3-port optical device
AssigneeJDS Uniphase Corporation
InventorsLi Wu, Haiyang Ning, Zengping Chen, Xueqin Huang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thee port polarization beam splitter is disclosed which utilizes only two GRIN lenses. Two beams are split by a bireferingent crystal into two orthogonally linear polarized parallel sub-beams. The two parallel beams are redirected to converge to a single same location at an end face of the GRIN lens by a roof prism and are coupled by the same lens to two optical fibers held in a fiber tube physically coupled to the GRIN lens.
Claims15
An optical circuit comprising:
- means for providing two parallel beams of light;
- a single lens for receiving the beams of light;
- a prism having substantially no optical power for bending the beams of light such that they converge, and such that centers of both of the beams cross the optical axis of the lens substantially at a same location;
- and,
- two waveguides optically coupled with the lens, each for receiving one of the beams of light as focused beams.
An optical circuit comprising:
- a beam splitter for providing two orthogonally polarized at least substantially parallel beams of light;
- a single lens for receiving the two orthogonally polarized beams of light;
- a prism having substantially no optical power for bending the beams of light such that they both of the beams cross the optical axis of the lens at a same location;
- and,
- two waveguides optically coupled with the lens, each for receiving one of the beams of light as focused beams.
An optical circuit comprising;
- two optical waveguides having their cores spaced at a fixed distance d;
- a lens optically coupled with said two optical waveguides;
- first means for providing two spaced beams spaced by a distance substantially greater than said fixed separation;
- and
- second means optically coupled to said first means for directing said two spaced beams received by said first means to the lens, such that the two spaced beams converge at a point about an end face of the lens and cross one another as two diverging beams after said point and couple with said two optical waveguides respectively as focused beams.
A 3-port optical device comprising:
- a first GRIN lens having two optical waveguides coupled thereto;
- a second GRIN lens having a single waveguide coupled thereto;
- means coupled to the second GRIN lens for separating light launched into the first waveguide into two sub-beams separated by a distance d1;
- a prism for changing the direction of the two sub-beams and directing the sub-beams such that they cross the optical axis of the first GRIN lens at a same location and coupled into two of the three ports respectively.
A method of coupling two parallel beams spaced by a distance d, to two optical fibres spaced a different smaller distance d2, comprising the steps of:
- directing the two parallel beams spaced by d, to a prism that will direct the two beams to coverage at a same location;
- ensuring that the two beams enter a lens having an optical axis such that the optical axis is disposed at said same location;
- and,
- allowing the two sub-beams to focus into two optical fibres respectively, after passing through the lens.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.