Abstract: A stable, reliable ohmic contact, and improved semiconductor articles and opto-electronic circuits incorporating same, are disclosed. According to an illustrative embodiment of the invention, an ohmic contact having a plurality of thermodynamically-stable layers and layer interfaces is formed by providing a structure comprising multiple, appropriately-thick and specifically-organized layers of suitably-selected material, and exposing the structure to heat to cause reaction to take place between the various layers. Due to the thermodynamic stability of the resulting reacted layers and the interfaces between such layers, there is substantially no tendency for further reaction to occur within the ohmic contact.

Abstract: A fiber optic probe for ATIR (Attenuated Total Internal Reflection) spectrophotometry. The probe includes a housing that contains an optical element or lens, a light-transmitting fiber that directs incident light to the lens, a light-receiving fiber that receives reflected light from the sample interface, a coupler for holding these components in precise alignment, and a flexible armor casing that provides strain relief and protection for the optical fibers. The lens is shaped and dimensioned so that light from the transmitting fiber is reflected at the interface between the lens and the surrounding medium (such as a liquid to be analyzed). The reflected light is transmitted via the transmitting fiber to a suitable spectrophotometer, where the light signal is recorded and analyzed to determine the composition of the sample. The probe is particularly suitable for analyses of fluids and slurries with high optical absorbance.

Abstract: An optical switch comprised of an artificial muscle activation material that is adhered longitudinally around an optical channel, such as an optical fiber or group of fibers, to cause the channel to undulate in 2-½ dimensions when the material is activated by a voltage source via electrodes on the surface of the artificial muscle activation material. The material can be applied to the optical channel in a series of longitudinal strips or as a jacket surrounding the channel. When activated by a voltage source, be it a constant source or a variable source varying in amplitude, frequency or polarity, the artificial muscle material bends, causing the optical channel to also bend. The artificial muscle activation material can be formed into an optical channel itself when formed into a channel and cladded to have internal reflection.

Abstract: A slack storage bracket for use in fiber optic cable splice enclosures having a body, mounting members for mounting the slack storage bracket to the enclosure, and opposed radial shelf portions extending outwardly from the body to hold the cable slack. The shelf portions preferably have stops to keep the cable slack from slipping off of the shelf portions. The body of the bracket is preferably an arc which, like the radial shelf portions, have a radius of not less than the minimum bend radius of the cable to avoid damage to the cable.

Abstract: A sleeve for connecting ferrules supporting optical fibers has a tubular body having a first end surface, a second end surface opposite the first end surface, an inner peripheral surface, and an outer peripheral surface. Convex projections are disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the tubular body and extend continuously from the first end surface to the second end surface of the tubular body.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of optical switching wherein a plurality of activation strips (18) are adhered longitudinally around an optical channel, such as an optical fiber (14) to cause the fiber to undulate in 2½ dimensions when the activation strips are activated. The activation strips are activated with a voltage source. By varying the polarity of the activation strip itself or the source used to activate the activation strip, the optical fiber can be caused to undulate by contraction and expansion of respective activation strips.

Abstract: The present claimed invention improves on the conventional comb and multiple router approach by making multiple use of a single router by using interleaved groups of wavelengths that enter through different entrance ports and exit through different groups of exit ports of the same router. This permits better separation (lower crosstalk) between adjacent channels, greatly reduced temperature sensitivity, small physical size and lower cost. With these improvements, a large number of wavelength add/drop sites may be cascaded in WAD/WDM systems.

Abstract: An infrared laser structure is stacked on top of a red laser structure with both having an inverted or p-side down orientation. The red/infrared stack laser structure is inverted and wafer fused to a blue laser structure to form a red/infrared/blue monolithic laser structure. The top semiconductor layer of the inverted red/infrared stack laser structure is a GaInP fusion bonding layer which will be wafer fused to the top semiconductor layer of the blue laser structure which is a GaN cladding/contact layer.

Abstract: The present invention is an improved modelocked laser comprising an optical gain medium and an optical cavity including a self-tuning saturable reflector incorporating one or more quantum wells. In the improved laser, the self-tuning saturable reflector comprises a first Bragg grating having a reflection spectrum broader than the spectrum of desired lasing and an additional Bragg reflector for light in the spectral region of lasing to provide self-starting and stable operation without mechanical tuning. The Bragg reflectors are preferably semiconductor quarter wave reflector stacks, and the saturable absorber is one or more quantum wells within the outer stack. The invention also encompasses the new saturable reflector used in such lasers.

