Dielectric waveguides

US3944811A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• the Post Office

Inventor

• John Edwin Midwinter · Kesgrave, GB

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 27, 1974
• Grant date: Mar 16, 1976
• Expiry date: Jun 27, 1994

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02F1/0147
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The number of modes propagating as guided modes along a dielectric optical waveguide depends on the refractive index difference between core and cladding materials. By altering this difference the number of modes which are permitted to propagate may be controlled. The effective bandwidth of a dielectric optical waveguide depends on the number of modes transmitted because of group delay dispersion and hence this bandwidth may be controlled by controlling the number of propagating modes. In the case of a liquid cored dielectric optical waveguide, the difference between core and cladding refractive indices and hence the bandwidth may be controlled by controlling the temperature of the dielectric optical waveguide.