Photonic Lattice, Inc.

Autocloning Technology Ltd.

Keio University

Sophia School Corporation

Takayuki Kawashima

Shojiro Kawakami

Toshikazu Ijiro

Takafumi Chiba

Hiroshi Takahashi

Takashi Sato

Hiroyuki Tsuda

Wataru Ishikawa

Yasuo Otera

An optical element has a quarter-wave plate formed on the X-Y plane and laminated in the Z-axis direction in three-dimensional space X, Y, Z. The groove in the wave plate is curved, and the angle relative to the Y-axis varies continuously in the range of 0&#xb0; to 180&#xb0;. The optical element separates and converts incoming circularly polarized light into light passing therethrough and circularly polarized light reversely rotating a given angle toward the X axis from the Z axis, and outputs the light.

Optical element and optical circuit

To provide a volume-type optical element in which a self-cloning photonic crystal is used. An optical element is provided with half-wave plates of photonic crystals formed on the xy plane and laminated in the z-axis direction in a three-dimensional space x, y, z. The groove direction of the photonic crystals is a curved line, and the angle in relation to the y-axis direction changes continuously in the range of 0&#xb0;-180&#xb0;. Light entering the optical element in the axial direction is emitted from the optical element upon being divided and converted into clockwise circularly polarized light in the direction facing the x-axis by a given angle from the z-axis and anticlockwise circularly polarized light in the direction facing the &#x2212;x-axis by a given angle from the z-axis. Laminating or placing a quarter-wave plate comprising a photonic crystal on one or both surfaces makes it possible to divide light entering from the z-axis direction of the optical element into two orthogonal linearly polarized lights.

Optical element

A thin polarizer array and a wavelength plate array that are composed of micro regions having different optical axis directions and wavelength characteristics and having a high extinction ratio and a low insertion loss, and a polarization analyzer using them. An array of micro periodic grooves is formed on a substrate, with the directions changed from one region to another. An alternating multilayer film formed by bias sputtering alternating a layer of high refractive index material such as Si or TaOand a layer of low refractive index material such as SiO. By selecting a condition that each layer maintains its periodic projecting/recessed shape, an array of photonic crystal polarizer is formed. By mounting this array of photonic crystal polarizer in a photodetector array, a polarization analyzer that is small, has no movable part, has a small number of components, and enables high-precision measurement is constituted.

Polarization analyzer

A polarizer which has and regularly arranged two-dimensional structure which has a pitch of 1 mm or so or less. The polarizer has structure in which two or more film-shaped materials which have a substantially regularly arranged one-dimensional undulation. The polarizer also has a substantially regularly arranged two-dimensional structure. For example, the polarizer consist of materialsandwhich have different refractive indexes. A regularly arranged two-dimensional structure which has a pitch of 1 mm or less can be obtained by a simple method. Because of this structure, the polarizer transmits the incident light which has a specific polarized plane and reflects the incident light which has a polarized plane which is orthogonal to the plane.

Polarizer

Growing community of inventors

Sendai, Japan

Takayuki Kawashima