Abstract: An optical circuit comprising first and second fiber optic components, an optical fiber having a first end coupled with the first fiber optic component and a second end coupled with the second fiber optic component, and a helical strand of the optical fiber intermediate the first and second components.

Abstract: A semiconductor light emitting device of double hetero junction includes an active layer and clad layers. The clad layers include an n-type layer and p-type layer. The clad layers sandwich the active layer. A band gap energy of the clad layers is larger than that of the active layer. The band gap energy of the n-type clad layer is smaller than of the p-type clad layer.

Abstract: An an infrared laser structure has an inverted or p-side down orientation. The infrared laser structure is inverted and wafer fused to a blue laser structure to form an infrared/blue monolithic laser structure. The top semiconductor layer of the inverted infrared stack laser structure is a GaInP fusion bonding layer which will be wafer fused to the top semiconductor layer of the blue laser structure which is a GaN cladding/contact layer.

Abstract: Quantum well lasers are herein made with purposely-graded interfaces which control the interdiffusion of atoms during high temperature processing. The result is a predictably-graded, large interface between the quantum well and the waveguide layers to either side thereof. The process is highly controllable and produces unique structures which exhibit surprisingly high power in a repeatable manner.

Abstract: An optical ribbon (20) includes optical fibers (28) encased in a ribbon common layer (21). Ribbon common layer (21) is printed with ink dots (23) such that ample spacing between dots (23), and controlled print spacing intervals, reduce delta attenuation.

Abstract: A method for wavelength division multiplexing including the steps of providing at least two annular waveguide or spatially donut mode and spectrally single mode vertical cavity surface emitting lasers for operating in a single high order transverse mode. In addition, provided is a multimode fiber based data link. The spatially donut mode and spectrally single mode vertical cavity surface emitting lasers are coupled to the multimode fibers through wavelength multiplexing techniques. During operation, a modulation voltage or modulation current is applied to the spatially donut mode and spectrally single mode vertical cavity surface emitting lasers thereby exciting higher order modes in the multimode fiber based data link and thus achieving either wavelength division multiplexing or de-multiplexing over a large transmission distance.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a variable wavelength semiconductor laser which is large in ontinuous variable wavelength width, simple and convenient in structure, easy to produce, monolithic and small in size, and easy to handle. The variable wavelength semiconductor laser includes an optical gain region formed from two-dimensional or three-dimensional carrier confinement structures having sizes approximately of a thermal de Broglie wavelength whose size dispersion is controlled so that a gain spectrum covers a required variable wavelength region for generating and amplifying light when current is injected, a light absorption control region having a light absorption coefficient which varies depending upon a current injection amount, an optical resonator including the optical gain region and the light absorption control region, and control means for controlling current amounts or voltage values to be injected to the optical gain region and the light absorption control region.

Abstract: Two semiconductor layers of the laser form a tunnel junction enabling an electrical current for pumping the laser to pass from an N doped semiconductor Bragg mirror to a P doped injection layer belonging to the light-amplifying structure. The Bragg mirror co-operates with another mirror of the same type having the same doping to include said structure in an optical cavity of the laser. In a variant, the tunnel junction may be buried and located so as to constitute confinement means for said pumping current. The laser can be used in an optical fiber communications network.

Abstract: A cryogenic optical/electrical interconnect module has optical fibers captivated by an optical fiber fixture. The optical fiber fixture includes a stress support section that captivates the buffers protecting the optical fibers in V-grooves, while the bared optical fibers are laid in V-grooves in a carrier portion that has a slant edge at the end. A photodiode fixture of the same material as the optical fiber fixture has a photodiode array mounted thereon, and the optical fiber fixture is aligned with the photodiode array so that optimal optical energy is coupled from the optical fibers to the photodiodes. The fixtures are mounted in a cavity of a conductive substrate and a circuit board is mounted on the top surface of the substrate surrounding the cavity. The circuit board has microstrip lines, and the photodiodes are electrically coupled to the microstrip lines by flexible microstraps. A thermal transition block may be mounted in the cavity between the substrate and the fixtures.

Abstract: A ridge waveguide semiconductor laser structure fabricated by etching and wet oxidation. The upper cladding layer is partially etched forming a ridge and a native oxide layer is wet oxidized from the remaining upper cladding layer and the active region outside the ridge. The deep native oxide layer provides strong optical confinement to the ridge waveguide. Alternately, the active region can be narrower than the ridge waveguide in the laser structure. The ridge waveguide semiconductor laser structures with native oxide layers can also be curved geometry lasers such as ring lasers.