Optical inputs to photonic switches may incorporate a polarization controller in order to change the polarization of the input signal to a pre-determined polarization for operation with the silicon photonics. A last stage of components of the polarization controller may overlap with a first input switching stage. A polarization controller that overlaps with the first stage of the switch input may provide lower insertion loss and power consumption for the photonic switch.

The disclosed system implements a bandwidth-reconfigurable optical interconnect, which couples optical signals between N interconnect inputs and N interconnect outputs. The system includes an arrayed waveguide grating router (AWGR), which provides cyclic, single-wavelength, all-to-all routing between N AWGR inputs and N AWGR outputs. The system also includes a wavelength-insensitive switch, which provides all-wavelength, all-to-all connectivity between N wavelength-insensitive inputs and N wavelength-insensitive outputs. The system additionally includes a wavelength-selective input switch, which selectively directs up to L wavelengths from each of the N interconnect inputs into a corresponding input of the wavelength-insensitive switch, wherein unselected wavelengths from each of the N interconnect inputs pass into a corresponding AWGR input. Finally, the system includes a wavelength-selective output switch, which selectively directs up to L wavelengths from each of the N wavelength-insensitive outputs into a corresponding interconnect output, wherein each of the N AWGR outputs pass into a corresponding interconnect output.

A data communication system for transmitting packets over one or more optical fibers includes a transponder with a number of digital signal processors that transmit data packets on different optical channels. The transponder includes a switch that receives a data packet on an input and selects one of the digital signal processors to transmit the packet based on quality metrics for the different optical channels and/or information included in an OSI header for the data packet.

Methods and systems for bias control in an optical switch fabric include monitoring optical power at outputs of a plurality of switch elements in an N×N switch fabric that has N inputs, N outputs, and M≧2 stages. A bias control of a first of the plurality of switch elements is adjusted. It is determined whether the optical power at the outputs of the first switch element after bias control adjustment conform more closely to a predetermined criterion relative to the monitored optical power at the outputs of the first switch element prior to adjustment. The adjusting and determining steps are repeated for each of the remainder of the plurality of switch elements.

A method for cross-talk correction of intensities measured on mutually separate detection wavelength bands is presented. Each detection wavelength band relates to one of analyte-specific probe-populations contained by a sample to be analyzed. Each probe-population is capable of emitting a first signal component and a second signal component whose spectra have maxima at different wavelengths and at least the first signal component is dependent on presence of analyte detectable with that probe-population. Cross-talk corrected intensities are computed on the basis of a) the intensities measured on the detection wavelength bands, b) a value indicative of intensity occurring on an auxiliary wavelength band outside the detection wavelength bands and at least partially caused by the second signal components, and c) pre-determined cross-talk parameters. For example in con-junction with FRET-based assays, the dependency of a background signal on the percentage of hybridized probes can be taken into account in the cross-talk correction.

An OLT comprises a processor configured to: obtain optical powers associated with ONUs, and generate an instruction instructing a transmit order of transmissions based on the optical powers; a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the instruction to the ONUs; and a receiver coupled to the processor and configured to receive the transmissions from the ONUs based on the instruction. An apparatus comprises a receiver configured to receive an instruction instructing a transmit order of transmissions based on optical powers associated with ONUs; a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to process the instruction; and a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit a transmission based on the instruction.

An optical node device includes one or more input-side wavelength selection switches, a plurality of output-side wavelength selection switches, and an amplification unit. The input-side wavelength selection switches include a plurality of output ports, separate input light in accordance with a wavelength, and output the separated light from the output port corresponding to an output destination of the separated light. The output-side wavelength selection switches include input ports each receiving the light output from each of the one or more input-side wavelength selection switches, multiplex the light received from the input ports, and output the light. The amplification unit amplifies the light output from each of the output ports of the input-side wavelength selection switches and outputs the amplified light to the output-side wavelength selection switch at the output destination corresponding to the output port.

Described are various configurations of reduced crosstalk optical switches. Various embodiments can reduce or entirely eliminate crosstalk using a coupler that has a power-splitting ratio that compensates for amplitude imbalance caused by phase modulator attenuation. Some embodiments implement a plurality of phase modulators and couplers as part of a dilated switch network to increase overall bandwidth and further reduce potential for crosstalk.

A wavelength cross-connect device performs a relay process in which multiple wavelength signal light beams that have been transmitted in multiple bands from a plurality of paths and demultiplexed into optical signals in the respective wavelength bands for each path are amplified, are switched to paths by contention WSSs, and are output to paths on the output side. A WXC unit performs the relay process on an optical signal in a specific wavelength band An input-side conversion unit that converts a wavelength band other than the specific wavelength band into the specific wavelength band is provided on the input side, and an output-side conversion unit that converts the specific wavelength band after the conversion into the wavelength band prior to the conversion is provided on the output side. A directly-input optical signal in the specific wavelength band is directly output after the relay process at the WXC unit.

An optical communication system including a hub optical transceiver, a power splitter, and a plurality of spoke transceivers. The hub optical transceiver is configured for receiving a spectrum of wavelengths. The power splitter is coupled to the hub optical transceiver, and operates as a passive device that is configured to replicate the spectrum of wavelengths and output a plurality of replicated spectrum of wavelengths, and each replicated spectrum of wavelengths has a corresponding power that is a fraction of a total power received from the hub optical transceiver. The plurality of spoke transceivers is coupled to the power splitter and each of the plurality of spoke transceivers is configured to receive a corresponding one of the plurality of replicated spectrum of wavelengths, wherein each spoke transceiver is tunable to select a band of wavelengths that set a bandwidth for the each spoke transceiver.