Abstract: Electrooptic prism-type deflection is provided in a planar waveguide thin film of electrooptic material, such as a thin titanium-diffused region in a lithium niobate crystal, by means of an electrode arrangement involving three thin metallic stripes as the only needed electrodes. All three stripes are disposed on top of the thin film of light-guiding electrooptic material, the outermost two being essentially parallel to the incoming light beam path, and the third extending diagonally between opposite ends of, but not contacting, the others. The electrooptic material is oriented to have its crystallographic C-axis, along which it exhibits a linear electrooptic effect, parallel to the interface of the light-guiding film and the lower index substrate and othogonal to the initial propagation direction of the light beam. Like deflection voltages are applied to the two triangular electrooptic waveguide portions defined by the stripes.

Abstract: In an infrared photodetection apparatus a photodetector diode is used which comprises a heterojunction of two epitaxial layers of differing compositions of a ternary III-V semiconductive alloy, such that the outer layer will serve as a radiation-admitting window as well as physical protection for the underlying absorbing layer in the so called direct photodetector diode configuration. The ternary alloy illustratively includes two metallic group III elements such as indium and gallium; but the principle can be extended to ternary alloys including two group V elements, such as arsenic and antimony. Further, quaternary alloys of III-V elements can be employed. The absorbing layer is selected to be substantially intrinsic. The latter is the case for an N-type layer of In.sub.x Ga.sub.(1.sub.-x) As. Matching of this absorbing layer to a gallium arsenide substrate is achieved by a plurality of step-graded composition layers of indium gallium arsenide.

Abstract: A photopolymerization process is adapted for the production of various optical devices by means of a modified process which serves to increase the index change obtainable in a variable pattern of index of refraction. The process comprises the steps of flowing into place in a supporting structure a mixture of two components of differing reactivity and polarizability, partially polymerizing the mixture, writing a pattern of varying index of refraction in the partially polymerized mixture by further polymerizing it by suitable optical radiation in a corresponding pattern, and fixing the mixture against subsequent changes in polymerization. Typical components used in the process include a mixture of the monomers cyclohexyl methacrylate and N-vinylcarbazole together with benzoin methyl ether as a photosensitive initiator of polymerization, which proceeds by free radical reactions. In the limit of our technique, one of the components can have zero reactivity.

Abstract: The disclosed distributed feedback laser employs an alkali halide crystal having a spatially modulated pattern of a stable color center and a complementary spatially modulated pattern of U-centers. The stability of the color centers is provided by initial additive coloration, conversion to U-centers, and subsequent reconversion; and the spatial modulation is provided by patterning the reconversion by exposing a portion of the crystal to an interference pattern of coherent light. Conversion occurs by two-photon absorption. The very large penetration depth and the use of ultraviolet frequencies that are only about one-half of the magnitude of the frequencies that would otherwise be required make this device and process attractive for thick holograms and for distributed feedback devices such as lasers.

Abstract: In the disclosed common medium multichannel exchange and switching system, optical carrier frequencies and bandwidths are employed and provide switched channels of unprecedentedly large bandwidth. At the same time, the switching network at optical frequencies is of such unprecedentedly small size that it promises to be implementable via integrated optics on only one integrated circuit chip, or, at most, a few chips of suitable material. The system is adapted to optical frequencies in that the common medium is an optical strip guide and optical directional channel-separation filters are employed to couple a plurality of switched customers or switched facilities on to or off of the common medium. At the same time, the system is compatible with the central processing control of the general type employed in current electronic switching systems.

Abstract: There is disclosed a variety of arrangements for tapping a portion of the signal power from an optical fiber waveguide without requiring that the fiber be terminated or broken. Power is coupled out of the fiber waveguide, which typically includes an inner core surrounded by a lower refractive index outer cladding, by disposing a dielectric body in a coupling relationship with an intermediate length of the fiber from which all or most of the cladding has been removed or, alternatively, which is bent to cause a portion of the power to radiate out of the inner core into the outer cladding of the fiber. The dielectric body couples power out of the fiber provided its index of refraction is approximately equal to, or greater than, that of the fiber cladding material. The power coupled out by the dielectric body is converted to a representative electrical signal by a photodetector disposed adjacent to the dielectric body.

Abstract: Photovoltaic devices are constructed from a principal body of copper indium selenide (CuInSe.sub.2) upon which is deposited a hetero-epitaxial layer of a high bandgap semiconductor, such as an n-type layer of cadmium sulfide (CdS). When made with a high-resistance intermediate region, the device is a photovoltaic detector for modulated radiation and has a response time as low as 5 nsec for a reverse bias of approximately two to three volts. When made without a high-resistance intermediate region (e.g., an abrupt p-n heterojunction) the device is a useful solar cell. In these forms of the device, absolute photovoltaic quantum efficiencies up to 70 percent have been observed. The quantum efficiency of the solar cell type of device is reasonably flat between 0.55 and 1.25 .mu.m. With forward bias, the device is a light-emitting diode with external electro-luminescent quantum efficiency of .about.1.times.10.sup.-.sup.4 at room temperature and .about.1.times.10.sup.-.sup.2 at 77.degree.

