E.i. Dupont De Nemours and Company

Corning Incorporated

Alliedsignal Inc.

Other

Louay A Eldada

Robert Andrew Norwood

Lawrence W Shacklette

James T Yardley

Robert M Blomquist

Chengzeng Xu

Deepti Pant

Reinald Gerhardt

Junichiro Fujita

Baopei Xu

Chuck C Xu

Neil Lagali

Chris E Osuch

Chengjiu Wu

Indira Pottebaum

Kelly M Stengel

Kelly M T Stengel

George Boudoughian

Fang Wang

Scott Moore Zimmerman

Karl Wayne Beeson

Michael J McFarland

Keith A Horn

Shing Yin

Cathy Glass

A photosensitive composition suitable for practical waveguide devices is provided. The photosensitive composition comprises at least one multifunctional acrylate prepared from a fluorinated multifunctional alcohol and at least one photoinitiator. The said composition has high photo contrast, high curing speed, controllable refractive index, low curing shrinkage, high thermo-optic coefficient, low volatility and high viscosity. A waveguide device is formed by patterning the photosensitive composition.

Photosensitive acrylate composition and waveguide device

The present invention is concerned with 1&#xd7;2 thermo-optic digital optical switches known in the art as 'Y-branch digital optical switches' and variable optical attenuators.

Y-branch-based thermo-optic digital optical switches and variable optical attenuators with non-uniform heating

The present invention is generally directed to integrated optical add/drop multiplexer devices in which light of a specific wavelength (or specific wavelengths) can be added to or dropped from a main fiber optic line. An actuation mechanism (e.g., heat) is used to tune and/or trim the devices. Some proposed architectures provide for tuning of the adding and dropping of channels in a hitless manner, a manner that is non-disruptive to other wavelength channels.

Hitless errorless trimmable dynamic optical add/drop multiplexer devices

The present invention is generally directed to optical signal devices that monitor the quality of an optical signal in a wavelength division multiplexing system by evaluating the information in the different wavelength channels.

Wavelength division multiplexing optical performance monitors

The present invention is directed to Y-branch digital optical switching and optical attenuator devices, which enhance the security of optical communications channels in the event of an electrical power loss.

Normally dark Y-branch digital optical switches and variable optical attentuators

Polarization independent optical isolator/circulator devices based on Mach-Zehnder interferometers. The devices utilize either polarization splitting and nonreciprocal polarization conversion or nonreciprocal phase shift within the interferometric arm. For devices with nonreciprocal phase shift, the relative phase difference is 0&#xb0; in the forward propagation direction and 180&#xb0; in the backward propagation direction, or vice versa, so that light goes into a bar or cross port depending on the propagation direction. The devices have advantages over previous designs in the use of inexpensive device components, simple alignment, minimal space requirement, and negligible polarization mode dispersion or polarization dependent loss. In addition, the devices can be made in a waveguide form with minimal loss and with high fabrication ease. An additional phase compensator and/or a variable attenuator can be integrated in order to relax the fabrication tolerances.

Polarization independent waveguide optical isolator and circulator

A photosensitive composition having low absorption loss at 1,300-1,610 nm and is suitable for practical waveguide devices. The composition comprises at least one (meth)acrylate prepared from a fluorinated monomer or polymer having minimum two hydroxyl groups, at least one multifunctional non-fluorinated (meth)acrylate and at least one photoinitiator. An optical coating on a variety of substrates is obtained by exposing the photosensitive composition to actinic radiation such as UV light. An optical waveguide device is fabricated by patterning the photosensitive composition on a substrate.

Fluorinated photopolymer composition and waveguide device

A method for making an apodized Bragg grating in a photosensitive, planar, linear waveguide. A photosensitive, planar, linear waveguide is provided on a surface of a substrate. A patterned phase mask is placed between the waveguide and a laser beam. The waveguide is exposed through the phase mask to the laser beam wherein either the laser beam is moving at a substantially constant velocity with respect to the substrate and phase mask, or the substrate and phase mask are moving at a substantially constant velocity with respect to the laser beam. The beam has a smoothly varying intensity profile, and the exposure is conducted at an angle of more than 0&#xb0; and less than 90&#xb0; to the longitudinal axis of the waveguide under conditions sufficient to induce a modulation in the index of refraction of the waveguide and impart an apodized Bragg grating in the waveguide corresponding to the phase mask pattern.

Method for apodizing a planar waveguide grating

The invention relates to lithographically formed, tapered waveguides connectable to optical fibers. A tapered waveguide is formed by imagewise exposing, in an oxygen containing atmosohere, and developing a lithographic composition on a substrate. Exposure is conducted by a converging beam of laser light which has a greater intensity a the bottom surface of the coating composition, a lesser intensity at the top surface, and a gradually decreasing intensity from the bottom surface to the top surface of the coating composition. Either the substrate is moved with respect to the converging beam, or the converging beam is moved with respect to the substrate along a linear path. Either the moving is done at a gradually increasing or gradually decreasing velocity or one gradually increases or decreases the intensity of the beam of laser light along the substrate. After developing and removing the non-polyrnerized portion of the coating composition, a tapered waveguide is fornnd on the substrate. The tapered waveguide may be attached to an optical fiber.

One step laser fabrication of polymer wave-guided structures having varying width and height, and their application to pigtailing of optical fibers

The invention provides organic optical waveguide devices which employ perfluoropolymeric materials having low optical loss and low birefringence. An optical element has a substrate; a patterned, light transmissive perfluoropolymer core composition; and a light reflecting cladding composition on the pattern of the core. Writing of high-efficiency waveguide gratings is also disclosed.

Optical devices made from radiation curable fluorinated compositions

A wavelength selective optical device for locking to a selected wavelength in an ITU grid includes a first waveguide, a second waveguide, a heating element and a control unit. The first waveguide includes a tunable filter formed in the first waveguide and the second waveguide includes a reference filter formed in the second waveguide. The heating element is in thermal contact with the tunable filter and the reference filter and the control unit is coupled to the heating element and the reference filter. The control unit varies a temperature of the heating element responsive to an indication signal provided by the reference filter to adjust the selected channel of the tunable filter.

Closed-loop control of tunable optical wavelength filters

An optical signal device which is temperature sensitive and has at least one waveguide layer and at least one material incorporated into the device having a coefficient of thermal expansion of from about 20 to 200 ppm/&deg;K sufficient to impart tensile stress to the waveguide layers as the temperature of the optical signal device changes.

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Lexington, MA, United States of America

Louay A Eldada