Broadband optical power summer
US5138677A · kind A · utility
19Cited by
11References
16Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 8, 1991 |
| Grant date | Aug 11, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 8, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/4204
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An optical power summing apparatus that allows a multiplicity of optical signals to be combined with minimal signal transmission loss. A single photodiode simultaneously receives all of the input signals to perform a summation of signal powers. Alternative embodiments of the apparatus use either a tightly packed bundle of etched optical fibers or a converging arrangement of optical waveguides on a dielectric substrate to focus the optical signals onto the base region of a single photodiode.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.