SBIR Phase II: Voltage Tunable Micro-Ring Resonators: Low-Cost, Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drops

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目需要使用正在申请专利的EO波导微环技术来设计和制造与偏振无关的光纤波长选择交换机，这是在第一阶段开展的工作的结果。该方法是电光的，而不是热光的，并且运行的功耗可以忽略不计(第一阶段证明每环30微瓦)，快速开关(证明100微秒)，更大的折射率调制(证明DN 0.01，更有可能)，并且重要的是，将能够实现有源偏振相关损耗(PDL)补偿。这将取代热光调谐环形谐振器，后者只提供有限的可调性(dN/dt=~1.5x10-5/oC)、较慢的调谐时间(典型情况下为3毫秒)、高度的偏振相关性(不可能进行有源PDL补偿)，以及令人望而却步的功耗(每环约0.5瓦)。在上个世纪，低功率晶体管取代了耗电的真空管，从而开启了集成电子学的时代。以类似的方式，低功率LC-光波导有可能取代高功率热光学器件(提供10,000的功率节约)，从而打开集成光学器件的应用和市场。在第二阶段，我们将把第一阶段的可行性演示转变为功能齐全的成套原型。随着计算能力和带宽的持续增长(例如，流媒体)，将需要低成本的电光过滤和交换系统来满足光纤到户和“最后一英里”的部署需求。自2002年以来，美国和欧洲部署的长途密集波分复用(DWDM)系统几乎完全由可重构光分插复用器(ROADM)构建。典型的部署系统通过读取传入的光信号并将其转换为电信号来工作，然后电信号可以被路由。由可调谐激光器阵列执行回光转换。这种强力方法虽然提供了有用的性能，但对于小型网络部署来说，成本令人望而却步。根据领先的市场研究公司Infonetics的数据，2005年支持ROADM的设备市场规模几乎达到6亿美元，是早先预测的三倍。总体而言，增长将取决于ROADMS技术的可负担性和可靠性，特别是在地铁和接入空间内。本提案中概述的技术如果成功，将通过在保持性能和可靠性的同时降低成本，贡献一种新的、内在灵活的全光解决方案。除了ROADM，电压可调的微环还将支持一系列有用的设备，从光谱滤光器到光学交叉连接，再到路由器，仅举几例。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project entails the design and building of polarization independent, fiberdized, wavelength selective switches using patent pending EO-waveguide micro-ring technology developed and demonstrated as a result of work carried out under Phase I. The approach is electro-optic, rather than thermo-optic, and operates with negligible power consumption ( 30 microwatts per ring demonstrated in phase I), fast switching ( 100 microseconds demonstrated), larger index modulation (dn 0.01 demonstrated, more possible) and importantly, will enable active polarization dependent loss (PDL) compensation. This will replace thermo-optically tuned ring resonators, which have provided only limited tunability (dn/dt =~ 1.5 x 10-5/oC), slower tuning times ( 3 milliseconds typical), high polarization dependency (no active PDL compensation possible), and are prohibitively power consumptive ( ~~ 0.5 Watts per ring).In the last century the low power transistor replaced the power hungry vacuum tube, thereby ushering in the age of integrated electronics. In a similar fashion, low-power LC-waveguides have the potential to replace high-power thermo-optics (providing a power savings of 10,000), thereby opening up applications and markets for integrated optics. In phase II we will transition our phase I feasibility demonstration into a fully functioning and packaged prototype. As computing power and bandwidth continue to grow (e.g., streaming media), low-cost electro-optical filtering and switching systems will be required to satisfy pending fiber-to-the-home and "last mile" deployment needs. Since 2002, United States and European deployment of long-haul dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems have been almost entirely constructed from reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (ROADM). A typical deployed system works by reading incoming optical signals and converting them to electrical signals, which can then be routed. Conversion back to optical is performed by an array of tunable lasers. This brute force method, while providing useful performance, is cost prohibitive for small network deployment. According to Infonetics, a leading market research firm, the ROADM-enabled equipment market size nearly reached $600 million in 2005, tripling earlier forecasts. Over all growth will be determined by affordability and reliability of ROADMs technology, especially within the metro and access space. The technology outlined in this proposal if successful will contribute a new and inherently agile all optical solution by reducing cost while maintaining performance and reliability. In addition to ROADMs, the voltage tunable micro-rings will enable a wide array of useful devices, ranging from spectral filters, to optical cross-connects, to routers, to name only a few.