Patent · US Expired

Optical attenuator

US7142362B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
5References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 17, 2004
Grant dateNov 28, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 27, 2025

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B27/281
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A low-cost compact optical attenuator structure has an input port and an output port for optical signals arranged side by side; a reflecting member arranged to face both ports to reverse light from the input side on an optical path folded 180°; a birefringence crystal splits incident light into two polarization components, a converging lens converges the incident light, a fixed Faraday rotator having a variable rotation angle arranged in that order in the optical path. The partial reflecting member that transmits a portion of incident light to the rear side thereof, an optical sensor at the rear side of the reflecting member, optical guide means guide only the transmitted light from the input port side to the optical sensor, and optical detection signals of the optical sensor are used as optical input monitoring signals.

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