Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc.

Alfred J Thelen

John A Aguilera

James N Grant

George Eugene Michel

A thin film optical filter having a bandpass reflectance characteristic with one of the transition wavelength edges thereof being non-polarizing for radiation incident at a preselected non-normal angle. The filter comprises a transparent substrate and a multilayer thin film optical coating provided on one surface thereof. The optical coating includes a preselected number of alternate layers of a first higher refractive index dielectric material and a second lower refractive index dielectric material arranged as a sequence of dielectric multilayer stacks with intervening spacer layers formed of one of the dielectric materials. The optical thickness of the spacer layers is detuned from half-wave optical thickness to shift either the low wavelength transition edges or the high wavelength transition edges for the separate bandpass response characteristics for the two principal polarization planes substantially into alignment with each other. Various other dielectric stack designs utilizing detuned layers to accomplish the same alignment of wavelength transition edges are described. Simplex and duplex fiber optic communications systems utilizing non-polarizing edge filters of the thin film type are also disclosed.

Non-polarizing thin film edge filter

In vapor deposition apparatus, a plurality of spaced substrates on a rotatable horizontally disposed support, a vapor source disposed below said support and offset with respect to the axis of rotation of the support, and a mask extending approximately 180.degree. which is uniformly disposed and diametrically opposed with respect to said source whereby the effective vapor stream is generally normal to exposed substrates. A continuously exposed monitor chip is provided.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Rosa, CA, United States of America

Alfred J Thelen