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US 2003/0169987 A1Published application
Tunable microfluidic optical fiber devices and systems
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsBenjamin John Eggleton, Charles Kerbage, Peter Mach, John A. Rogers, Robert Scott Windeler
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Abstract
A tunable optical fiber device comprises a length of fiber having a core having a certain refractive index; a cladding peripherally surrounding the core with a refractive index less than the refractive index of the core; and at least one hollow region disposed within the cladding in proximity to the core or within the core itself. Fluid (typically liquid) controllably moved within the hollow region modifies the effective index of the fiber and thereby tunes its characteristics.
Claims20
A tunable optical fiber device comprising:
- a length of optical fiber comprising a core region having a first index of refraction peripherally surrounded by a cladding having a second index of refraction less than the core, the fiber including at least one longitudinally extending channel proximate the core or within the core;
- a movable region of fluid within the channel having a third index of refraction;
- and
- an actuator for controllably moving the movable region of fluid for controllably changing the effective index of refraction of the fiber in the region to which or from which the fluid is moved.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.