Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for an optical filter

US6684002B2 · kind B2 · utility

5Cited by
11References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 31, 2001
Grant dateJan 27, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 6, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B2006/12164
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical device that can be used in a range of telecommunications applications including optical multiplexers/demultiplexers and optical routers. The optical device splits and combines optical signals of frequency division multiplexed optical communication channels which are evenly spaced apart in frequency from one another. The optical device includes a first filter and a second filter. The first filter splits and combines odd and even channels depending on the propagation direction of the optical signal. The first filter exhibits complementary phase retardations corresponding with odd integer multiples of half a wavelength for each center wavelength associated with a selected one of the odd and even set of channels and with integer multiples of a full wavelength for each center wavelength associated with a remaining one of the odd set and the even set. The second filter couples with the first filter to filter the odd and even sets of channels with phase retardations complementary to those experienced by the odd and even set of channels in the first filter. This complementary filtration has the effect of reducing dispersion in the device.

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