Wss utilizing lcos arrays comprising rectangular pixels

Abstract

A liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) device includes a silicon substrate and a pair of electrodes including an upper and a lower electrode. The lower electrode is mounted to the silicon substrate and includes a two dimensional array of pixels extending in both a first and second dimension. LCOS device also includes a liquid crystal layer disposed between the upper and lower electrodes and configured to be driveable into a plurality of electrical states by drive signals provided to the pixels of the lower electrode. The pixels are rectangular in profile having longer sides in the first dimension than in the second dimension. Further, the two dimensional array includes a pixel pitch that is greater in the first dimension than in the second dimension.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) device comprising:
 a silicon substrate;   a pair of electrodes including a first electrode and a second electrode, the second electrode mounted to the silicon substrate and including a two-dimensional array of pixels extending in a first dimension along a dispersive axis of the LCOS device and along a second dimension along a switching axis of the LCOS device; and   a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and configured to be driveable into a plurality of electrical states by drive signals provided to the pixels of the second electrode;   wherein the pixels include a rectangular profile having longer sides in the first dimension than in the second dimension, and   wherein the two-dimensional array includes a pixel pitch of the pixels that is greater in the first dimension than in the second dimension.   
     
     
         2 . The LCOS device according to  claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional array of pixels has an aspect ratio that is non-standard display format. 
     
     
         3 . The LCOS device according to  claim 1 , configured for use in at least one of a non-display application, an optical switching device, and a wavelength selective switch. 
     
     
         4 . The LCOS device according to  claim 3 , wherein the second dimension is used for switching different wavelength channels between different ports in the wavelength selective switch. 
     
     
         5 . The LCOS device according to  claim 1 , wherein the pixel pitch in the first dimension is at least 1.3 times greater than the pixel pitch in the second dimension. 
     
     
         6 . The LCOS device according to  claim 1 , wherein the pixels have a length in the first dimension that is between 8 μm to 12 μm; and wherein the pixels have a length in the second dimension that is between 5 μm to 7 μm. 
     
     
         7 . The LCOS device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the two-dimensional array of pixels includes 1500 to 1900 pixels in the first dimension, and   wherein the two-dimensional array of pixels includes 2500 to 3000 pixels in the second dimension.   
     
     
         8 . A wavelength selective switch incorporating a LCOS device according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         9 . A liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) device comprising a two-dimensional array of independently driveable pixels disposed on a silicon substrate, wherein a first pitch of the pixels in a first dimension across the two-dimensional array along a dispersive axis of the LCOS device is greater than a second pitch of the pixels in a second dimension across the two-dimensional array along a switching axis of the LCOS device. 
     
     
         10 . A liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) device for use in switching optical channels between a plurality of optical ports of one or more wavelength selective switch (WSS) devices, the LCOS device comprising:
 a silicon substrate;   a pair of electrodes including a first electrode and a second electrode, the second electrode mounted to the silicon substrate and including a two-dimensional array of pixels extending in a first dimension along a dispersive axis of the LCOS device and in a second dimension along a switching axis of the LCOS device; and   a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and configured to be driveable into a plurality of electrical states by drive signals provided to the pixels of the second electrode,   wherein a pitch of the pixels in one or two of the first dimension and the second dimension across the two-dimensional array is defined based on one or more characteristics of the one or more WSS devices.   
     
     
         11 . The LCOS device according to  claim 10 , wherein a shape of the pixels is defined based on the one or more characteristics of the one or more WSS devices. 
     
     
         12 . The LCOS device according to  claim 10 , wherein, as the one or more characteristics, the pitch of the pixels is defined based on at least one of:
 a number of optical ports;   a position of optical ports;   an overall size of the one or more WSS devices;   a target power consumption value of the one or more WSS devices;   a number of optical channels; and   a bandwidth of collective optical channels to be switched by the one or more WSS devices.   
     
     
         13 . The LCOS device according to  claim 1 , wherein a total number of the pixels in the first dimension along the dispersive axis is defined based upon a preset ratio of pixels/GHz of a frequency range by which optical signals are transmitted. 
     
     
         14 . The LCOS device according to  claim 1 , wherein a minimum number of the pixels along the switching axis is proportional to the largest switching angle of the WSS device. 
     
     
         15 . The LCOS device according to  claim 9 , wherein a total number of the pixels in the first dimension along the dispersive axis is defined based upon a preset ratio of pixels/GHz of a frequency range by which optical signals are transmitted. 
     
     
         16 . The LCOS device according to  claim 10 , wherein a total number of the pixels in the first dimension along the dispersive axis is defined based upon a preset ratio of pixels/GHz of a frequency range by which optical signals are transmitted. 
     
     
         17 . The LCOS device according to  claim 10 , wherein a minimum number of the pixels along the switching axis is proportional to the largest switching angle of the one or more WSS devices. 
     
     
         18 . The LCOS device according to  claim 10 , wherein, as the one or more characteristics, a number of the pixels extending in the second dimension along the switching axis is defined by a range of switching angles required to switch optical channels between optical ports of the one or more WSS devices. 
     
     
         19 . The LCOS device according to  claim 10 , wherein, as the one or more characteristics, a number of the pixels extending in the second dimension along the switching axis is defined by a port isolation requirement between adjacent ones of optical ports of the one or more WSS devices. 
     
     
         20 . The LCOS device according to  claim 10 , wherein, as the one or more characteristics, dimensions of the pixels extending in the second dimension along the switching axis is defined by one or more of desired frame rates, data rates, and pixel level resolution of the one or more WSS devices.