Optical splitter device
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsRobert Newton Bicknell, Jong-Souk Yeo, Lenward T. Seals
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical splitter device and method are provided. The device can include a waveguide having walls forming a large hollow core. The waveguide can be configured to direct an optical signal through the large hollow core. An optical tap can be formed through at least one wall of the waveguide. In addition, a prism can be located in the large hollow core of the waveguide and aligned with the optical tap. A splitter coating can be provided on the prism to direct a portion of the optical signal outside of the waveguide through the optical tap.
Claims17
An optical splitter device, comprising:
- a waveguide, having walls forming a large hollow core, configured to direct an optical signal through the large hollow core;
- an optical tap formed through one wall of the waveguide;
- a plurality of area based prisms in the large hollow core of the waveguide and aligned with the optical tap, the plurality of area based prisms being of increasing size as the distance from an optical signal source increases, wherein each of the plurality of area based prisms is mounted in the optical tap using a support formed from a waveguide cover;
- and
- a splitter coating on each of the plurality of area based prisms to direct a portion of the optical signal outside of the waveguide through the respective optical tap.
A method for manufacturing an optical splitter device for a waveguide having a large hollow core, comprising
- forming a hollow channel in a silicon substrate;
- depositing metal on the hollow channel to make the hollow channel reflective and create a waveguide;
- sawing depth slots across the waveguide, wherein each of the depth slots has a decreasing depth as the depth slot distance increases from an optical signal source;
- inserting right angle prisms, having a metalized coating on a hypotenuse, into the depth slots and the right angle prisms are oriented with a hypotenuse toward incoming optical signals;
- and
- applying a cover over the hollow channel.
A method for manufacturing an optical splitter device for a waveguide having a large hollow core, comprising
- forming a hollow channel in a silicon substrate;
- depositing metal on the hollow channel to make the hollow channel reflective and create a waveguide;
- sawing depth slots across the waveguide, wherein each depth slot has the same depth;
- inserting dove prisms into the depth slots;
- and
- applying covers over the hollow channel.
An optical splitter device, comprising
- a waveguide, having walls forming a large hollow core, configured to direct an optical signal through the large hollow core;
- an optical tap formed through one wall of the waveguide;
- a prism in the large hollow core of the waveguide and aligned with the optical tap, wherein the prism is a dove prism or an inverted dove prism being configured to redirect optical signals transmitted through the prism with walk-off back into the waveguide;
- and
- a splitter coating on the prism to direct a portion of the optical signal outside of the waveguide through the optical tap.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.