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US 5,333,219 AGranted
Asymmetric Y-branch optical device
AssigneeAT&T Bell Laboratories
InventorMark E. Kuznetsov
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a new tunable filter which, when used as an intracavity mode selecting filter in a semiconductor laser structure, provides a large tuning range. The disclosed filter is, in one embodiment, a two branch asymmetric Y-branch tunable filter where the ends of the two branches terminate at a common plane. In another embodiment, the invention is realized by using a cascade of two or more Y-branches to place several asymmetrical Y-branch filters in parallel.
Claims14
An optical device comprising
- a first optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end,
- a second optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end,
- a third optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end and a path length that is greater than the path length of the second optical branch waveguide,
- an optical Y-junction element coupling the second end of the first optical branch waveguide to the first end of the second and the first end of the third optical branch waveguides, the second end of the second optical branch waveguide and the second end of the third optical branch waveguide terminating at a common plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the second and third optical branch waveguides,
- wherein
- the second ends of the second and third optical branch waveguides which terminate at a common plane each have a reflecting end surface.
3 more elements
An optical device comprising
- a first optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end,
- a second optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end,
- a third optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end and a path length that is greater than the path length of the second optical branch waveguide,
- an optical Y-junction element coupling the second end of the first optical branch waveguide to the first end of the second and the first end of the third optical branch waveguides, the second end of the second optical branch waveguide and the second end of the third optical branch waveguide terminating at a common plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the second and third optical branch waveguides,
- wherein
- the second ends of the second and third optical branch waveguides which terminate at a common plane each has a reflecting end surface and the first end of the first optical branch waveguide has a reflecting end surface.
3 more elements
An optical device comprising
- a first optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end,
- a second optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end,
- a third optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end and a path length that is greater than the path length of the second optical branch waveguide,
- an optical Y-junction element coupling the second end of the first optical branch waveguide to the first end of the second and the first end of the third optical branch waveguides, the second end of the second optical branch waveguide and the second end of the third optical branch waveguide terminating at a common plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the second and third optical branch waveguides,
- a first electrode coupled to the first optical branch waveguide,
- a second electrode coupled to the second optical branch waveguide, and
- a third electrode coupled to the third optical branch waveguide.
4 more elements
A laser cavity comprising
- a first optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end, at least a portion of the waveguide being active,
- a second optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end,
- a third optical branch waveguide having a first and a second end and a path length that is longer than the path length of the second optical branch waveguide, said first, second and third optical branch waveguides being located within a cavity, and
- an optical Y-junction element coupling the second end of said first optical branch waveguide to the first end of the second and the third optical branch waveguides, and the second end of the second and the third optical branch waveguide terminate at a common plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the second and third optical branch waveguides.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.