Pressure insensitive interferometer
AssigneePGS Geophysical AS
InventorWillard WOMACK
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device. The device includes a substrate a substrate, a first optical waveguide disposed on the substrate and a second optical waveguide disposed on the substrate. The device further includes a coupling element disposed on the substrate, the coupling element configured to couple an optical signal in the first optical waveguide to the second optical waveguide, and couple an optical signal in the second optical waveguide to the first optical waveguide. A first reflective element is disposed at an end of the first optical waveguide configured to reflect optical signals in the first optical waveguide. A second reflective element disposed at an end of the second optical waveguide configured to reflect signals in the second optical waveguide.
Claims19
A device comprising:
- a substrate;
- a first optical waveguide disposed on the substrate;
- a second optical waveguide disposed on the substrate;
- a coupling element disposed on the substrate, the coupling element configured to:
- couple an optical signal in the first optical waveguide to the second optical waveguide;
- and
- couple an optical signal in the second optical waveguide to the first optical waveguide;
- a first reflective element disposed at an end of the first optical waveguide configured to reflect optical signals in the first optical waveguide;
- and
- a second reflective element disposed at an end of the second optical waveguide configured to reflect signals in the second optical waveguide.
A method comprising:
- coupling optical energy from an optical source to a sensor cable deployed proximate to a sea floor beneath a water body;
- coupling a portion of the optical energy in the sensor cable into a segment of a first optical waveguide of an interferometric device deployed beneath the water body, wherein the interferometric device is configured for deployment in the water body in an absence of an atmospheric housing;
- and
- detecting an optical interferometric signal from a segment of a second optical waveguide of the interferometric device.
A device comprising:
- a substrate;
- a first coupling element disposed on the substrate;
- a second coupling element disposed on the substrate;
- a first optical waveguide disposed on the substrate and integrated in the first coupling element and the second coupling element;
- a second optical waveguide disposed on the substrate and integrated in the first coupling element and the second coupling element;
- wherein:
- the first and second coupling elements have a distance therebetween along a direction of propagation of an optical signal in the first optical waveguide;
- the first coupling element couples optical energy between the first and second optical waveguides at the first optical coupling element;
- and
- the second coupling element couples optical energy between the first and second optical waveguides at the second optical coupling element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.