High extinction ratio and low crosstalk compact optical switches
US7486443B1 · kind B1 · utility
0Cited by
8References
23Claims
0Family size
Assignee
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Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 20, 2002 |
| Grant date | Feb 3, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 25, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q2011/0035
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An improved optical switch utilizes one polarization modulator, with the beam components traversing it twice. Because of the twice traverse, the extinction ratio of the switch is doubled without the addition of another polarization modulator, thus avoiding the costs of additional optical components. With no additional components, the switch is more compact than conventional switches with the same extinction ratio. Fewer components also result in more thermal and long-term stability and less crosstalk.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.