Digital phase modulator for a fiber-optic device

US7469075B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• LITEF GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Sven Voigt · Glückstadt, DE
• Guenter Spahlinger · Stuttgart, DE
• Alfons Newzella · Gilching, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 19, 2004
• Grant date: Dec 23, 2008
• Expiry date: Mar 27, 2025

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02F2203/50
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method and arrangement of electrodes for increasing the resolution of a digital phase modulator for a fiber-optic signal transmission or measuring device. A predetermined total number m of electrodes of different lengths are arranged parallel and on both sides with respect to a light guiding path in or on an optical substrate. The electrodes are divided into two groups. A first group n of electrodes represents a coarse modulator with binary and more significant weighted electrodes of length ratio bn+0:bn=2, the longest electrode of which corresponds to the sum of lengths of all the remaining electrodes of the overall modulator. A second, smaller group of n0 non-binary and less significant weighted electrodes represents a fine modulator. The smallest output values are not formed by driving individual electrodes of the fine modulator, but rather by forming the difference, in each case, between two larger electrodes.