DR. ALAN GERALD WILLNER, PH.D.
Social Work at Goldleaf Cir, Los Angeles, CA

6542650, Apr 1, 2003

Nov 30, 2000

09/727820

Reza Khosravani - Fremont CA
Paniz Ebrahimi - Los Angeles CA
Edem Ibragimov - Ellicott City MD
Alan E. Willner - Los Angeles CA
Curtis R. Menyuk - Silver Spring MD

University of Southern California - Los Angeles CA
University of Maryland Baltimore County - Baltimore MD

G02B 600

385 11, 385 28, 385 27, 385123, 359161, 359156

Techniques and devices for emulating polarization-mode dispersion in an optical signal that transmits through an optical fiber by using multiple birefringent wave-guiding sections that are interconnected to have adjustable polarization-changing connectors. The polarization of light transmitting from one section to another adjacent section can be modified differently between different adjacent sections according to a distribution function to produce one PMD state to represent one possible PMD state of a real PMD fiber. The connectors can be adjusted to produce different sets of polarization modifications to produce different PMD states to represent different possible PMD states of the real PMD fiber.

6603890, Aug 5, 2003

Mar 6, 2001

09/800761

Reza Khosravani - Lakewood CA
Steven A. Havstad - Lakewood CA
Yong-Won Song - Los Angeles CA
Paniz Ebrahimi - Los Angeles CA
Alan E. Willner - Los Angeles CA

University of Southern California - Los Angeles CA

G02B 600

385 11, 385 24, 385 27, 385122

Techniques for compensating for PMD in multiple WDM channels by processing all WDM channels in the same manner without demultpliexing the channels. A feedback control is provided to decrease the worst-case power penalty and the channel fading probability by optimizing over the entire group of WDM channels.

5546209, Aug 13, 1996

Mar 11, 1994

8/209866

Alan E. Willner - Los Angeles CA
Constance J. Chang-Hasnain - Stanford CA
James E. Leight - Pasadena CA

University of Southern California - Los Angeles CA
Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford University - Stanford CA

H04J 1400, G02B 2700

359115

Optical communication apparatus for simultaneously and reconfigurably establishing optical communication channels, comprises at least one light source and a plurality of wavelength-selective detectors optically associated with each light source, the detectors arranged one behind another. The apparatus uses wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) to facilitate simultaneous and reconfigurable communication of one-to-many 2-D optical planes. This advance dramatically increases the system functionality of optical-plane interconnects. Such a system is realized by incorporating several multiple wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL) into each transmitting pixel and incorporating wavelength selectivity into each subsequent detecting plane which will absorb one wavelength and be transparent to the rest; these structures can be fabricated by slightly modifying existing technology. This system allows for increased processing functionality of communicating both simultaneously and reconfigurably between many planes; broadcasting and dynamic independent interconnects are thus enabled.

6011885, Jan 4, 2000

Dec 13, 1997

8/990198

Joseph R. Dempewolf - Albuquerque NM
Robert K. Wade - Edgewood NM
Robert H. Dueck - Santa Ana CA
Boyd V. Hunter - Albuquerque NM
Alan E. Willner - Los Angeles CA

LightChip, Inc. - Salem NH

G02B 632

385 34

A wavelength division multiplexer integrating a dispersive element having a gradient refractive index with optical lenses to provide efficient coupling from a plurality of input optical fibers (each delivering a plurality of discrete wavelengths to the device) which are multiplexed to a single polychromatic beam for output to a single output optical fiber. The device comprises: (a) an input means for accepting a plurality of optical input beams of different wavelengths from a plurality of optical sources, the means including a planar front surface onto which the optical beams are incident; (b) a dispersive element comprising a radial (or axial) gradient refractive index for combining the plurality of optical input beams into a single optical beam and operatively associated with the planar front surface; (c) a coupler subsystem secured to the dispersive element and comprising (1) a first homogeneous index boot lens having a planar front surface onto which the single optical beam from the dispersive element is incident, (2) an axial gradient refractive index collimating lens affixed to the first homogeneous index boot lens, and (3) a planar back surface from which the single optical beam exits, operatively associated with the axial gradient refractive index collimating lens; and (d) an output means for outputting at least one multiplexed, polychromatic output beam to an optical receiver, the means including the planar back surface. The device is fully bi-directional and may be operated in the forward direction as a multiplexer and in the reverse direction as a demultiplexer.

