Ezconn Corporation

Chorum Technologies Inc.

Polytronix, Inc.

Ec-optics Technology Inc.

Ming Xu

Chongchang Mao

Tizhi Huang

Kuang-Yi Wu

Jian-Yu Liu

Wei Feng

Tiejun J Xia

Charles Wong

Jianlin Li

Shuxin Li

Minchun Li

Tirun Lin

A flat panel display is disclosed. In one embodiment, display normal light that is parallel to a display normal of the flat panel is provided. Spaced light redirecting prisms receive the display normal light and redirect the display normal light to redirected light, which is non-parallel to the display normal. A flat surface portion is posteriorly coupled to the plurality of spaced light redirecting prisms such that the flat surface portion spans the spaces between the plurality of spaced light redirecting prisms. The flat surface portion receives the display normal light from the light guide and receives the redirected light from the plurality of spaced light redirecting prisms and propagates both to a display.

Flat panel displays with primary viewing envelopes away from displyay panel normal

An optical device for processing an optical signal includes a crystal wedge, a polarization modulator, and a reflective element. The crystal wedge spatially separates an input optical signal into a first beam component having a first polarization state and a second beam component having a second polarization state. The crystal wedge has an optical axis arranged at an optical axis angle such that the first beam component and the second beam component converge. The polarization modulator changes the polarization state of the first beam component and the polarization state of the second beam component in response to a control signal. The reflective element reflects the first beam component and the second beam component such that the crystal wedge spatially recombines a portion of the first beam component having the second polarization state with a portion of the second beam component having the first polarization state to form an output optical signal.

Variable optical attenuator using crystal wedges

Devices and methods for equalizing the gain of an optical amplifier are described. For devices including harmonic filters that are controllable by amplitude control voltages and phase control voltages, techniques for controlling the amplitude control voltages and phase control voltages are presented. Additionally, device architectures are described by which an incoming optical signal is equalized to compensate for uneven gain in prior amplifiers or other optical components, and in which the incoming optical signal is received at a beam displacer and separated into orthogonal component beams, wherein the beams are counter-propagated through the equalizer in opposite directions through the same spatial path so as to minimize or eliminate the effects spatially dependent imperfections in the equalizer.

Optical equalization with beam counter-propagation

An optical processing device includes a polarization modulator operable to change a polarization state of an input optical signal based at least in part on a control voltage applied to a liquid crystal material associated with the polarization modulator. The control voltage is based at least in part on a temperature of the liquid crystal material.

Liquid crystal based optical signal processing

An optical routing switch uses two liquid crystal cells that can produce offsetting rotations of the polarization of the input beam to provide fast, symmetrical switching. The input beam is first polarized and then passes through both liquid crystal cells in series. Both liquid crystal cells have two states (e.g., voltage-off and voltage-on) in which the beam polarization is rotated by predetermined angles (e.g., 0&deg; and 90&deg;), but in opposing rotational directions. A controller selectively rotates the LC cells through a sequence of steps, beginning with a &ldquo;through&rdquo; state in which both LC cells are in the first state. The polarization rotations provided by both liquid crystal cells offset one another so the beam polarization remains essentially unchanged. The LC cells can be rapidly switched to a &ldquo;cross&rdquo; state in which only one of the LC cells is changed to the second state and the polarization of the beam is rotated by a predetermined degree. The LC cells can then be rapidly switched back to the through state by changing both LC cells to their second state. Once again, the LC cells offset one another so that the beam polarization remains essentially unchanged. While remaining in the through state, both LC cells are allowed to return to the first state to complete the cycle. Both LC cells relax at the same rate and their offsetting polarization rotations cause the beam polarization to remain unchanged throughout the entire relaxation process. A polarization-dependent routing element (e.g., a polarized beamsplitter or birefringent element) routes the beam exiting the LC cells along either of two alternative optical paths based on the beam's polarization.

Optical routing switch using symmetric liquid crystal cells

An optical equalizer for use primarily with an erbium-doped fiber amplifier has an initial polarizer that convert the input beam to a predetermined polarization, followed by a series of dynamically-adjustable sinusoidal filters that provide attenuation as a sinusoidal function of beam wavelength. Each of the sinusoidal filters has a first liquid crystal cell adjustably rotating the polarization of the beam from the preceding polarizer. This is followed by a second optical element that retards the beam as a sinusoidal function of beam wavelength. For example, the second optical element can be a birefringent crystal that provided a fixed degree of retardance to the beam and a second liquid crystal cell that provides a variable degree of retardance, thereby allowing adjustment of the center frequency of the sinusoidal function. Finally, a third liquid crystal cell adjustably rotates the polarization of the beam. A final polarizer provides amplitude control of the beam based on the polarization rotations introduced by the first and third liquid crystal cells. A controller provides control signals to the liquid crystal cells of each sinusoidal filter so that their combined sinusoidal attenuation functions produce a desired equalization curve.

Growing community of inventors

Plano, TX, United States of America

Ming Xu