Patent ID: 6487335
Filing Date: 2002-11-26
Classification: G02B,H04J

Abstract:
A system for processing light, the system comprising:an (N+1)-stage fiber optic cascade structure, numbered n=0, 1, 2, . . . , N with N&gE;5, with stage number 0 being a light input channel, with stage number nâ€²(1&lE;nâ€²&lE;N) having 2n fiber optic channels and each channel in each stage nâ€³ being connected to two channels in stage nâ€³+1(nâ€³=0, 1, 2, . . . , Nâˆ’1) by a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, referred to as an â€œMZIâ€ ; a first filter array, positioned in a selected stage n1 and including 2n1 selected Fabry-Perot etalons, referred to as â€œFPEs,â€  with each FPE in stage n1 having transmission minima at a first selected sequence of wavelengths and being positioned in one of the 2n1 channels of stage n1, where n1 lies in the range 0&lE;n1&lE;N1, where N1&lE;N; a second filter array, positioned in a selected stage n2 and including 2n2 selected MZI filters, each MZI filter having transmission maxima at a second selected sequence of wavelengths and being positioned in one of the 2n2 channels of stage n2, where n2 lies in the range 0&lE;n2&lE;N2; where N2 &lE;N; and a third filter array, positioned in a selected stage n3 and including 2n3 selected FPEs, with each FPE in stage n3 having transmission maxima at a third selected sequence of wavelengths and being positioned in one of the 2n3 channels of stage n3, where n3 lies in the range 0&lE;n3&lE;N3, where N3&lE;N.