 Claims |
| 1. A process for operating on an incoming optical signal having a first state of polarization to produce an outgoing optical
signal having a second state of polarization different from said first state and further processing said outgoing signal,
said process comprising the steps of:
introducing said incoming signal having said first state of polarization to a series of physically coupled sequences, wherein:
(i) said series comprises at least two Type I sequences, at least two Type II sequences or at least one each of a Type I sequence
and a Type II sequence;
(ii) each Type I sequence comprises
two waveguiding structures,
wherein said two waveguiding structures are arranged to form a sequence of a first variable phase shifter, a variable optical
coupler, and a second variable phase shifter,
wherein each said variable phase shifter comprises two electrodes,
wherein said variable optical coupler is physically coupled between the two electrodes of said first variable phase shifter
and the two electrodes of said second variable phase shifter,
wherein a coupling strength of said variable optical coupler is variable in proportion to the phase shift of said first variable
phase shifter and the phase shift of the second variable phase shifter, wherein the phase shift of said first variable phase
shifter and the phase shift of the second variable phase shifter are substantially equal; and
(iii) each Type II sequence comprises
two waveguiding structures,
wherein said two waveguiding structures are arranged to form a sequence of a first variable optical coupler, a variable phase
shifter, and a second variable optical coupler,
wherein said variable phase shifter is coupled between said two variable optical couplers,
wherein said variable phase shifter comprises two electrodes,
wherein the two electrodes of said variable phase shifter is physically coupled between said first variable optical coupler
and said second variable optical coupler,
wherein a phase shift of said variable phase shifter is variable in proportion to the coupling strength of said first variable
optical coupler and the coupling strength of said second variable optical coupler, wherein the coupling strength of said first
variable optical coupler and the coupling strength of said second variable optical coupler are substantially equal;
controlling said sequences to operate without reset as allowed by said variable coupling strength of said variable optical
coupler of said Type I sequence or said variable phase shift of said variable phase shifter of said Type II sequence,
generating said outgoing optical signal having said second state of polarization from a combination of an output of said two
waveguiding structures of said at least two Type I sequences, said at least two Type II sequences or said at least one each
of a Type I sequence and a Type II sequence; and
further processing said outgoing signal.
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