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. 18, 2016
Filed:
May. 24, 2013
Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US);
Irl W. Smith, Concord, MA (US);
Terry A. Dorschner, Marlborough, MA (US);
Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US);
Abstract
An optical switch () is capable of routing a high-power beam incident at one or more input ports () of the optical switch to either of two or more output ports (), the optical switch comprising: at least one switching stage, each of the at least one switching stages comprising: a switchable high-power liquid crystal (LC) half-wave plate (HWP), oriented with its fast axis at 45° to an input polarization direction such that in response to an incident polarized laser beam provided to said switchable high-power liquid crystal, half-wave plate, said HWP acts as a polarization rotator; and a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) disposed in an optical path to intercept light signals output from said switchable high-power liquid crystal (LC) half wave plate (HWP).