Patent · US Expired

Optical waveguide multiplexer for optical fiber amplifiers

US5457558A · kind A · utility

9Cited by
5References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 28, 1994
Grant dateOct 10, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 28, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B6/29367
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical waveguide multiplexer for use in optical fiber amplifiers or the like, which is simple in configuration, permits manufacturing at high productivity, and is reduced in size and moreover susceptible to little insertion loss, is to be realized. A multiplexer-branching filter is provided with first to fourth input/output (I/O) terminals. Part of an optical signal emitted from the first I/O terminal is reflected by a branching film, formed over one face of a glass plate, and led to the second optical I/O terminal. The rest of the optical signal penetrates the glass plate, and further penetrates an optical multiplexing film, formed on the other face, to be led to the third optical I/O terminal. The invention has a particular characteristic that the thickness t of the substrate is set so as to satisfy the condition of t.gtoreq.w/cos.theta..times.tan[sin.sup.-1 {(sin.theta.)/n}] where n is the refractive index of the substrate; w, the beam diameter of the output light of the optical I/O terminal for multiplexing the signal light with an pomping light; and .theta., the angle of incidence from this terminal to the substrate. By setting the substrate thickness at or above the value…

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