7206517, Apr 17, 2007

Mar 15, 2002

10/099875

Qian Yu - Cupertino CA, US
Lianshan Yan - Los Angeles CA, US
Alan E. Willner - Los Angeles CA, US

University of Southern California (LA) - Los Angeles CA

H04B 10/00

398152

A multi-wavelength optical signal copropagates through a fiber-optic communication link with a continuous-wave ancillary wavelength having an unknown state of polarization (SOP), which is scrambled periodically in time. The instantaneous value of polarization dependent loss (PDL) in the ancillary wavelength is monitored in real time, and is used as an error signal to adjust at least one polarization controller. Polarization scrambling is performed by periodically changing the SOP with time, such that the polarization-scrambled optical signal covers approximately an entire Poincaré sphere surface, preferably uniformly, during each time period. At an optical node between fibers, an adjustable PDL compensator contains two ordered pairs each consisting of one polarization controller and one optical element introducing fixed PDL.

2013002, Jan 31, 2013

Mar 2, 2012

13/411390

Asher Voskoboinik - Los Angeles CA, US
Alan E. Willner - Los Angeles CA, US
Moshe Tur - Tel Aviv, IL

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - Los Angeles CA

G01D 5/32

73655

Methods and systems used to perform sweep-free stimulated Brillouin scattering-based fiber optical sensing are described. In one aspect, a method includes interrogating different parts of a Brillouin gain spectrum using multiple optical tones in an optical fiber. The interrogating includes sending at least two pump tones into the optical fiber from one end of the optical fiber, such that a frequency spacing between the pump tones is larger than a width of the Brillouin gain spectrum. The interrogating also includes sending at least two probe tones into the optical fiber from another end of the optical fiber, such that a frequency spacing between the probe tones is different from the frequency spacing between the pump tones. The method further includes generating a sensing output based on the interrogating.

7369766, May 6, 2008

Nov 15, 2002

10/298236

Joseph A. Bannister - Palos Verdes Estates CA, US
Joseph D. Touch - Manhattan Beach CA, US
Purushotham Kamath - San Jose CA, US
Aatash Patel - Iselin NJ, US
John E. McGeehan - Washington DC, US
Alan E. Willner - Los Angeles CA, US

University of Southern California - Los Angeles CA

H04B 10/00

398 51, 398 57

Systems and techniques to optically boost a router. In general, in one implementation, the technique includes: receiving an optical signal defining a packet of data, initiating electronic routing of the optical packet, and initiating optical routing of the optical packet. The optical routing involves determining forwarding information based on a routing field in the optical packet, and if optical forwarding is available, terminating the electronic routing of the packet before completion of the electronic routing, and forwarding the optical signal, which defines the packet, based on the determined forwarding information.

5982963, Nov 9, 1999

Feb 20, 1998

9/027345

Kai-Ming Feng - Alhambra CA
Jin-Xing Cai - Los Angeles CA
Alan Eli Willner - Los Angeles CA
Victor Grubsky - Los Angeles CA
Dmtry Starodubov - Los Angeles CA
Jack Feinberg - Manhattan Beach CA

University of Southern California - Los Angeles CA

G02B 634

385 37

A nonlinearly chirped fiber grating for achieving tunable dispersion compensation, chirp reduction in directly modulated diode lasers, and optical pulse manipulation. A dynamical dispersion compensation mechanism can be implemented in a fiber communication system based on such a nonlinearly chirped fiber grating.

7035538, Apr 25, 2006

Jul 8, 2002

10/191758

Alan E. Willner - Los Angeles CA, US
Qian Yu - Los Angeles CA, US
Zhongqi Pan - Los Angeles CA, US
Lianshan Yan - Los Angeles CA, US

University of Southern California - Los Angeles CA

H04B 10/08, H04B 17/00

398 29

Techniques for monitoring frequency-dependent parameter and optical property such as optical dispersion in a modulated optical signal with sidebands based on optical vestigial sideband filtering. Monitoring implementations for both chromatic dispersion and polarization-mode dispersion are described as examples.

6915040, Jul 5, 2005

Jun 13, 2002

10/172832

Alan E. Willner - Los Angeles CA, US
Yong-Won Song - Los Angeles CA, US
S.M. Reza Motaghian Nezam - Los Angeles CA, US

University of Southern California - Los Angeles CA

G20B006/34

385 37, 385 24, 385122

Techniques, devices, and systems for generating tunable dispersions to control or compensate for dispersions in optical signals by using wave-guiding grating elements with nonlinear group delays.