Lucent Technologies Inc.

Other

Kevin Cyrus Robinson

Ernest Eisenhardt Bergmann

Neal Henry Thorsten

A method of creating a bulk product that includes a surface layer of specialized content is based upon the use of an excipient with a different surface tension such that self-differentiating of the excipient from the bulk during drying/curing transports the specialized material to the surface of the bulk product. When the excipient has a lower surface tension than the bulk material, the difference in surface tension causes the low surface tension material to rise to the top surface, bringing the specialized material along. Alternatively, if the excipient has a higher surface tension than the bulk material, it will transport the specialized material to the bottom surface of the product.

Formation of specialized coatings on products based upon self-differentiating slurries or liquids

Fabry-Perot filters are disclosed. having micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) parts operable for tuning of the filters. The filters of the present invention are particularly useful in WDM and DWDM optical communication systems for multiplexing and demultiplexing channels of electromagnetically-carried data traversing the system. The filter can be miniaturized by etching or photolithographing the filter on silicon wafers utilizing MEMS technology. A MEMS device fabricated on the wafer is operative for moving a variably positioned mirror to change the length of the cavity or etalon of the Fabry-Perot filter, thereby tuning the filter to multiplex or demultiplex the channels.

Single lens turnable wavelength division multiplexing fabry-perot filter using MEMS technology

A birefringent wedge is used to multiplex beams of the same or similar wavelength. The multiplexing system has a compact construction and does not require beam splitters or right angle prisms. The birefringent wedge may also be used to polarization demultiplex an incoming multiplexed communication beam. The invention may be used to increase the data-carrying capacity of optical fiber.

Polarization multiplexer, demultiplexer, and method

A variable optical attenuator includes a lens, first and second optical waveguides, and a semiconductor micro-electro-mechanical device positioned on a side of the lens opposite the first and second optical waveguides. The semiconductor micro-electro-mechanical device may be, for example, a digital micromirror device or a silicon micro-electro-mechanical system. The device has a reflecting surface. The reflecting surface has a normal position in which light from the first waveguide reflects off of the reflecting surface and passes through the lens into the second waveguide. The reflecting surface has a plurality of respectively different attenuating positions in which light from the first waveguide reflects off of the reflecting surface and passes through the lens, but an amount of light entering the second optical waveguide is attenuated by respectively different amounts corresponding to the respectively different positions. By pivoting the reflecting surface about 0.35 degrees or less from the normal position, 40 dB of attenuation are obtained relative to the normal position. The optical attenuator can achieve about 25 dB of attenuation using a 5 Volt power supply.

Variable optical attenuator

A three port filter device is formed from a thin film filter element and a pair of lensing devices. A focusing lensing device is used, with a dual-fiber termination disposed at the object plane of the focusing lensing device. A collimating lensing device is disposed between the focusing lens image plane and the thin film filter element. The third optical port is coupled to the collimated signal passing through the filter element. The focusing lens may be moved along the optical axis to modify the spacing of the dual-fiber termination image appearing at the image plane. The change in spacing results in changing the angle of incidence of the optical signal propagating toward the thin film optical element. Since the pass wavelength of the thin film element is a function of the angle of incidence, the movement of the focusing lens may be used to 'tune' the pass wavelength of the thin film optical device.

Three port optical filter

An optical modulator controllably attenuates an optical signal by changing the index of refraction of an electro-optic prism in the modulator by varying the electrical bias applied to the electro-optic prism. Changing the index of refraction alters the path along which the optical signal travels through the optical modulator. By appropriately focusing the optical signal, the location of the optical signal relative to an output fiber can be controlled to vary the degree of optical coupling between the optical signal and the output fiber, thereby changing the amplitude of the outgoing optical signal. In one embodiment, the optical modulator has an electro-optic prism located between a lens and a mirror, where the mirror reflects the optical signal to pass through the prism and the lens two times: once along an input path and once along an output path. In another embodiment, the optical modulator has an electro-optic prism located between two lenses and the optical signal passes through the prism and each lens a single time, where one lens focuses the optical signal before passing through the prism and the other lens focuses the optical signal after passing through the prism.

Optical modulator with variable prism

An optical tap is disclosed that may be utilized with bulk optic devices. The optical tap utilizes any pre-existing reflected optical signal that is present in the conventional bulk optic device. The tap includes a beveled fiber stub that is inserted in the path of the reflected optical signal and thus captures this reflected signal, where the bevel is utilized to allow for the reflected signal to be re-directed through the fiber stub. A convention photodetector is coupled to the fiber stub and used to generate an electrical control signal from the captured reflected optical signal.

Beveled fiber optical tap for use with bulk optic devices

A magneto-optical switch having three or more ports and two or more lenses, in which at least two ports share a common lens. In one embodiment, the switch has three ports and two lenses, where two of the ports share one of the lenses. In another embodiment, the switch has four ports and two lenses, where two of the ports share one lens and the other two ports share the other lens. A magnet generates a magnetic field in either of two directions to select one of two operating modes for the switch. Walk-off plates separate light energy into two polarized beams and rotators rotate the polarization states of those beams as a function of the magnetic field. Depending on the direction of the rotation, another walk-off plate is used either to recombine the two polarized beams or to further separate them. Further separated beams are reflected from a mirror, while converged beams are transmitted through the light-transmitting center of the mirror. Reflected light exits one port, while transmitted light exits a different port. In this way, the magnet can be used to select between different supported switch paths. Magneto-optical switches of the present invention can be configured with optical filter elements (e.g., selectively transmitting mirrors) to operate as drop/add multiplexers.

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Zionsville, PA, United States of America

Kevin Cyrus Robinson