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US 5,915,050 AGranted
Optical device
AssigneeUniversity of Southampton
InventorsPhilip St John Russell, Timothy Adam Birks, Christopher Noel Pannell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical device comprises an optical fiber directional coupler having at least a first optical fiber optionally coupled at a coupling region to a second optical fiber such that light can propagate in the coupling region in at least two possible electromagnetic transmission modes; and means for transferring energy between the modes by a spatially periodic perturbation of at least a part of coupling region.
Claims31
An optical device comprising:
- an optical fibre directional coupler having at least a first optical fibre (10) optically coupled at a coupling region (30) to a second optical fibre (20) such that light can propagate in the coupling region in at least two possible electromagnetic transmission modes;
- and
- means (40, 50, 60) for transferring energy between the transmission modes by exciting flexural acoustic vibration of at least a part of the coupling region.
An optical fibre device comprising:
- an optical fibre directional coupler having at least a first optical fibre optically coupled at a coupling region to a second optical fibre such that light can propagate in the coupling region in at least two possible electromagnetic transmission modes;
- and
- a vibration transducer, operable to vibrate in response to an oscillatory electrical signal applied to the transducer, arranged to transfer energy between the transmission modes by exciting flexural acoustic vibration of at least a part of the coupling region.
An optical fibre device comprising:
- an optical fibre fused taper null coupler having at least a first optical fibre optically coupled at a coupling region to a second optical fibre such that light can propagate in the coupling region in at least two possible electromagnetic transmission modes;
- and
- means for transferring energy between the transmission modes by exciting flexural acoustic vibration of at least a part of the coupling region;
- whereby, with the transferring means inactive, substantially none of the light propagating along one of the optical fibres is coupled into the other of the optical fibres.
1 more element
An optical device comprising:
- an optical fibre directional coupler having at least a first optical fibre (10) optically coupled at a coupling region (30) to a second optical fibre (20) such that light can propagate in the coupling region in at least two electromagnetic transmission modes, and
- means (40, 50, 60) for transferring energy between the transmission modes by a spatially periodic perturbation of at least a part of the coupling region;
- in which the coupler is a fused taper null coupler whereby, in the absence of the spatially periodic perturbation, substantially none of the light propagating along one of the optical fibres is coupled into the other of the optical fibres.
An acousto-optic device comprising:
- an optical fibre directional coupler having at least a first optical fibre (10) optically coupled at a coupling region (30) to second optical fibre (20) such that light can propagate in the coupling region in at least two possible electromagnetic transmission modes;
- and
- means (40, 50, 60) for exciting flexural acoustic vibration of at least a part of the coupling region to effect energy transfer between the transmission modes.
A method of fabrication of an acousto-optic device, the method comprising the steps of:
- fabricating an optical fibre directional coupler having at least a first optical fibre (10) optically coupled at a coupling region (30) to a second optical fibre (20) such that light can propagate in the coupling region in at least two possible electromagnetic transmission modes;
- and
- providing means (40, 50, 60) for exciting flexural acoustic vibration of at least a part of the coupling region to effect energy transfer between the transmission modes.
A method of acousto-optically frequency-shifting light, the method comprising the steps of:
- directing the light into an optical fibre directional coupler having at least a first optical fibre (10) optically coupled at a coupling region (30) to a second optical fibre (20) such that light can propagate in the coupling region in at least two possible electromagnetic transmission modes;
- and
- exciting (40, 50, 60) flexural acoustic vibration of at least a part of the coupling region to effect energy transfer between the transmission modes.
A method of optical switching, the method comprising the steps of:
- directing the light into an optical fibre directional coupler having at least a first optical fibre (10) optically coupled at a coupling region (30) to a second optical fibre (20) such that light can propagate in the coupling region in at least two possible electromagnetic transmission modes, light propagating in each mode emerging at least predominantly from a respective output port of the coupler;
- and
- generating (40, 50, 60) flexural acoustic vibration of at least a part of the coupling region to effect energy transfer between the transmission modes.
An optical switch comprising:
- an optical fibre directional coupler having at least a first optical fibre (10) optically coupled at a coupling region (30) to a second optical fibre (20) such that light can propagate in the coupling region in at least two possible electromagnetic transmission modes, light propagating in each mode emerging at least predominantly from a respective output port of the coupler;
- and
- means (40, 50, 60) for generating flexural acoustic vibration of at least a part of the coupling region to effect energy transfer between the transmission modes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.