Sperry Rand Corporation

Roger W Honebrink

David S Lo

Leslie H Johnson

Gerald F Sauter

Disclosed is a solid state apparatus for and a method of (1) modulating the intensity of a multimode light beam; (2) coupling the light beam to an input optic fiber that is butt coupled to a diffraction grating that is formed of a plurality of stripe domains in a magnetic film; (3) altering, by the application of suitable magnetic fields, the angular orientation of the stripe domains in the plane of the magnetic film, and (4) multiplexing the diffracted light beam to a selected one of a plurality of several output optic fibers. The apparatus uses a liquid-phase epitaxially (LPE) grown film of bismuth substituted rare earth iron garnet to form a magnetizable layer in which stripe domains may be generated, sustained and moved about. The stripe domains form a diffraction grating. The angular orientation of the stripe domains in the plane of the diffraction grating may be altered by the application of external magnetic fields -- see the E. J. Torok, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,562 -- to alter the angle from which the diffracted light beam is emitted from the diffraction grating. The altered or rotated stripe domains are, in turn, utilized to alter the direction that the deflected light beam is emitted from the diffraction grating and into, along and out of a selected one of a plurality of output optic fibers that are oriented along the surface of an inverted cone, which cone is aligned, along its longitudinal axis, with the optic axis of the input optic fiber.

Multimode optic device

An apparatus for and a method of optically recording or writing data into a thermoplastic layer is disclosed. The recording medium is fabricated as an integral part of the face of a cathode ray tube (CRT) and includes a layer of thermoplastic material that is thermoplastically responsive to a heating light beam having a wavelength within the infrared (IR) range and that is a dielectric capable of storing charges corresponding to a data-containing charging (electron) beam. The thermoplastic layer is first selectively exposed to the charging (electron) beam for spatially selectively electrically charging the exposed surface of the thermoplastic layer and is then softened by the heating (IR) beam causing the charged, softened surface to distort under the forces of the data-bearing charge. An additional heat conductive layer, which is non-responsive to the heating (IR) beam, ensures fast heat transfer of the heat in the thermoplastic layer to a cooperating, coolant controlled heat sink, both of which combine to provide rapid cooling of the heat exposed portion. This ensures a short-duration, erase-write-read cycle.

Thermoplastic optical recording system

An apparatus for and a method of recording or writing optical data into a thermoplastic layer is disclosed. The apparatus includes a layer of photoconductive material that is photoconductively responsive to a data containing light beam having a wave length below the infrared (IR) range and a layer of thermoplastic material that is thermoplastically responsive to a light beam having a wave length within the IR range. In practicing the method of the present invention, the electrically charged apparatus is exposed to a data-bearing light beam having a wave length below the IR range for selectively exposing, i.e., electrically charging, the photoconductive layer. Next, the apparatus is exposed to a light beam having a wave length within the IR range for heating the thermoplastic film and thermally permitting the selective electric charge in the photoconductive layer to distort the surface of the thermoplastic layer, and, accordingly, writing into the thermoplastic layer the optical data that was contained within the data-bearing light beam.

Thermoplastic optical recording medium using IR wave length

A method of and an apparatus for achieving consistent recording or writing of optical data in thermoplastic films is disclosed. An empirically determined level of developing energy E is set into a heat controller that applies developing energy E (heat) to the thermoplastic film that had been previously subjected to an electrostatic charge and an optical signal (light). The monitored frost intensity F.sub.m is then compared to an empirically determined desired frost intensity F.sub.d. If F.sub.m .noteq. F.sub.d the developing energy E that is to be applied to the thermoplastic film is adjusted accordingly in preparation for the next writing operation. Control of the writing process is through control of the developing energy E that is applied to the thermoplastic film with all other developing parameters held relatively constant.

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Chaska, MN, United States of America

Roger W Honebrink