E-tek Dynamics, Inc.

Lightwaves 2020, Inc.

Jds Uniphase Corporation

Other

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Advanced Optronics Corporation

Lightwave 2020, Inc.

Jing-Jong J Pan

Ming M Shih

Jingyu Xu

Yuan Shi

Feng-Qing Zhou

Ming Zhou

Xiangdong Qiu

Donna S Yu

Hong-Xi Zhang

Jian Feng Chen

Yonglin Huang

Kejian Guan

Li-Hua Wang

Mingjie Zhang

Hai-Ming Wu

Frank Y Liang

Zhong Ming Mao

Paul Shi-Qi Jiang

Jing-Yu Xu

Weiti Wu

Charlene Jia-Ling Yang

Yu-Li Ko

Feng Que Zhou

Ronggui Shen

Kung Shih

Simon Xiaofan Cao

Kai Zhang

Wei-Hung Loh

Paul She-Qi Jiang

Pan Ma

Yousheng (Eugene) Wu

Feng Qing Zhou

Yingzhong Shi

Xing-Liang Jing

Weng-Herng Su

A tunable optical filter is formed in the structure of an etalon. A thin electro-optic ceramic substrate is fixed between two end substrates. Each end substrate has an inner parallel surface toward said electro-optic ceramic substrate covered by an electrode layer and a reflecting layer. An adhesive which attaches the electro-optic ceramic substrate to each first and second end substrates has a consistency so as to avoid stress on the electro-optic ceramic substrate. A voltage imposed on the electro-optic ceramic substrate by the electrode layers on the inner parallel surfaces of the first and second end substrates effectively controls an optical distance between the reflective coating layers on the inner parallel surfaces of the first and second end substrates of the etalon structure. The electro-optic ceramic substrate is preferably PMN-PT ((1&#x2212;x)Pb (Mg&#x2153; Nb&#x2154;) O&#x2014;Pb Ti O) and no more than 160 &#x3bc;m thick.

Tunable optical filter and method of manufacture thereof

A tunable optical filter is formed in the structure of an etalon. A thin electro-optic ceramic substrate is fixed between two end substrates. Each end substrate has an inner parallel surface toward said electro-optic ceramic substrate covered by an electrode layer and a reflecting layer. An adhesive which attaches the electro-optic ceramic substrate to each first and second end substrates has a consistency so as to avoid stress on the electro-optic ceramic substrate. A voltage imposed on the electro-optic ceramic substrate by the electrode layers on the inner parallel surfaces of the first and second end substrates effectively controls an optical distance between the reflective coating layers on the inner parallel surfaces of the first and second end substrates of the etalon structure. The electro-optic ceramic substrate is preferably PMN-PT ((1-x)Pb(Mg&#x2153;Nb&#x2154;)O&#x2014;PbTiO) and no more than 160 &#x3bc;m thick.

Miniature optical devices, including circulator array devices, are fabricated using thin film coating technology. A typical optical device includes two refraction elements arranged opposite each other along a propagation axis and coupled on opposite ends to first and second polarization orientation elements with first and second PBS elements are coupled to the first and second polarization orientation elements, respectively. The refraction elements include complementary Wollaston Prism elements or Rochon Prism elements. Each polarization orientation element includes a Faraday rotator element, and in some embodiments, a half-wave plate formed using thin film coating techniques. The Faraday rotator elements are periodically poled in some embodiments using selective poling techniques to create oppositely oriented magnetic domains so that polarization rotations of 45 degrees in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions can be simultaneously achieved on the same magnetic garnet. Periodically etched half-wave plates are used in some embodiments.

Miniature circulator devices and methods for making the same

An EDFA with integrated input and output modules is presented. The integrated input module has a packaged pump laser diode mounted to the metal EDFA package to provide a heat sink for the pump laser diode which sends the pump laser light over a optical fiber section connected to the amplifying erbium-doped optical fiber section. The fiber section is formed from an optical fiber which better matches the transmission modes in the erbium-doped optical fiber section and has an end subsection of the single mode fiber for a larger numerical aperture. Collimating lenses also increase the coupling efficiency of the laser diode to the erbium-doped fiber section. The integrated output module has a photodiode with a tap filter to monitor the output power of the EDFA, an optical isolator to prevent interference in the erbium-doped optical fiber section. With a twin optical isolator, the integrated input and output modules can be arranged in different ways and combinations with the erbium-doped optical fiber section. The resulting EDFAs can be manufactured relatively inexpensively into an very small packages compared to current EDFA packages.

Erbium-doped fiber amplifier and integrated module components

A miniature WDM add/drop multiplexer and its manufacture is described. The device has a plurality of wavelength-dependent filters in the form of thin-film filters mounted to a core frame with the end sections of the input/output optical fiber and other optical fibers associated with each of the filters. The stresses associated with the filters are accounted for. The core frame is sealed, together with the overall package assembly, to provide for long-term reliability of the device. The described device and method of manufacture is also generally applicable to WDM multiplexers and demultiplexers.

Miniature WDM add/drop multiplexer and method of manufacture thereof

Erbium-doped fiber amplifier and integrated circuit module components

Cholesteric liquid crystal cell units are used for reflecting or transmitting incident light responsive to control signals. A cholesteric liquid crystal cell unit has a first cholesteric liquid crystal cell and a second cholesteric liquid crystal cell. The second cholesteric liquid crystal cell respectively reflects or transmit lights from the first cholesteric liquid crystal cell responsive to a control signal when the first cholesteric liquid crystal cell reflects circularly polarized light of one state or transmits the incident light. In one embodiment of the cell unit, a &#x3c0;-phase waveplate element is located between the first and second cholesteric liquid crystal cells. With the cholesteric liquid crystal cell units, devices such as optical switches, and WDM add/drop multiplexers, and optical switch systems with arrays of input and output optical fibers between a switching matrix formed by the cholesteric liquid crystal cell units, may be constructed.

