Abstract: A micro-mirror includes stiffer end sections for limiting curvature, and thin middle sections forming ground electrodes and a hinge. Spacers arc provided beneath the thin middle sections of the micro-mirror for supporting hot electrodes, which attract the ground electrodes for rotating the micro-mirror about a tilt axis. The spacers enable the gap between the hot electrode and the micro-mirror to be designed separately from the thickness of the micro-mirror, and the gap between the ends of the micro-mirror and the substrate.

Abstract: A compact PD unidirectivity solution for an optical tap monitor, which reduces the overall size of optical tap module, is provided. The solution is to use lensing to separate the light from the input and output fibers, and then add a mask or spacer in front of the monitor PD to prevent any of the light from the output fiber from entering the photodetector package.

Abstract: A method of network testing relies on communication with an unaddressed test device. The method includes collection of network addresses from packets passing through the test device and a discovery procedure. The collected addresses are provided to a remote control device, and used for communication between the test device and the control device.

Abstract: A method and control system are provided for depositing a layer in a sputter-deposition system having a target cathode. A first dependence relationship of a deposition rate of the layer on an operating parameter, selected from cathode voltage, cathode current, and cathode power, is provided prior to deposition of the layer. A second dependence relationship of the operating parameter on time is measured during deposition of the layer, while a different operating parameter, also selected from cathode voltage, cathode current, and cathode power, is held substantially constant. On the basis of the first and second dependence relationships, a deposition time for the layer is dynamically determined during deposition of the layer.

Abstract: A plurality of flakes are provided that can be used in ink or paint wherein the flakes are of a size that requires magnification to see their shape, in the form of polygons, such as squares, triangle or rectangles. A breaking or grinding process is used to break a foil into these shaped flakes and frames or walls are provided within the foil sheet so as to delineate the shapes and these lines provided by frames or walls will facilitate breakage in a preferred manner such that the flakes break into selected shaped polygons. Remnants are typically present along flake edges due to the grinding and breakage process however with magnification, one can see the resultant regular polygonal shape. To clearly see the remnants one requires increased magnification and the remnant itself provides a type of signature. It can be seen as a taggent within a taggent.

Abstract: Provided is a wavelength selective switch, which includes: an input/output unit; a dispersive portion; a deflection portion; and an ovalization relay optical system. In the input/output unit, input/output portions are two-dimensionally arranged. The dispersive portion is capable of dispersing signal light along a first plane. The deflection portion deflects the signal light. The ovalization relay optical system condenses the signal light beams on to a first conjugate point. The ovalization relay optical system makes a beam waist forming position along a first direction coincide with the first conjugate point. The ovalization relay optical system condenses signal light, in a second direction, onto a first condensing point. The ovalization relay optical system makes the first condensing point conjugate to the first conjugate point. The ovalization relay optical system ovalizes the beam shape of the signal light beams incident on the deflection element.

Abstract: A test device includes a packet input receiver for receiving encapsulated packets from a network; a packet reader for extracting timing information from the encapsulated packets, and for decapsulating encapsulated packets so as to obtain test packets; a FIFO queue for storing the test packets; a packet controller for reading the test packets from the FIFO queue and writing the test packets into a de-jitter buffer in accordance with the timing information, the de-jitter buffer for storing the reordered test packets; and, a packet output generator for providing the test packets to a target device wherein time intervals between the test packets are reproduced using the timing information.

Abstract: The invention relates to measurement-capable cable modems for cable networks. Idle receivers and transmitters of a cable modem are used to perform upstream and downstream measurements on DOCSIS and non-DOCSIS digital and analog TV channels without disrupting customer services. A currently idle receiver is tuned to a target downstream channel under directions of a modem measurement controller, and is queried by the measurement controller to perform a measurement as specified by a measurement plan. A currently idle transmitter is tuned to a target upstream channel to transmit a test signal that is received by an upstream measurement system. Measurements are communicated to a central measurement controller, for example located at the headend, which collects measurements from a plurality of cable modems and the upstream measurement system. The resulting monitoring system performs cable network wide monitoring using existing cable modems without requiring additional monitoring devices.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an optical element including a liquid crystal layer having a spatially-varying tilt angle includes coating a substrate with a linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer, irradiating the linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer with linearly polarized ultra-violet light at a oblique angle, and coating a layer of liquid crystal material on a surface of the irradiated linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer. The liquid crystal material has a predetermined relationship between its tilt angle and a total dose of the linearly polarized ultra-violet light. The linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer is irradiated with at least one dose of linearly polarized ultra-violet light that is sufficient to induce formation of a plurality of discrete regions within the liquid crystal layer having a larger in-plane birefringence than an adjacent or surrounding region.

Abstract: A scanning laser having a wavelength compatible with a coating binder so as to cure it as the laser scans and irradiates the coating on a moving web. A system and method for curing flakes by providing a scanning laser which scans across a moving coated substrate in a magnetic field allows images to be formed as magnetically aligned flakes are cured into a fixed position. The images have regions of cured aligned flakes. The scanning laser cures the magnetically aligned flakes within it region it irradiates. Alternatively an array of lasers can be used wherein individual lasers can be switched on and off to fix irradiated coating as a moving web is moved at a high speed.

