Polarization independent optical taps
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorGary E. Carver
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Abstract
A unique reflective surface is employed to compensate polarization dependence of optical taps. Specifically, the reflective surface compensates optical tap induced polarization by employing the intrinsic properties of metals rather than complex thin film stacks. To this end, a reflective thin metal film or a polished reflective metal surface may be employed. In a particular embodiment of the invention, a reflective surface that is coated with a single dielectric thin film can also be employed. In one example, the metal is preferably tungsten because it exhibits a large difference in the spread of reflectance between the s and p polarization states.
Claims19
A prescribed reflective surface for use in an optical tap comprising:
- an optical path to direct a tapped portion of a light beam onto said prescribed reflective surface;
- and
- said prescribed reflective surface including the use of intrinsic properties of at least one predetermined transition metallic element to compensate for polarization induced in said optical tap.
A prescribed reflective surface employed in an optical tap comprising:
- said prescribed reflective surface including first and second reflective surfaces each of which includes the use of intrinsic properties of at least one predetermined transition metallic element to compensate for polarization induced in said optical tap;
- an optical path to direct a tapped portion of a supplied light beam onto said first reflective surface;
- and
- said second reflective surface being arranged to reflect said supplied light beam reflected from said first reflective surface, wherein a light beam reflected from said second reflective surface is said supplied light beam, which has been compensated to be a polarization independent light beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.