US 4,907,856 AGranted

Acoustooptic transducer arrangement for optical fibers

AssigneeMotorola, Inc.

InventorFred S. Hickernell

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Abstract

An acoustooptic transducer includes a base and cap which may be mated axially along a certain length of an optical fiber. The base and cap each include a semicircular channel fabricated along one axis. A zinc oxide layer is sandwiched between two metal layers in each of the semicircular channels. When the cap and base are mated, each of the semicircular channels of metal and zinc oxide correspond to form coaxial cylindrical channels of zinc oxide sandwiched by layers of metal surrounding the fiber. Under an applied electrical force, to electrodes of the metal layers, the zinc oxide produces focused acoustic waves for coupling to the light transmitted through the optical fiber. In another embodiment of this invention, the layer of zinc oxide sandwiched between the metal layers may be applied directly to a predetermined length of the optical fiber.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An acoustooptic transducer for acoustooptic coupling to light waves traveling through an optical fiber, said acoustooptic transducer arrangement comprising:

body means including first and second portions, each of said first and second portion of said body means including channel means located axially along a surface of each portion and said channel means adapted to circumscribe said optical fiber;
piezoelectric means disposed about the surface of said channel means of said first and second portions of said body means, said piezoelectric means operating in response to an electric signal to produce an acoustic wave focused upon said optical fiber;
said optical fiber being positioned directly in contact with said piezoelectric means so that a channel means circumscribes a predetermined length of optical fiber;
and
said first and second portions of said body means being positioned about said optical fiber so that said optical fiber is in direct contact with said piezoelectric means of said channel means, said first and second portions being bonded so that said piezoelectric means is coaxially oriented along said predetermined length of said optical fiber, whereby said acoustic waves are focused on said transmitted light waves of said optical fiber.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.