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）第二阶段项目需要设计和建设偏振无关，光纤化，波长选择开关使用正在申请专利的EO波导微环技术开发和展示，作为第一阶段工作的结果。该方法是电光的，而不是热光的，并且以可忽略的功耗（在阶段I中展示的每环30微瓦）、快速切换（展示的100微秒）、更大的折射率调制（展示的dn 0.01，更可能）操作，并且重要的是，将实现主动偏振相关损耗（PDL）补偿。这将取代热光调谐环形谐振器，它只提供有限的可调谐性（dn/dt =~ 1.5 x 10-5/oC），调谐时间较慢（典型值为3毫秒），高偏振依赖性（不可能进行有源PDL补偿），并且功耗过高（每环~~ 0. 5瓦）。在上个世纪，低功率晶体管取代了耗电的真空管，从而迎来了集成电子时代。以类似的方式，低功率LC波导有可能取代高功率热光学（节省10，000的功率），从而为集成光学打开应用和市场。在第二阶段，我们将把第一阶段的可行性论证转变为一个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），低成本的电光滤波和交换系统将被要求满足即将到来的光纤到户和“最后一英里”部署需求。自2002年以来，美国和欧洲部署的长距离密集波分复用（DWDM）系统几乎完全由可重构光分插复用器（ROADM）构成。典型的部署系统通过阅读传入的光信号并将其转换为电信号来工作，然后可以路由电信号。转换回光学是由可调谐激光器阵列执行的。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过高。根据领先的市场研究公司Infonetics的数据，2005年支持ROADM的设备市场规模接近6亿美元，是先前预测的三倍。总的来说，增长将取决于ROADM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，将通过降低成本，同时保持性能和可靠性，提供一种新的固有灵活的全光学解决方案。除了ROADM之外，电压可调微环还将使各种有用的设备成为可能，从光谱滤波器到光交叉连接，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.