Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for forming aperiodic gratings in optical fibers

US5388173A · kind A · utility

99Cited by
7References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateDec 20, 1993
Grant dateFeb 7, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 20, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S359/90
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus for simultaneously exposing an optical fiber 32, made of a material which has a refractive index that can be permanently changed by exposure to light of a predetermined intensity at a predetermined wavelength, to two writing light beams 268,272 which intersect and interfere in a predetermined region 30 of the fiber 32 so as to create an interference pattern along a longitudinal axis of the fiber 32, for a time long enough to form a permanent refractive index variation in the waveguide. Each of said two writing beams have a predetermined number of wavelengths, each wavelength being sufficiently different from each other so as to cause said refractive index variation to be an aperiodic variation. Also, each wavelength represents a Fourier component of the desired aperiodic refractive index variation.

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