Abstract: The comprehensive large scale integration of thin-film optical circuits is made possible by a series of related developments. The key concept is the isolation of the high index substrate, necessary to active devices, wherever it is desired to have a passive device, by the interposition of an oxide layer such as SiO.sub.2. It is preferred that the passive devices and the SiO.sub.2 by amorphous. This new arrangement allows the use of discrete thin-film corner reflectors, instead of distributed feedback, in resonant active devices and wherever a reflector or beam-splitter is needed. Further, the active devices may be located photolithographically by etching windows in the SiO.sub.2 layer. All of the active devices share a common active layer, which forms the passive devices wherever it extends between windows and simultaneously is the light guiding layer throughout.

Abstract: New lasers employ a halide crystal including alkali metals and rare earths with a very high concentration of the active ions that are arranged to have largest possible separation between themselves. Such laser crystals provide very high energy storage that is finally released in the form of optical radiation. The high energy storage is attributable to a relatively low gain per unit length. The halide crystal is of the perovskite type and typically includes two alkali metals, one of which, for example, sodium, has a much smaller ionic charge than the rare earths and, therefore, will be ordered on the octahedral sites of the perovskite crystal with respect to the rare earth atoms. The stoichiometry of the materials facilitates the high concentration of the rare earth active ions; and the ordering or strict sequencing of alkali and rare earth ions facilitates the large separation of the rare earth active ions which is necessary to minimize non-radiative decay via rare earth pair interaction.

Abstract: Acoustic waveguides, acoustic filters and acoustic reflectors are based upon the discovery of increased acoustic wave velocity in materials such as lithium niobate and lithium tantalate into which a metal such as titanium, nickel or chromium has been diffused. Velocity increases larger than 1 percent have been obtained; and negligible effect on acoustic loss is incurred thereby. The technique and the resulting devices result in a simpler structure than provided by the metallic strips or the ion beam etched surface regions of prior acoustic devices in which velocity perturbations of comparable magnitude have been desired.

Abstract: An improved monolithic crystal filter is disclosed. The filter has input and output ports formed from particular combinations of first, second and third terminals, the latter terminals having been adapted to be connected to certain preselected electrodes of the two adjacent resonators comprising the filter. More specifically, the first terminal is adapted to be connected to one of the electrodes of a first one of the aforesaid two resonators, the second terminal to the other electrode of the first resonator and to one of the electrodes of the second of the two resonators, and the third terminal to the remaining electrode of the second resonator.

Abstract: In a helical resonator, sometimes called a coaxial resonator with helical inner conductor, new capabilities are achieved by providing a double winding with the turns interspersed and of like pitch. One pair of respective opposite ends of the two portions of the double winding is connected directly to the cavity or ground conductor of the resonator, sometimes called the shield. Coupling to the cavity is achieved by any prior coupling technique. The new resonator can be included in compound helical resonator filters as would other helical resonators. One of the principal advantages of the new helical resonator is its ability to suppress odd harmonics both in its own resonator characteristic and in the characteristics of a composite filter in which it is only one of several helical resonators.

Abstract: In contact type photolithographic masking processes for fabricating planar structures, a photoresist is applied to a wafer and a mask is placed over the photoresist. Illumination through the mask, which has a pattern of opaque areas, produces a photochemical reaction in the photoresist which upon developing creates a duplicate of the mask pattern. However, the photoresist is conventionally applied by a spinning process and the rotation produces a build-up of the photoresist around the edges of the wafer. This build-up prevents the pattern portion of the mask from making good physical contact with the photoresist with a resultant decrease in reproducibility and accuracy of the fabricated pattern. A modified mask is formed with a channel corresponding to the peripheral build-up. The channel accepts the build-up so that good contact may be maintained between the photoresist and the patterned portion of the mask.

Abstract: There is disclosed an arrangement for tapping signal power from an optical fiber waveguide without requiring that the fiber be terminated or broken. An intermediate length of a fiber waveguide from which all or most of the outer cladding has been removed is sandwiched between first and second dielectric bodies, each illustratively in the form of a circular disk. The first body, which serves to couple optical power out of the fiber, is formed of a relatively compliant dielectric material, such as a soft plastic, having an index of refraction approximately equal to, or greater than, that of the outer cladding of the fiber. The second body is formed of a relatively hard dielectric material, such as a glass or hard plastic, having an index of refraction less than that of the first body. The two dielectric bodies and the fiber are placed in a specially designed holder and forced together so that the fiber deforms the first body providing a large area of contact therewith.

Abstract: A method of breaking a rod of brittle material, such as a glass optical fiber, so as to yield a mirrorlike surface across the entire rod end is described. This is achieved by establishing a decreasing tensile stress across the cross section of the rod which, at all points, is greater than zero but less than the threshold stress at which a mist zone forms. This is conveniently achieved by simultaneously applying longitudinal tension to the rod and bending it. A convenient hand tool for breaking optical fibers is also described.

Abstract: In an optical fiber power tap, signal power is coupled out of an optical fiber waveguide by a dielectric body disposed in a coupling relationship laterally offset from an intermediate length of the fiber, and is converted to a representative electrical signal suitable for utilization by a photodetector disposed adjacent to the dielectric body. In accordance with the disclosed invention, the operation of the fiber tap is improved by combining therewith means for coupling a portion of the signal power in the fiber from lower order modes to higher order modes. The mode coupling means illustratively comprises a pair of corrugated plates which is pressed against the fiber to periodically deform a region of the fiber just preceding the fiber tap.