Abstract: A spatially modulated waveguide Bragg grating mirror is suspended over a substrate by plurality of fingers extending laterally away from the waveguide centerline. The positions of the fingers are coordinated with the positions of crests and valleys of amplitude or phase modulation of the Bragg grating, to avoid disturbing the Bragg grating when it is tuned by heating. When the Bragg grating is heated, the heat flows through the fingers creating a quasi-periodic refractive index variation along the Bragg grating due to quasi-periodic temperature variation created by the heat flow from the grating through the supporting fingers. Due to coordination of the positions of supporting fingers with positions of the crests and valleys of modulation, the optical phase coherence is maintained along the Bragg grating, so that the spectral lineshape or filtering property of the Bragg grating is substantially preserved.

Abstract: An expanded-beam all-glass retroreflector for a fiber laser cavity. The retroreflector consists of a section of a tapered double-clad fiber for beam expansion, e.g. a tapered section of the laser fiber itself, or a piece of coreless fiber spliced to the laser fiber, and a reflective surface for reflection of the expanded beam back into laser cavity through the tapered fiber section.

Abstract: Arbitrary numerical distributions are presented for use in devices having limited processing and storage capabilities by having the device accept strings of arbitrarily distributed numbers from a source outside of the device. In one embodiment, a master controller creates a table of values which follow the desired minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviation, etc. of the particular desired statistical distribution required. The created table is then communicated to the limited capacity device and can be used whenever a distribution of random values is required. The master controller could have one of several slave devices associated with it in the system. In another embodiment, where the storage capability of the device is large enough to store a table of values with sufficient different entries to create a distribution of satisfactory “randomness” for the particular application, a random number generator within the device is used to select the order of presentation of the table of values.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for measuring Hum on a digital QAM carrier using a testing device for testing digital TV signals including a QAM demodulator therein, and to a testing device implementing the method. A controller is used to sample a register associated with a final AGC stage in a QAM demodulator, and to process the collected register values to obtain one or more Hum characteristics. In one embodiment, a circular buffer is used to collect aligned sequences of AGC samples that have a pre-determined feature of time-domain Hum at a specified position therein. The aligned AGC sequences are then correlated to assess causes of Hum.

Abstract: A network diagnostic component that is placed in-line between two nodes in a network. The network diagnostic component receives a low speed signal pattern from the first node for communication with the second node; records the low speed signal pattern in a memory; writes one or more markers specifying information about the low speed signal pattern in the memory; interprets the one or more markers to ascertain the type and duration of the low speed signal pattern; and displays a graphical representation of the low speed signal pattern based on the interpretation of the one or more markers.

Abstract: An array of laser diode emitters is used as an illumination source for a range imaging system. The laser diode emitters are disposed on a common substrate. When one of the emitters fails, the remaining emitters emit enough light to meet the output optical power specification. The emitters can be disposed with a tight spacing. The tight spacing facilitates packaging of the entire array into a compact single package on a common heat sink.

Abstract: The invention relates to pulsed optical sources formed of a source of seed optical radiation, a pulsed optical amplifier for pulsing the seed optical radiation, and an output optical port for outputting a pulsed optical signal produced by the pulsed optical amplifier. An optically isolating element such as an optical circulator is provided in the optical path between the optical seed source and the pulsed optical amplifier.

Abstract: A network diagnostic component or device that is placed in-line between a first and second node. The diagnostic component or device is used to compress a random data signal. For example, the first node may communicate with the second node using a random data signal that includes random data units that represent a first data unit. In some embodiments, the random data signal may be of the Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface (“SAS”)/Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (“SATA”) protocol. The network diagnostic component may receive the random data signal and associate at least one random data unit with identifier that is indicative of the first data unit. This random data unit may be recorded in a memory. A representation of the random data units that are different from the random data unit associated with the identifier is also recorded in the memory.

Abstract: A method of characterizing a wiring network is implemented in a system which includes a test controller and at least two probes. On commands from the test controller, at least one of the probes changes its impedance between the nominal impedance of the wiring network and a mismatch impedance. Reflectometry measurements are performed before and after of switching the impedance of the second probe. At the first probe, an RF signal is generated and a reflected signal is measured. Then, the impedance of the second probe is changed, and again an RF signal is generated and a reflected signal is measured at the first probe. Additionally, a frequency response may be measured at the second probe. The results of the measurements are used for characterization of a transmission line between the first and second probes.

Abstract: An optical transceiver that includes a modification that prevents interoperability with standard transceivers, while enabling them to work in the same slots and equipment as standard transceivers, provided that they are interoperating with a similarly modified transceiver on the other end of the optical link. Ideally, the polarity of the data in both the transmit and receive direction is inverted resulting in valid data for a link when a pair of modified modules are used and invalid data when a modified module is used with a standard fiber optic transceiver. The function is otherwise transparent to the host equipment.