Patent · US Expired

Device for optical heterodyne detection and optical component suitable for use in such a device

US5126557A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
4References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 2, 1990
Grant dateJun 30, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 2, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04B10/64
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An optical heterodyne or homodyne receiver comprises an integrated optical component (140) in which the local oscillator beam and the signal beam are combined and simultaneouly split into orthogonally polarized sub-beams. The optical component comprises a polarization-sensitive beam-splitting layer in a first face (141) and a second beam-splitting layer in a second face (142) which is perpendicular thereto. This second layer functions as a beam-combining element in the optical receiver and has two distinct portions (142a and 142b), one portion (142a) of which passes and reflects one state of polarization (s) to the desired extent and the other portion (142b) having this property for the other state of polarization (p).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.