Abstract: A light-emitting treatment device including one or more light-emitting elements disposed in a flexible and stretchable pad (or a body-conforming shaped article) defining a skin- or tissue-adhering surface having an inherently tacky characteristic for secure application to the skin, tissue, or other external or internal regions of the patient's body. The light-emitting treatment device is configured to contact and adhere to the skin or tissue of a patient, and irradiate an underlying region for photodynamic therapy. The treatment device may be fabricated from a shell member and a filler material (such as a molded silicone rubber shell member and a silicone gel filler material), to provide a skin-adhering, peelable, washable, and repositionable contact surface.

Abstract: A holographic device, which has first and second roughly coplanar and superposed holograms, which are illuminated by the same non-polarized light beam with at least first and second spectral compositions, the holograms each being recorded in a manner such that in its middle, the axis of the diffracted beam is perpendicular to the direction of the incident beam in this medium, the diffracted beams forming first and second angularly separated light beam with the same polarization, and having different spectral compositions.

Abstract: A polarization mode dispersion compensator corrects polarization mode dispersion in an optical signal having a fast polarization mode component, a slow polarization mode component and a time differential between the components. The compensator includes a phase shifter and a variable delay section. An input of the phase shifter is coupled to an optical device that provides an optical signal that exhibits polarization mode dispersion. The phase shifter functions to rotate the optical signal principal states of polarization to a desired orientation. The variable delay section includes an input, an output and at least one optical fiber delay line. The input of the variable delay section is coupled to the output of the phase shifter and the desired orientation of the optical signal principal states of polarization are substantially rotated to be in alignment with one of a fast axis and a slow axis of each of the one or more fiber delay lines.

Abstract: A planar optical device is formed on a substrate. The device comprises an array of waveguide cores which guide optical radiation. A cladding layer is formed contiguously with the array of waveguide cores to confine the optical radiation to the array of waveguide cores. At least one of the array of waveguide cores and cladding layer is an inorganic-organic hybrid material that comprises an extended matrix containing silicon and oxygen atoms with at least a fraction of the silicon atoms being directly bonded to substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon moieties. This material can be designed with an index of refraction between 1.4 and 1.55 and can be deposited rapidly to thicknesses of up to 40 microns. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method for forming a planar optical device obviates the need for a lithographic process.

Abstract: A method of making an in situ shaped optical element on the terminal end of an optical fiber, and the resultant optical fiber component for manipulating light entering or exiting the terminal end of an optical fiber. The in situ shaped optical element is preferably an inorganic-organic hybrid sol-gel material which is adhered to the terminal end of the optical fiber and shaped in place to define an optical element or surface.

Abstract: A method for making an optical collimating device having three or more ports. A test light having the same wavelength as that at which the filter is designed to operate is transmitted through the input collimator. The angle of incidence is measured, and the location where the reflected beam reaches the ferrule is determined. The data dictates where the output fiber pigtail should be positioned within the ferrule to achieve the measured angle of incidence for that transmitted wavelength and the spacing between input and output pigtails based on the angle of reflection. Multiple ferrules containing two or more pigtails corresponding to a particular filter operating at a particular wavelength are segregated into separate collimator bins that are marked accordingly.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing low flow rates of feedstock vapors used in the manufacture of silica glass. The method includes the steps of providing a constant flow of a liquid feedstock, mixing the flow of the liquid feedstock with an injector gas, expelling the mixture of liquid feedstock and inert gas from an injector orifice into a vaporizer chamber, flowing a carrier gas into the vaporizer chamber and through the mixture of liquid feedstock and injector gas, and vaporizing the liquid feedstock in the vaporizer chamber. The present invention is useful in the fabrication of planar silica waveguides.

Abstract: An athermalized, polymer overclad integrated optical device (with a multiplexer/demultiplexer or a Mach-Zender interferometer being representative examples) in which thermally-induced shifts in channel wavelengths are minimized. The device includes a doped silica waveguide core on a planar substrate and a polymer overclad having a negative variation in refractive index versus temperature (dn/dT) to inhibit shifts in the channel wavelengths.

Abstract: A variable delay device of the type used to correct for polarization mode dispersion in a signal transmitted over an optical communications system. In an exemplary embodiment, the variable delay device uses a plurality of polarization rotators and delay elements aligned in series and alternating with one another. The polarization rotators map the fast polarization mode component of the incoming optical signal to the slow axes of one or more delay elements, to achieve a desired pattern of relative incremental delays which total the initial differential delay being compensated. The delay elements may have uniform or non-uniform incremental delay values, and the polarization rotators may be selectively actuated to achieve the desired pattern of delay values corresponding to the intended total delay.

Abstract: Optical signal devices, wavelength division multiplexer/demultiplexer optical devices, and methods of employing the same in which the core layer includes a grating and is comprised of a material whose refractive index is tuned so that the grating reflects a preselected wavelength of light. A single optical signal device can therefore be used to select a variety of wavelengths for segregation.

Abstract: A single mode waveguide coupling to a multimode fiber of a high-bandwidth local optical network is made by a tapered coupler that expands the spot size of the propagating beam to fill additional modes of the multimode fiber. The tapered coupler has a core surrounded by inner and outer layers of cladding. The core and the inner cladding layer are drawn down along their length to force light from the core into the surrounding inner cladding layer. The outer cladding layer confines the expanded beam within the core and inner cladding layer.

