Optical turn for monitoring light from a laser
US6636540B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 30, 2001 |
| Grant date | Oct 21, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 30, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S5/423
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention is an optical turn used to the monitor the output of a light source such as a VCSEL. Light incoming to the optical turn is reflected off of a totally internally reflecting surface towards a window-mirror, where the light is partially routed to an output lens, and partially diverted to a monitor lens where the diverted light can be focused onto a monitoring device, such as a photodiode. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the optical turn is modified to monitor an incoming light array. In another alternative embodiment, the optical turn monitors an incoming light array, and further includes a zigzag multiplexer that is used to carry out Coarse Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM). CWDM is the combination of different wavelengths of light into one beam.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.