US 2006/0233493 A1 · Holographic spectral filter

Abstract

Method and apparatus are contemplated for receiving from an input, an optical signal in a volume hologram comprising a transfer function that may comprise temporal or spectral information, and spatial transformation information; diffracting the optical signal; and transmitting the diffracted optical signal to an output. A plurality of inputs and outputs may be coupled to the volume hologram. The transformation may be a linear superposition of transforms, with each transform acting on an input signal or on a component of an input signal. Each transform may act to focus one or more input signals to one or more output ports. A volume hologram may be made by various techniques, and from various materials. A transform function may be calculated by simulating the collision of a design input signal with a design output signal.

Claims28

Dependent claims

An optical apparatus comprising:

an optical medium enabling substantially unconfined propagation of optical signals propagating in three dimensions therein;
and
a set of diffractive elements collectively arranged within the optical medium so as to exhibit a positional variation in amplitude, optical separation, or spatial phase over some portion of the set, the diffractive elements of the set being collectively arranged so as to apply a transfer function to an input optical signal successively incident on the diffractive elements of the set to produce an output optical signal, the transfer function being determined at least in part by said positional variation in amplitude, optical separation, or spatial phase exhibited by the diffractive elements of the set.

A method comprising:

receiving an input optical signal successively incident on a set of diffractive elements in an optical medium, the optical medium enabling substantially unconfined propagation of optical signals in three dimensions therein;
and
diffracting at least a portion of the input optical signal via the set of diffractive elements and thereby producing an output optical signal, wherein:
the diffractive elements of the set are collectively arranged within the slab waveguide so as to exhibit a positional variation in amplitude, optical separation, or spatial phase over some portion of the set;
and
the diffractive elements of the set collectively apply a transfer function to the input optical signal to produce the output optical signal, the transfer function being determined at least in part by said positional variation in amplitude, optical separation, or spatial phase exhibited by the diffractive elements of the set.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

11/423,856Filed 13 Jun 2006

Priority

16 Mar 2000

Published

19 Oct 2006

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

G02B 6/12007
Of the integrated circuit kind: forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
G02B 5/203
Filters: having holographic or diffractive elements
G02B 5/32
Optical elements other than lenses: holograms used as optical elements
G02B 6/124
Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths: geodesic lenses or integrated gratings

Family

Application60/190,126Us provisional application · filed 16 Mar 2000

Application60/199,790Us provisional application · filed 26 Apr 2000

Application60/235,330Us provisional application · filed 26 Sep 2000

Application60/247,231Us provisional application · filed 10 Nov 2000

Application09/811,081Division · filed 16 Mar 2001

Application11/076,251Continuation · filed 8 Mar 2005

Application11/076,251Division · filed 8 Mar 2005

Application11/423,856Continuation · filed 13 Jun 2006

US 2005/0152011 A1Published application

US 6,879,441 B1Related patent

US 7,062,128 B2Related patent

US 7,224,867 B2Related patent

US 2006/0233493 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Holographic spectral filter

Life of this patent

Holographic spectral filter

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28