Abstract: An integrated planar Bragg grating is fabricated by depositing layers of material onto a negative expansion substrate to form a waveguide, which is held in mechanical tension with the substrate. A Bragg grating is then formed in the waveguide. As the temperature of the waveguide increases, the mechanical tension between the waveguide and the substrate is relieved, such that the peak reflection wavelength of the Bragg grating remains nearly constant.

Abstract: A method for mechanically stripping the protective coating from a silica or glass optical fiber using a polymeric or soft metal blade having a hardness less than that of the glass optical fiber but greater than the protective coating. The blade is preferably selected from a group of polymeric materials, or alternately a soft metal, which is selected or treated so as to not detrimentally oxidize in conventional operating environments. For a silica-containing optical fiber, the blade has a hardness of less than approximately 125 on the Knoop hardness scale, and preferably less than approximately 60 on the Knoop hardness scale. A method of inhibiting damage to the exposed region of the silica-containing optical fiber comprises applying a substance that forms a protective layer to provide a barrier to particulates and moisture, and which does not inhibit subsequent processing of the optical fiber, selected from a group of silane-containing compounds.

Abstract: Packages for long period fiber gratings and other optical components (and methods for forming the packages) are described. According to an aspect of the invention, a hollow tube surrounding an optical fiber containing a long-period grating is collapsed in two areas, forming a seal at each end of the tube. According to another aspect of the invention, a hollow tube with a shelf section at each end surrounds an optical fiber containing a long-period grating. The hollow tube is sealed at each end with a fused frit. According to another aspect of the invention, a hollow tube surrounding an optical fiber containing a long-period grating is sealed at each end with a glass plug.

Abstract: An athermalized integrated optical waveguide device in which thermal spectral shifts are inhibited is provided and in which the light transmitting properties are insensitive to temperature variations and fluctuations. The athermnalized integrated optical waveguide device has at least two waveguide core arms, preferably comprised of a silica glass, with the core arms cladded with a waveguide cladding composition, preferably a silica glass that has a boron concentration different than the cores. The first waveguide arm and the second waveguide arm have a difference in an effective index thermal slope in order to provide an athermalized device such as an intereferometer on a substantially planar substrate. In addition the at least two waveguide core arms are comprised of path segments having different waveguide core dimensions.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for removing protective coating material from a fiber optic cable including one or more optical fibers. A stream of hot inert gas is directed onto the cable to soften the protective coating material and blow it from the cable. The stream can be moved relative to the cable until the desired length of coating material has been removed.

Abstract: An optical multiplexing device is disclosed for multiplexing optical signals, for example, for a fiber-optic telecommunication system employing wavelength division multiplexing. The optical multiplexing device has a filter assembly defining a light path, preferably a multi-bounce zigzag expanded beam light path, from a common port at least to a first channel port and then a second channel port and then a pass-through port. The first channel port has a first optical filter element, for example, a multi-cavity interference filter, which is transparent to a wavelength sub-range within the wavelength range passed by the common port and the pass-through port, and substantially reflective of other wavelengths within such wavelength range. The second channel port includes a second optical filter element having light transmittance and reflectance properties substantially the same as those of the first optical filter element.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing an improved coupling between waveguides of an integrated optical waveguide circuit component and waveguides of an optical fiber array. The circuit component and optical fiber array are aligned and adjusted relative to each other while sensing the total optical power outputted from all of the optical fibers of the array. An integrating sphere is utilized to sum the individual optical power outputs of all of the optical fibers and an autoalignment system is used to adjust the relevant position of the component and the fiber array to maximize the total optical power outputted from the fibers into the integrating sphere.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of aligning a collimator assembly requiring only a single-axis adjustment and for which the collimator may be paired with any other similarly aligned collimator. A collimator typically includes a fiber grasped by a ferrule. Both the ferrule and a graded-index (GRIN) lens are eventually bonded to the inside of a glass tube with the fiber/lens distance fixed for optimum collimator performance. According to one method of practicing the invention, the tube/lens assembly is fixed, and the ferrule/fiber is slidably inserted into the tube. The position of the ferrule/fiber is adjusted within the tube while the size of the resultant beam is measured at a fixed distance from the output from the lens. If there are two such positions producing the optimum beam size, the position of less separation between the ferrule and fiber is chosen.

Abstract: An optical multiplexing device is provided comprising multiple wavelength division multiplexers cascaded together. A first one of the wavelength division multiplexers has a common port and multiple optical ports which are optically coupled to the common port. The common port may be optically coupled to a trunk line of a system employing wavelength division multiplexing, for example, a fiber-optic telecommunication system employing 4, 8, 16 or other number of multiplexed channels. The optical ports include multiple channel ports, each of which is transparent to a corresponding wavelength sub-range and reflective of other wavelengths. The second wavelength division multiplexer has a common port optically coupled to one of the optical ports of the first wavelength division multiplexer. The second wavelength division multiplexer also has multiple optical ports which are optically coupled to its common port and include multiple wavelength-selective channel ports.