Thermal compensated fused-fiber dense wavelength division multiplexer
US6081641A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 3, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jun 27, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 3, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/2835
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A structure and method are provided to compensate for temperature changes on wavelength shifting in DWDM by reducing tension in a fused-fiber DWDM when temperature increases and increasing tension when temperature decreases, thereby stabilizing wavelength shifts throughout the range of operating temperatures. The DWDM, which is enclosed by a protective package in some embodiments, is connected to substrates of different thermal expansion coefficients, such that the fused-fiber portion of the DWDM exhibits negative thermal expansion, i.e. contracts when temperature increases and expands when temperature decreases. As a result, temperature-induced wavelength shifts are minimized due to a passive thermal compensation, which can be easily adjusted. In other embodiments, twisting the fused-fiber portion of the DWDM to obtain optimum phase matching minimizes the polarization-dependent losses in the incoming light.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.