Polaroid Corporation

William A Dyes

Donald H McMahon

Norman A Sanford

James M Connors

A system for the thermal control of optical devices includes an optical device having at least one coating of an electrically conductive material formed on a surface in a heat conducting relationship with the material and connected to a controllable current source which passes varying amounts of electrical current through the layer to vary the amount of thermal energy introduced into the device to control its optical response characteristics. The electrically conductive layer or layers can be optically active, that is, function to affect the light energy transmitted into or through the device as well as acting as an electrically conductive thermal element. The use of an electrically conductive coating or coatings allows the rapid and precise control of thermal energy introduced into the device and, accordingly, the rapid and precise control of the optical characteristics of the device as well as providing a thermal interface between the optical device and the ambient environment that is effective to minimize the adverse affects of transient temperature changes occurring in the environment.

Thermally controllable optical devices and system

A TE-TM mode converter utilizes a Y-cut lithium niobate crystal which includes a straight titanium-diffused channel extending along the Z-axis of the crystal. A parallel pair of electrodes lie symmetrically on opposite sides of the channel. a.c. and d.c. voltage supplies are connected to the electrodes to supply voltages so as to effect complete conversion from one direction of polarization to the other direction of polarization of a wave applied as an input to one end of the channel for abstraction at the opposite end.

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Groveland, MA, United States of America

William A Dyes