Waveguide shuffle blocks (WSBs) are provided that may incorporate waveguides routed in any pattern to effectuate many-to-many connectivity between optical cables/fibers or other WSBs connected thereto. Such WSBs may be configured in ways that allow the WSBs to be stacked and to achieve effective optical cable/fiber organization. Moreover, such WSBs may include readable tags that can provide information regarding a particular WSB configuration and/or what optical cables/fibers are connected so that network topology can be discovered and monitored. Some WSBs may be configured as wavelength shifting shuffles (WSSs) that allow a particular wavelength(s) of an optical signal(s) to be routed as desired and/or alter a first wavelength associated with a particular optical signal to a second wavelength. In other embodiments WSSs can be configured to allow for wavelength multiplexing/demultiplexing.

A high-performance optical and electronic integrated switch capable of effectively extending the transmission distance includes a network processor that controls the functions of the packet switch, a plurality of optical transceivers provided near the processor and having a photoelectric conversion function, and an optical relay switch. A plurality of optical waveguides are connected to the input and output sides of the optical relay switch. Each optical transceiver has a regeneration function that performs optical-electrical conversion on inputted optical signals, then turns back the converted signals, and performs signal conversion on them, and its input side is connected with a routing optical waveguide included in the optical waveguides on the output side of the switch and its output side is connected with a routing optical waveguide included in the optical waveguides on the input side of the switch. The optical waveguides include ones for connecting to an external communication counterpart.

The disclosure is directed to an optical telecommunications system which includes a central node and a plurality of user nodes. The central node provides the light necessary to enable communication between the user nodes. Within the central node is a multi-wavelength source, providing lights at different wavelengths, along with a wavelength selector. The wavelength selector selects one of the lights at different wavelengths from the multi-wavelength source for delivery to the user nodes such that the user nodes then modulate this light for transmission between nodes.

Embodiments of present invention provide a digital dispersion compensation module. The digital dispersion compensation module includes a multi-port optical circulator and a plurality of dispersion compensation units connected to the multi-port optical circulator, wherein at least one of the plurality of dispersion compensation units includes a first and a second reflectively terminated element and an optical switch being capable of selectively connecting to one of the first and second reflectively terminated elements, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of dispersion compensation units is adapted to provide a substantially zero dispersion to an optical signal, coming from the multi-port optical circulator, when the optical switch connects to the first reflectively terminated element and is adapted to provide a non-zero dispersion to the optical signal when the optical switch connects to the second reflectively terminated element.

Waveguide shuffle blocks (WSBs) are provided that may incorporate waveguides routed in any pattern to effectuate many-to-many connectivity between optical cables/fibers or other WSBs connected thereto. Such WSBs may be configured in ways that allow the WSBs to be stacked and to achieve effective optical cable/fiber organization. Moreover, such WSBs may include readable tags that can provide information regarding a particular WSB configuration and/or what optical cables/fibers are connected so that network topology can be discovered and monitored. Some WSBs may be configured as wavelength shifting shuffles (WSSs) that allow a particular wavelength(s) of an optical signal(s) to be routed as desired and/or alter a first wavelength associated with a particular optical signal to a second wavelength. In other embodiments WSSs can be configured to allow for wavelength multiplexing/demultiplexing.

In one embodiment, an optical network system including a plurality of optical switches configured to switch beams of light which are modulated to carry information, a plurality of host computers comprising respective optical network interface controllers (NICs), optical fibers connecting the optical NICs and the optical switches forming an optically-switched communication network, over which optical circuit connections are established between pairs of the optical NICs over ones of the optical fibers via ones of the optical switches, the optically-switched communication network which including the optical NICs and the optical switches.

Embodiments of the invention describe apparatuses, optical systems, and methods for utilizing a dynamically reconfigurable optical transmitter. A laser array outputs a plurality of laser signals (which may further be modulated based on electrical signals), each of the plurality of laser signals having a wavelength, wherein the wavelength of each of the plurality of laser signals is tunable based on other electrical signals. An optical router receives the plurality of (modulated) laser signals at input ports and outputs the plurality of received (modulated) laser signals to one or more output ports based on the tuned wavelength of each of the plurality of received laser signals. This reconfigurable transmitter enables dynamic bandwidth allocation for multiple destinations via the tuning of the laser wavelengths.

A system for optically aligning a photonics die to a fiber array, the fiber array comprising a first and a second fiber channels, the system comprising: the photonics die having: a first and a second optical channels; a first and a second wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) couplers each comprising a bar port, a cross port, and a common port, the first and the second WDM couplers being optically connected to the first and the second optical channels, respectively, via the bar ports and the common ports; and a waveguide crossing optically connecting the cross ports of the first and the second WDM couplers; the system being adapted to couple an optical signal received from the first fiber channel into the cross port of the first WDM coupler and into the waveguide crossing, the optical signal being propagated from the waveguide crossing into the cross port of the second WDM coupler.

A system for optically aligning a photonics die to a fiber array, the fiber array comprising a first and a second fiber channels, the system comprising: the photonics die having: a first and a second optical channels; a first and a second wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) couplers each comprising a bar port, a cross port, and a common port, the first and the second WDM couplers being optically connected to the first and the second optical channels, respectively, via the bar ports and the common ports; and a waveguide crossing optically connecting the cross ports of the first and the second WDM couplers; the system being adapted to couple an optical signal received from the first fiber channel into the cross port of the first WDM coupler and into the waveguide crossing, the optical signal being propagated from the waveguide crossing into the cross port of the second WDM coupler.

Embodiments of the invention describe apparatuses, optical systems, and methods for utilizing a dynamically reconfigurable optical transmitter. A laser array outputs a plurality of laser signals (which may further be modulated based on electrical signals), each of the plurality of laser signals having a wavelength, wherein the wavelength of each of the plurality of laser signals is tunable based on other electrical signals. An optical router receives the plurality of (modulated) laser signals at input ports and outputs the plurality of received (modulated) laser signals to one or more output ports based on the tuned wavelength of each of the plurality of received laser signals. This reconfigurable transmitter enables dynamic bandwidth allocation for multiple destinations via the tuning of the laser wavelengths.