Corning Incorporated

Other

Aurora Systems, Inc.

William L DeBoynton

Bradley A Scott

Michael Uschitsky

Peter Gerard Wigley

Eliseo R Ranalli

Scott M Hellman

Kurt R Francis

John Kondis

John F Filhaber

A light dispersing device for dispersing a polychromatic input beam into a plurality of narrow-band output beams such that the output beams are directed in a wavelength dependent manner and such that the directions of the output beams are less affected by a change in temperature. The preferred embodiment of the device comprises a diffraction grating mounted to a surface of a prism. The grating and prism have dispersing characteristics that make the output of the device substantially insensitive to a change in temperature. In one embodiment, the device is adapted to reduce the angles between the input beam and the output beams at the grating, and thereby improve throughput efficiency.

Athermal and high throughput gratings

A fused coupler optical switch (FCOS) of the present invention is an electrically switchable device that functions as a latching bi-directional optical cross bar switch with a first and a fourth optical ports at a first end, and, a second and third ports at a second end of the coupler, where a magnetic sleeve surrounds the second end of the coupler. A first stop block maintains the coupler in a first mechanical position and a second stop block maintains the coupler in a second mechanical position, where the first and second stop blocks are V-grooved stop blocks. In the first position, the first port is optically connected with the third port and the fourth port is connected with the second port. In the second position, the first port is optically connected with the second port and the fourth port is connected with the third port. The inventive optical switch may include a sensor element such as a Hall element for detecting the state of the optical switch.

High reliability fiber coupled optical switch

A variable optical amplifier mounts a fiber coupler within a flexure that provides for deflecting one section of the coupler with respect to another about a tapered intermediate section for controlling transmissions through the coupler. The flexure has a free portion suspended by a pair of resilient arms for relatively deflecting the coupler sections while minimizing friction and maintaining a fixed angular orientation with an actuator. A kinematic link between the flexure and the actuator is thermally compensated not only at a given deflection position but throughout the entire intended range of operation.

Thermally compensated variable optical attenuator with displacement mechanism

A temperature compensated optical filter assembly including a plurality of thin films having temperature dependent indices of refraction which are deposited on a glass substrate so as to form a conventional interference filter thereon. The glass substrate is adhesively coupled to a metal holder such that the deposited thin film interference filter is interposed between the glass substrate and an adhesive layer distributed along a mounting surface of the holder. Thus, a first thermal mismatch stress is applied by the glass substrate onto an inner layer of the interference filter and a second mismatch stress is applied by the holder onto an outer layer of the interference filter, wherein the first and second mismatch stresses depend on the temperature of the filter assembly. The glass substrate, the adhesive, and the holder are preferably formed of materials having mechanical properties such that the first and second mismatch stresses compensate for the effects of the temperature dependent indices of refraction of the thin films so as to uniformly maintain the spectral performance of the filter assembly in response to a change in temperature. In one embodiment, an additional degree of freedom is obtained by electro/magneto-strictively prestressing the thin film stack during the formation thereof. In another embodiment, an active stress management system is utilized.

Controlled stress thermal compensation for filters

A fiber coupled variable optical attenuator includes an optical fiber coupler mounted through a low modulus material bushing into a protective enclosure with one end clamped and another end free. The free end of the coupler is deflected by a motorized mechanism. The mechanism includes an electric step motor, a shaft providing eccentric motion, and a support/deflection component connected with the coupler in a kinematic chain providing lateral deflection of the coupler's free end. The structural and material parameters of the kinematic chain members are established to satisfy conditions of thermal compensation for the enclosure enveloping this chain. The free end of the coupler is equipped with a sleeve having a spherical polished surface positioned in contact with the deflection component. The enclosure is equipped with a thermal-compensating device positioned in series between the enclosure and optical fibers.

Fiber coupler variable optical attenuator

A color separation and recombination system separates a beam of white light traveling along an optical axis into three differently colored light beams. The system then independently modulates each colored beam and recombines the colored beams to create a color image. The system includes a crossed pair of dichroic filters to separate the beam of white light and to recombine the modulated bundles. The system also includes a pair of aberration-compensating elements that equalize the optical thickness of glass through which each light bundle passes. This equalization of optical thickness equalizes the aberration induced into each bundle. In another embodiment the beam of white light is polarized before separation. The polarities of the colored light beams are then modulated using a spatial light modulator. An analyzer and half-wave plate are provided between the spatial light modulator and the crossed dichroic filters to pass only a portion of the modulated light. The half-wave plate ensures that the modulated light incident on the crossed dichroic filters is of the same polarity as the polarized white light separated by the crossed dichroic filters.

Light separation and recombination system for an off-axis projector

A fuel-saving and emission reduction system for internal combustion engines includes electronic carburetor controlling circuitry and a carburetor by-pass system which stops fuel flow to the engine when power from combustion is not required. A normally open by-pass control butterfly valve in the fuel/air passage between the throttle valve and the engine intake manifold is operated by a motor, such as a solenoid or the like, under control of the controlling circuitry and is closed only upon release of the engine throttle and during the period that the vehicle has sufficient speed to assure restart upon reapplication of the fuel/air flow. A carburetor by-pass valve is held in a normally closed position by the combined effects of spring bias and the normal vacuum in the fuel/air passage. When the normally open by-pass control butterfly is closed, the fuel/air vacuum is reduced to permit the spring biased normally closed self-regulating carburetor by-pass valve to admit filtered air at a predetermined reduced vacuum to the engine manifold for continued operation of vacuum accessories and also for reducing the amount of oil drawn past combustion chamber seals and valve guides. Associated with the carburetor by-pass valve is a carburetor vent valve which is simultaneously opened to admit filtered air to the fuel/air passage between the throttle valve and the by-pass control butterfly to thereby eliminate all vacuum that will draw fuel from the carburetor. As a further feature, the electronic controlling circuitry operates to close the by-pass control butterfly for about one-half second upon the opening of the ignition switch to thereby eliminate self-ignition or dieseling and reduced hydrocarbon emissions.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Ana, CA, United States of America

William L DeBoynton