Cholesteric liquid crystal cell devices and systems

Miniature optical devices, including circulator array devices, are fabricated using thin film coating technology. A typical optical device includes two refraction elements arranged opposite each other along a propagation axis and coupled on opposite ends to first and second polarization orientation elements with first and second PBS elements are coupled to the first and second polarization orientation elements, respectively. The refraction elements include complementary Wollaston Prism elements or Rochon Prism elements. Each polarization orientation element includes a Faraday rotator element, and in some embodiments, a half-wave plate formed using thin film coating techniques. The Faraday rotator elements are periodically poled in some embodiments using selective poling techniques to create oppositely oriented magnetic domains so that polarization rotations of 45&#xb0; in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions can be simultaneously achieved on the same magnetic garnet. Periodically etched half-wave plates are used in some embodiments.

Cholesteric liquid crystal cell units are used for reflecting or transmitting incident light responsive to control signals. A cholesteric liquid crystal cell unit has a first cholesteric liquid crystal cell and a second cholesteric liquid crystal cell. The second cholesteric liquid crystal cell respectively reflects or transmit lights from the first cholesteric liquid crystal cell responsive to a control signal when the first cholesteric liquid crystal cell reflects circularly polarized light of one state or transmits the incident light. In one embodiment of the cell unit, a &pgr;-phase waveplate element is located between the first and second cholesteric liquid crystal cells. With the cholesteric liquid crystal cell units, devices such as optical switches, and WDM add/drop multiplexers, and optical switch systems with arrays of input and output optical fibers between a switching matrix formed by the cholesteric liquid crystal cell units, may be constructed.

A miniature fiberoptic filter and manufacturing method is disclosed. Two aligned optical fibers, each with a step index multimode optical fiber segment and a graded index multimode optical fiber segment attached to the corresponding optical fiber, form the filter. The lengths of the step index and graded index multimode optical fiber segments define a collimation and focusing function for light from and to the optical fibers, and dielectric coatings covering the free end surface of the graded index multimode optical fiber segment of one optical fiber define a wavelength-dependent optical filter. The optical fibers are arranged and oriented so that light from the core of the first optical fiber passing through the plurality of dielectric coatings enters the core of the second optical fiber.

Miniature fiberoptic filter and method of manufacture therefor

A temperature compensation circuit arrangement for liquid crystal cells in optical devices is presented. In an optical device, a liquid crystal cell typically manipulates the optical signals according to an output optical property, such as attenuation, responsive to an AC voltage source electrical signal. A feedback circuit arrangement is connected to the liquid crystal cell and controls the current through the liquid crystal cell with respect to temperature by a predetermined control equations for the output optical property so that the device manipulates the optical signals independently of temperature. The current follows the control equations, which are empirically determined with respect to temperature for one equation.

Temperature compensation for liquid crystal cell optical devices

Miniature optical devices, including circulator array devices, are fabricated using thin film coating technology. A typical optical device includes two refraction elements arranged opposite each other along a propagation axis and coupled on opposite ends to first and second polarization orientation elements with first and second PBS elements are coupled to the first and second polarization orientation elements, respectively. The refraction elements include complementary Wollaston Prism elements or Rochon Prism elements. Each polarization orientation element includes a Faraday rotator element, and in some embodiments, a half-wave plate formed using thin film coating techniques. The Faraday rotator elements are periodically poled in some embodiments using selective poling techniques to create oppositely oriented magnetic domains so that polarization rotations of 45&deg; in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions can be simultaneously achieved on the same magnetic garnet. Periodically etched half-wave plates are used in some embodiments.

Miniature optical devices, including circulator array devices, are fabricated using thin film coating technology. A typical optical device according to the present invention includes a spatial walkoff plate (SWP) coupled on opposite ends to first and second polarization orientation elements. First and second polarization beam splitter (PBS) elements are coupled to the first and second polarization orientation elements, respectively. The PBS elements are formed using thin film coating techniques and each includes an array of port coupling regions for coupling to an array of input/output fiber port assemblies. The SWP may be formed using thin film coating techniques or cut from a birefringent single crystal. Each polarization orientation element includes a Faraday rotator element, and in some embodiments, each also includes a wave plate formed using thin film coating techniques. The Faraday rotator elements are periodically poled in some embodiments using selective poling techniques to create oppositely oriented (bi-directional) magnetic domains so that polarization rotations of 45&deg; in both clockwise and counter-clockwise directions can be simultaneously achieved on the same magnetic garnet. Periodically etched half-wave plates are used in some embodiments. Depending on the orientation of the optical axes of the SWP and the first and second PBS elements, the constituents of each polarization orientation element are designed and oriented so that the circulator device achieves a circulating operation with optical signals at an input port, i, coupled to one PBS element being passed to an output port, i&plus;1, coupled to the other PBS element in a non-reciprocal manner.

Miniature circulator array devices and methods for making the same

An improved optic attenuator controllably filters an optical signal after the signal has been expanded and collimated. The optical signals are preferably expanded and refocused by a single GRIN lens, the signal passing through a variable filter between the GRIN lens and a reflector, and again between the reflector and the GRIN lens. Both the input and output fibers can be held within a single sleeve in alignment with the GRIN lens. The amount of attenuation can be indicated by a potentiometer.

Miniature variable attenuator

Growing community of inventors

Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Jing-Jong J Pan