Device for contolling polarisation in an optical connection
OwnerJean-Pierre Huignardinventor
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Abstract
The device of the invention essentially comprises a plate (6) of electrooptic material, for example PLZT, on which four electrodes (7 to 10) are printed. The electric field produced by applying voltages (V1 to V4) to these electrodes creates a rotating-axis phase plate.
Claims6
A polarization control device in an optical link, characterized in that it comprises, in the optical link whose polarization it is desired to control, at least one block of electrooptic material (6, 13, 13A, 24, 27, 30, 37 ,38 ,46) having a birefringence that can vary under the action of an electric field, electrodes (7 to 10, 14, 15, 14A, 15A, 25, 28, 31, 35, 36, 39 to 44, 46) being placed on at least one face of this block and being connected to a circuit (5, 20, 34) for varying the electrical voltages applied to these electrodes according to the desired rotation of the polarization axes.
The device as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electrooptic block (13, 13A) has, on each of its main faces, electrodes (14, 15, 14A, 15A) that define a rotating-axis phase plate on each of these faces.
The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises several blocks in cascade along the same optical path (26, 29, 32), each of these blocks being provided with electrodes (25, 28, 31) so as to achieve no-stop control of the polarization.
The device as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the polarization control is the slaving of a polarization direction of an optical beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.