Patent · US Expired

Acousto-optic variable-wavelength TE/TM mode converter, and a variable-wavelength optical filter using this converter

US6466705B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
8References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 27, 2000
Grant dateOct 15, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 29, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B6/14
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An acousto-optic variable-wavelength TE/TM mode converter is configured by comprising an optical waveguide, a coupled acoustic waveguide composed of two acoustic waveguides, comb electrodes arranged at the acoustic waveguides, and surface acoustic wave absorbers arranged at the acoustic waveguide. If high-frequency electric signals having different frequencies are applied to the electrodes, surface acoustic waves W11 and W12 occur on the surface of the piezoelectric substrate, meander and propagate in the substrate, and are finally absorbed by the absorbers. The intensity distributions of the surface acoustic waves W11 and W12 are distributions where the intensity is high in a middle portion of the optical guide, and low at both ends of the optical waveguide. The peak positions of the intensities are different, and the bases of the distributions partially overlap between the two absorbers.

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