Fault-tolerant polarization-insensitive photonic delay line architectures using two-dimensional digital micromirror devices

A binary multichannel photonic delay line (PDL) module is introduced that gives balanced loss switched states and a polarization-insensitive operation via the use of binary operation Digital Micromirror Devices (DMDs). Experimental demonstration of a DMD-based PDL architecture is performed for a 6.84-ns time delay design. Experimental results include a 25-beam feed interchannel crosstalk test indicating a <-60 dB optical interchannel crosstalk level for a 0.381 mm interchannel distance in the multichannel PDL. An average optical signal-to-leakage noise ratio of 35.33 dB is measured for this PDL. A butterfly design PDL optical architecture is proposed for minimizing loss and improving assembly accuracy. These DMD-based variable PDLs can be used in applications ranging from radio frequency (RF) fiber-optic signal processing systems to adaptive optics for astronomical and laser radar arrays.