Patent · US Expired

Electrically controllable optical attenuator

US5956437A · kind A · utility

7Cited by
6References
3Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 24, 1997
Grant dateSep 21, 1999
Priority date—
Expiry dateDec 24, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F2203/48
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A known form of electrically controlled optical attenuator is formed by a mach Zehnder waveguide configuration with a variable refractive index element in one arm to modify the undulatory spectral characteristic of the network to give a specific attenuation at a specific wavelength. The spectral characteristic of the network makes the attenuation that it provides wavelength dependent. An attenuator with a wavelength dependence of reduced magnitude is provided by the series combination of two Mach Zehnder networks, one having an electrically controllable optical path length adjuster in its longer interference arm, and the other with its adjuster in its shorter arm.

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