Lucent Technologies Inc.

Fitel USA Corporation

Inphase Technologies, Inc.

Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

Furukawa Electric North America, Inc.

Alcatel Lucent

Akonia Holographics LLC

Arturo Hale

Valerie Jeanne Kuck

Benjamin John Eggleton

Marcia Lea Schilling

Howard Edan Katz

Lisa Dhar

Melinda Lamont Schnoes

Anatoli A Abramov

Paul S Westbrook

Thomas Andrew Strasser

Ashish Madhukar Vengsarkar

Mark Anthony Paczkowski

Peter Gerald Simpkins

Charles Joseph Aloisio

Harvey Edward Bair

Charles Kerbage

Edwin Arthur Chandross

Joseph Shmulovich

Francis Michael Houlihan

Christi Kay Madsen

Carl Raymond Taylor

Rolando Patricio Espindola

Robert Scott Windeler

Lee L Blyler

Robert M Atkins

David S DeVincentis

Debra A Simoff

Sanjay Patel

Jon W Engelberth

Edward J Laskowski

Sandra Greenberg Kosinski

Joel Leslie Mock

Steven Herbert Simon

Ronald Edward Scotti

Lee Landis Blyler, Jr

John F Malluck

Glen Robert Kowach

Robert C Moore

Priya L Tabaddor

Xina Shu-Wen Quan

Richard Tobias Olsson

Sharad Ramanathan

Hakan Tornqvist

Ashish Ahuja

Stephen Reid Popielarski

Michael Santo

Robert David Beyers

Frank Calabrese

Kaushik Chakrabarty

Justin D Ging

Salvatore J Messana

Steven Cabot

A microstructured optical waveguide is formed to include a periodic sequence of 'plugs' of optically active material within the inner cladding air tunnels. The plugs are utilized as a grating structure for generating resonant and periodic structures. The waveguide (in one embodiment, an optical fiber) is tunable by changing the spacing of the plugs (e.g., heating the structure, changing the pressure within the structure, etc.), or by modifying the initial spacing of the plugs during the formation of the microstructured optical waveguide (i.e., by modifying the 'dipping frequency' of the waveguide into a reservoir of optically active material). In general, any number of different types of optically active material may be used to form the plugs, where two or more different materials may be used in the same structure, and introduced in an alternating fashion.

Microstructured optical waveguide for providing periodic and resonant structures

A fiber optic attenuating element is formed of a thermoplastic polymer having (i) a refractive index in the range of between about 1.42 and 1.47 as measured at a temperature of 23&#xb0; C. and a wavelength of 1550 nm, (ii) a glass transition temperature of at least 105&#xb0; C., and (iii) an intrinsic loss of less than one dB/mm at 1310 and 1550 nm. In disclosed embodiments, the polymer includes at least one monomer including fluorinated moieties and, optionally, one or more additional monomers. A main body portion of the element has a first planar contact face on a first side and a second planar contact face on a second, opposite side. The contact faces are dimensioned to couple optically with first and second optical fibers when ends of the fibers are urged against the faces by parts of an attenuator device in which the element is mounted.

Material for attenuating light signals with low reflectance in a fiber optic network

The optical article of the invention, e.g., holographic recording medium or polymeric waveguide, is formed by mixing a matrix precursor and a photoactive monomer, and curing the mixture to form the matrix in situ. The reaction by which the matrix precursor is polymerized during the cure is independent from the reaction by which the photoactive monomer is polymerized during writing of data. In addition, the matrix polymer and the polymer resulting from polymerization of the photoactive monomer are compatible with each other. Use of a matrix precursor and photoactive monomer that polymerize by independent reactions substantially prevents cross-reaction between the photoactive monomer and the matrix precursor during the cure and inhibition of subsequent monomer polymerization. Use of a matrix precursor and photoactive monomer that result in compatible polymers substantially avoids phase separation. And in situ formation allows fabrication of articles with desirable thicknesses.

Optical article and process for forming article

Embodiments of the invention include an optical fiber device such as a modulator, variable attenuator or tunable filter including an optical fiber having a core region, a cladding layer around the core region, and a controllable active material disposed in, e.g., capillaries or rings formed the cladding layer. The active materials include, e.g., electro-optic material, magneto-optic material, photorefractive material, thermo-optic material and/or materials such as laser dyes that provide tunable gain or loss. The application of, e.g., temperature, light or an electric or magnetic field varies optical properties of the active material, which, in turn, varies or affects the propagation properties of optical signals in the device. The optical device includes a tapered region that causes the core mode to spread into the cladding region and, simultaneously, allows the active material to be relatively close to the propagated modes, thus allowing interaction between the active material and the propagating modes.

Fiber apparatus and method for manipulating optical signals

In accordance with the invention, an optical fiber Bragg grating comprises a length of gloss optical fiber having a core, a Bragg grating formed along the core, a glass cladding and a polymer coating on the cladding having an index of refraction matched to that the cladding. Such index matching can reduce the cladding mode loss by a factor of four over current levels. A preferred coating material comprises fluorinated urethane acrylate.

