The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 26, 1999
Filed:
Oct. 19, 1998
Ralph Bradford Bettman, Mountain View, CA (US);
Uniphase Corporation, San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
As will be described in more detail hereinafter, there are disclosed herein high performance optical circulators and an associated method. The improvement in these circulators comprises an arrangement along the length of the main body for performing a predetermined sequence of optical operations including at least three non-reciprocal polarization rotation steps which are separated from one another by other optical operations (a) on a first light signal as the first light signal passes in a forward direction from a first port to a second port and (b) on a second light signal as the second light signal passes in a rearward direction from the second port to a third port such that a substantial portion of the first light signal exits from the second port and a substantial portion of the second light signal exits from the third port and so that the first and third ports are physically isolated with respect to one another at the first end. In one aspect of the invention, an arrangement is provided which receives a first predetermined spatial arrangement of polarization signals of the first light signal and which receives the second light signal to, thereafter, provide a second predetermined spatial arrangement of polarization components of the second light signal. The arrangement is configured for performing a predetermined sequence of alternating walk-off and polarization rotation steps along its length including the aforementioned three non-reciprocal polarization rotations on the first and second light signals.