Free-space hitlessly switchable optical interleaver
AssigneeOptoplex Corporation
InventorYung-Chieh Hsieh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reflective surface and a beamsplitting surface are optically coupled to a mirror and to phase optics arranged in interleaver configuration so as to either reflect all light to a single output in an all-pass mode of operation, or to split the incoming beam and produce odd and even channel outputs in an interleaver mode of operation. The direction of the incoming beam is switched hitlessly between the reflective and beamsplitting surfaces by passing the incoming beam through a transparent slab coupled to a rotating mechanism.
Claims16
A free-space, hitlessly switchable, optical interleaver comprising:
- a first mirror surface;
- a beam-splitter surface adapted to produce a reflected beam and a transmitted beam;
- a second mirror surface optically coupled to said first mirror surface and said beam-splitter surface;
- a phase-optics device optically coupled to said beam-splitter surface;
- and
- a device for directing an incoming beam alternatively toward said first mirror surface to operate in all-pass mode or said beam-splitter surface to operate in interleaver mode;
- wherein said phase-optics device is adapted to produce a predetermined phase shift between the reflected and transmitted beams, said phase shift being designed to produce a correspondingly interleaver output.
A method of hitlessly switching the operation of an optical interleaver between an all-pass mode and an interleaver mode comprising the following steps:
- providing a first mirror surface;
- providing a beam-splitter surface adapted to produce a reflected beam and a transmitted beam;
- providing a second mirror surface optically coupled to said first mirror surface and said beam-splitter surface;
- providing a phase-optics device optically coupled to said beam-splitter surface, said phase-optics device being adapted to produce a predetermined phase shift between the reflected and transmitted beams, and said phase shift being designed to produce a correspondingly interleaver output;
- and
- directing an incoming beam alternatively toward said first mirror surface to operate in all-pass mode or said beam-splitter surface to operate in interleaver mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.