RESUMO
An optical backplane design based on gradient-index lenses is described. This design is based on a tapped bus architecture and offers an affordable and efficient card-to-card communication method. It was found that the use of gradient-index lenses reduced the alignment tolerances by a factor of 10 over an equivalent free-space model. Results from simulation and from the construction of a five-node, proof-of-concept demonstration unit are presented. The excess loss measured for the 25 different combinations varied from a low of 0.7 dB to a high of 4.0 dB.
RESUMO
This paper describes a solid state high speed fiber-optic switch based on dynamically alterable magnetic stripe domains that occur naturally in epitaxial films of rare-earth iron garnet. The array of stripe domains acts collectively as a Faraday effect phase diffraction grating that deflects visible and infrared radiation. Electrically derived magnetic fields in the plane of the film steer incident light from an input fiber to one of several output fibers. Reciprocity and wavelength sensitivity can be exploited for systems applications. Both theoretical and experimental results are presented.
