Electrically modifiable optical grating devices
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsKarl R. Amundson, Benjamin John Eggleton, John A. Rogers, Jefferson Lynn Wagener
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Abstract
In accordance with the invention, an electrically modifiable optical fiber grating device is made by providing a fiber including a grating and forming a plurality of electrically conductive elements along the grating. In response to an electrical signal, the conductive elements modify the grating. In a preferred embodiment, a fiber grating is provided with a plurality of heating elements spaced to selectively heat different portions of the grating. This chirps the spacing between elements of the grating and thereby increases the bandwidth of the device.
Claims15
A modifiable optical fiber grating comprising:
- a length of optical fiber including an optical fiber grating comprising a sequence of perturbations in the optical properties of the fiber disposed along a grating region of said fiber;
- disposed along said grating region a plurality of conductive elements coupled to said fiber, each said conductive element responsive to an applied electrical signal to act locally on the grating in the region near the electrode to vary the local refractive index of the fiber,
- said conductive elements positioned in relation to said grating for modifying the sequence of perturbations in response to an applied electrical signal to change the shape of the grating transmission or reflection spectrum.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.