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. 24, 2000
Filed:
Sep. 03, 1998
Kevin Cyrus Robinson, Zionsville, PA (US);
Lucent Technologies, Inc., Murray Hill, NJ (US);
Abstract
A variable optical attenuator includes a lens, first and second optical waveguides, and a semiconductor micro-electro-mechanical device positioned on a side of the lens opposite the first and second optical waveguides. The semiconductor micro-electro-mechanical device may be, for example, a digital micromirror device or a silicon micro-electro-mechanical system. The device has a reflecting surface. The reflecting surface has a normal position in which light from the first waveguide reflects off of the reflecting surface and passes through the lens into the second waveguide. The reflecting surface has a plurality of respectively different attenuating positions in which light from the first waveguide reflects off of the reflecting surface and passes through the lens, but an amount of light entering the second optical waveguide is attenuated by respectively different amounts corresponding to the respectively different positions. By pivoting the reflecting surface about 0.35 degrees or less from the normal position, 40 dB of attenuation are obtained relative to the normal position. The optical attenuator can achieve about 25 dB of attenuation using a 5 Volt power supply.