High-resolution digital phase modulator for a fiber-optic signal transmission or measurement device

US7961373B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• LITEF GmbH · DE

Inventors

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

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 19, 2004
• Grant date: Jun 14, 2011
• Expiry date: Dec 6, 2027

Classification

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

Abstract

A digital phase modulator for a fiber-optic measurement device. A predetermined total number of electrodes of different lengths are arranged in parallel and on both sides of a light guidance path in or on an optical substrate. The electrodes are arranged in two or more triples along the light guidance path. In each case, two electrodes of successive length within a triple have the same length ratio with respect to one another. Such length ratio is chosen, in particular, to be ν=1.618. The electrode lengths of this triple are chosen such that the smallest step widths of the output value range of the phase modulator can be formed by subtraction between the values of at least two larger electrodes. This allows the resolution of the phase modulator to be increased from 9 bits to 11 bits without change in chip size.