Fiber optic switch and discretely variable delay line

US4723827A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · US

Inventors

• Herbert J. Shaw · Stanford, US
• John E. Bowers · Holmdel, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 19, 1984
• Grant date: Feb 9, 1988
• Expiry date: Jun 19, 2004

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B6/2861
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A single mode optical fiber switch having a base (70) and a laterally slidable top (91). The base is composed of a quartz block (70) with a slight radius of curvature along its length supporting a silicon substrate (66) having a plurality of parallel v-grooves (68). The grooves are fitted with single mode optical fiber segments (64) and lapped to create a flat coupling surface (82) extending laterally across the base. The top (91) is composed of a quartz block with a single v-groove (93) holding a segment of single-mode fiber (95). This fiber (95) is lapped to create a flat coupling surface matable with the coupling surface on the base. The base (70) and top (91) are placed together such that the top fiber (95) may be selectively slid into and out of coupling alignment with any of the fibers (64) in the base (70) to form a discretely variable delay line. A single length of fiber (121) is wrapped around the base ( 70) in helical fashion with each loop being secured in one of the v-grooves (68). By coupling the top fiber (95) with different loops of the base fibers (121), different amounts of delay can be obtained. The delay line can be used to provide variable frequency response for…