Optical fiber gratings with index matched polymer coating for cladding mode suppression

A packaging system includes a medium which transports energy in a first form away from a radiation point in a device to where the energy can be converted to a second form without damaging the device or effecting other devices. In certain embodiments, the medium can inhibit the propagation of energy in the second form. For example, in an optical coupling device, the medium includes a substrate adjacent to the radiation point which transports light energy away from the radiation point to a housing which converts the light energy into thermal energy away from the radiation point. In accordance with another aspect, the packaging system suspends at least a portion of the device, for example, to protect the device against a third form of energy. For example, in the optical coupling device, the medium includes an air gap which separates the radiation point from the substrate to suspend at least a portion of the device. The air gap enables the device to be protected against the mechanical energy resulting from the expansion or contraction of the packaged device due to changing temperature. In certain embodiments, the housing is provided with at least one opening in which a pliable seal is inserted which can absorb the mechanical energy resulting from the expansion or contraction of the packaged device due to changing temperature.

Device packaging and method

In accordance with the invention, a liquid sample for thermal analysis is disposed within a receptacle having a bottom surface and side walls. The top edges of the side walls are bent towards the center of the receptacle. A sheet of flexible, transparent material substantially impermeable to the sample is disposed across the top edges of the side walls, and an open lid compresses an o-ring onto the sheet material, sealing it against the bent top edges of the receptacle. The bottom surface of the receptacle is advantageously coated with a a material not wetted by the sample such as a fluorcarbon.

Method and apparatus for confining a liquid sample for thermal analysis

In accordance with the invention, an optical waveguide comprising a longitudinally extending core housing an optical grating and a cladding layer peripherally surrounding the core, is provided with an outer surface of the cladding layer having one or more perturbations. Each perturbation has a height with respect to the core that varies by at least 0.1 times a Bragg wavelength of the grating over the surface of the perturbation and covers an extent of the outer surface whose linear dimensions are less than 1 cm. The perturbations suppress cladding mode spectra and reduce short wavelength cladding mode loss.

Optical waveguide gratings having roughened cladding for reduced short wavelength cladding mode loss

This invention is predicated upon applicants' discovery that UV-induced gratings can be formed through polymer coatings that include conjugated double bonds and aromatic moieties. Coatings with low concentrations of aromatic-containing free-radical photoinitiators provide both reasonable curing speeds and sufficient transparency that gratings can be written through them. Moreover some of these aromatic-containing free-radical photoinitiators act synergistically with non-aromatic ketone photoinitiators. Advantageous aromatic-containing free-radical photoinitiator concentrations are in the range 0.01%-0.1% and preferably in the range 0.02% to 0.05%. Advantageous polymer coatings are acrylate-based coatings.

Formation of gratings in optical fibers coated with UV-curable polymer

A process and apparatus for coating a fiber with a coating material are described. The apparatus includes a coating block and a curing device for curing the coating on the fiber. In the process, the fiber is drawn through the coating block containing the coating material. The coating material on the fiber is then cured in the curing device.

Process and apparatus for dip recoating of optical fibers

A composition useful for making a coated optical fiber wherein the composition comprises a photocurable or E-beam curable composition having an alkoxysilane functionality attached through a long backbone.

Curable coatings with improved adhesion to glass

In accordance with the invention, an optical fiber is provided with a protective polymer coating that is substantially free (less than 0.1% by weight and preferably 0%) of adhesion promoters and coupling agents. Advantageously, in lieu of adhesion promoters, the primary polymer coating formulation is provided with an additive which will covalently bond with the fiber but not with the primary polymer.

Coated optical fiber with enhanced delamination resistance and thermally enhanced strippability

A clad optical fiber comprising a core of glass, optionally a glass cladding with a lower refractive index than the glass core and a polymeric cladding made of a material having a refractive index smaller than that of the core (and smaller than that of the glass cladding, if any). The polymeric cladding is made of a cured material of a viscosity increased di- or multi-functional (meth)acrylate and a photopolymerization initiator.

Photocurable low refractive index coatings

In accordance with the invention, an optical fiber is provided with a protective coating having enhanced thermal characteristics for easy removal from the optical fiber. In particular, at elevated temperatures used in stripping, the delamination resistance drops to low levels substantially independent of modulus. This permits fabrication of a protectively coated fiber which has relatively high modulus and delamination resistance at room temperature but, due to its enhanced thermal characteristics, is nonetheless relatively easy to strip at elevated temperatures. Thus, for example, applicants can provide a protectively coated optical fiber or ribbon with a room temperature modulus of at least 90 psi, and a high temperature delamination resistance that is less than 40% of the room-temperature delamination resistance and preferably less than 30%. Coatings based on a polyether backbone and non-polar monomers are preferred.

Coated optical fiber with increased modulus and thermally enhanced strippability

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New York, NY, United States of America

Arturo Hale