Broadband variable optical attenuator
AssigneeThe Board of Trustees of the Leland University
InventorsKeith E. Bennett, Robert L. Byer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical variable attenuator includes first, second, third and fourth wedge shaped plates, each of said plates having two surfaces defined by an angle of convergence, the first and second plates being supported with two of said surfaces of said first and second plates being in spaced parallel alignment and with the angle of convergence of the two plates being in opposite directions, and the third and fourth plates being supported with two of said surfaces of said third and fourth plates being in spaced parallel alignment and with the angle of convergence of the third and fourth plates.
Claims6
An optical variable attenuator comprising first and second wedge shaped plates, each of said plates having two surfaces defined by an angle of convergence, means for rotatably supporting said two plates with two of said surfaces of said plates being in spaced parallel alignment and with the angle of convergence of said two plates being in opposite directions, and means for rotatably positioning said two plates in an optical path with the axis of rotation of said two plates being perpendicular to the axis of said optical path.
An optical variable attenuator comprising a first set of first, second, third and fourth wedge shaped plates, each of said plates having two surfaces defined by an angle of convergence, means for rotatably supporting said first and second plates with two of said surfaces of said first and second plates being in spaced parallel alignment and with the angle of convergence of said two plates being in opposite directions, means for rotatably supporting said third and fourth plates with two of said surfaces of said third and fourth plates being in spaced parallel alignment and with the angle of convergence of said third and fourth plates being in opposite directions, and means for cooperatively rotating said first and second plates and said third and fourth plates in an optical path whereby a light beam passes through said attenuator with the incidence path in alignment with the exit path, the axis of rotation being perpendicular said light beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.