Patent ID: 7116453

Claim:
A method, comprising: forming a configurable programmed holographic structure in at least a portion of an optical medium, the holographic structure comprising a set of diffractive elements; forming in the optical medium an input optical port for receiving into the holographic structure an input optical signal having an input spatial wavefront, an input optical spectrum, and an input temporal waveform; forming in the optical medium an output optical port for transmitting from the holographic structure an output optical signal having an output spatial wavefront, an output optical spectrum, and an output temporal waveform; and forming a control signal delivery structure operatively coupled to the holographic structure and arranged for altering the configuration of the configurable programmed holographic structure in response to an applied control signal; arranging the diffractive elements of the set so that, before or after altering the configuration, the diffractive elements of the set are collectively arranged so as to comprise temporal, spectral, or spatial transformation information; contouring and positioning each diffractive element of the set so that, before or after altering the configuration, each diffractive element of the set is individually contoured and positioned so as to reflectively image at least a portion of an input optical signal between the input optical port and the output optical port as the input optical signal propagates within the holographic structure; and arranging the diffractive elements of the set so that, before or after altering the configuration, the diffractive elements of the set are collectively arranged for transforming the imaged portions of the input optical signal into the output optical signal according to the transformation information as the optical signals propagate within the holographic structure between the input optical port and the output optical port.