Patent ID: 7450857

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising a free-space optical fan-out and broadcast interconnect including: a plurality of nodes positioned to define a node array, each of the plurality of nodes having an optical signal emitter and a plurality of optical signal receivers, the plurality of optical signal receivers positioned to define an individual receiver array that with regard to image forming geometry substantially corresponds to the node array, wherein the optical signal emitter of all of the plurality of nodes and the plurality of optical signal receivers of all of the plurality of nodes are substantially coplanar; a plurality of optics optically coupled to the array of nodes, the plurality of optics positioned to define an optics array whose members with regard to image forming geometry substantially correspond to the nodes of the node array, each of the plurality of optics including a diverging element and a light collecting and focusing element, wherein the diverging elements of the optics array with regard to image forming geometry substantially correspond to the optical receivers of each node of the node array, wherein the diverging element of all of the plurality of optics and the light collecting and focusing element of all of the plurality of optics are substantially coplanar, wherein an optical signal from the optical signal emitter is fanned-out by the diverging element of one of the optics and broadcast to one of the plurality of receivers of all of the plurality of nodes by the light collecting and focusing element of all of the plurality of optics; and a reflective structure optically coupled to the array of optics, wherein the optical signal is reflected by the reflective structure after the optical signal is fanned-out.