Karlsruher Institut Fur Technologie

Northrop Grumman Litef Gmbh

Juerg Leuthold

Christian Koos

Wolfgang Freude

Nicole Lindenmann

Sven Voigt

Matthias Lauermann

Georg Dorner

Jingshi Li

Sven Schüle

Claudius Weimann

Simon Schneider

The invention relates to a method and a corresponding apparatus for measuring distance and optionally speed, in particular for multiscale distance measurement. The method comprises generating a first and a second frequency comb signal (), wherein the first and second frequency comb signals () have different line spacings; a reference measurement comprising superimposing the at least one part of the first frequency comb signal () and at least one part of the second frequency comb signal () in a reference beam path () and detecting the superimposition signal propagated by the reference beam path; a first measurement comprising superimposing at least one part of the second frequency comb signal () on the at least one part of the first frequency comb signal (), injecting the superimposition signal into a measurement beam path () and detecting the superimposition signal propagated by the measurement beam path; and determining the path difference between the reference beam path () and the measurement beam path () from the detected superimposition signals.

Multiscale distance measurement with frequency combs

In an integrated optical circuit, light from a light source is polarized and coupled to a first and second strip waveguide. A waveguide coupling element couples the two optical signals from the two strip waveguides to different polarization modes of an optical fiber line. The optical fiber line is connected to a measuring head, which reflects the optical signal and in which a phase difference between the two optical partial signals is modulated in a magnetic field. In the waveguide coupling element, the reflected signal is split into two optical partial signals having the same polarization and the phase difference between the two partial signals is determined. A phase modulator device provides for closed-loop operation. Compared to fiber-optical concepts, the number of splices is reduced.

Integrated optical circuit and method for measuring current as well as sensor module and measuring device

The invention lies in the field of optical metrology and related to optical coherence tomography (OCT). In particular, the invention relates to an apparatus and a method for the depth-dependent adaptation of the dynamic range of an OCT system to the profile of the backscattered power to be measured. The dynamic range of the measuring method can therefore be decoupled from the dynamic range of the analog/digital converter used. The invention is used, in particular, in the characterization of strongly scattering or strongly absorbing biological or technical samples.

Optical coherence tomography with an extended dynamic range

An optical detector for detecting an optical signal beam (OSB) modulated in a way that it includes an in-phase and/or a quadrature component, includes: a polarization beam splitter arranged to split the OSB into two polarized OSBs; a non-polarization beam splitter arranged to further split each of the two polarized OSBs into two split polarized OSBs; at least one birefringent element providing a phase shift, the birefringent element being arranged in a path of at least one polarized OSB and/or in a path of at least one split polarized OSB so that an in-phase and quadrature phase offset between two split polarized OSBs originating from the same polarized OSB is formed in output signal beams; and at least two detection means arranged to receive at least one output signal beam that includes a in-phase and/or quadrature component of the OSB.

Optical detector for detecting optical signal beams, method to detect optical signals, and use of an optical detector to detect optical signals

A method for making optical connections with optical waveguides includes mounting the optical waveguides or a device comprising the optical waveguides, on a component carrier. A partial region of the optical waveguides is embedded in a volume of resist material. Positions of the optical waveguides to be connected are detected with reference to a coordinate system using a measuring system. Favorable, three-dimensional geometries are determined for optical waveguide structures for connecting the optical waveguides to each other at predetermined connecting locations and the optical waveguide structure geometries are converted to a machine-readable dataset. The optical waveguide geometries in the volume of the resist material are three-dimensionally structured using a direct-writing lithography device operating on the basis of the machine-readable dataset. The structured resist material is treated using physical or chemical methods to form at least one optical waveguide structure having ends connected to predetermined connecting locations of the optical waveguides.

Method for producing photonic wire bonds

An optical arrangement includes a plurality of planar substrates with at least one planar integrated optical waveguide on each planar substrate. At least one optical waveguide structure has at least one end connected via an optical connecting structure to one of the planar integrated optical waveguides. The optical waveguide structure is positioned at least partly outside the integration plane for the planar integrated optical waveguide and a refractive index contrast between a core region and a cladding region of the optical waveguide structure is at least 0.01.

Growing community of inventors

Walzbachtal, Germany

Juerg Leuthold