Abstract: An apparatus for connecting user equipment to a broadband network includes a chassis having attachment points for connection to a supporting surface and a guide that permits entry of a communication cable. A cable termination unit may be mounted on the chassis such that a cable that is led through the guide can be connected and provided with a termination to which functional connections can be made. A cover may be mounted on the chassis in such a way as to be removable and reattachable to allow access to the chassis. The chassis may include mounting points for connecting at least one functional module to the communication cable and for allowing different communication functions to be provided to user equipment that is connected to the network via the apparatus.

Abstract: A device for cleaving optical fibers is provided. The device includes a housing assembly having an opening therein for receiving an optical fiber to be cleaved, and housing bending and cutting members which are reciprocally moveable in a direction transversely and substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of an optical fiber inserted into and through the opening into the housing. The housing assembly optionally has a removably connected receptacle for receiving the cut ends of a plurality of cleaved fibers.

Abstract: An electrochemically-activated optical switch is provided, comprising a molecular system configured between a pair of electrodes. The molecular system includes a moiety that is oxidizable or reducible in the presence of an electric current.

Abstract: An optical waveguide module is provided, which comprises an optical waveguide component having an auxiliary connection member connected to an end of an optical waveguide chip and at least one array member for attaching an end of at least one optical fiber to a connection member to be connected to the auxiliary connection member. The optical waveguide component and the array member are connected to each other via the auxiliary connection member and the connection member. A presser member is disposed to press at least one of the optical waveguide chip and the optical fiber in the direction of the connection. An optical waveguide exposed from the end of the optical waveguide chip is in direct contact with the core of the optical fiber exposed from an end of the array member.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are contemplated for electrical-to-optical conversion coupled to an electrical switching fabric, wherein the number of lasers supplying optical carrier beams in electrical-to-optical conversion is less than the number of optical modulators. Cost savings for a reduced number of lasers may be considerable. Further, the shared laser bank supplying optical carrier beams may comprise shared control and monitoring electronics, resulting in a further cost savings. The shared laser bank may comprise at least one redundant laser. Optical modulators may be grouped into modules for ease of replacement and further cost savings. Optical signal conditioning may be applied to the lasers, and the conditioned beams may be shared among the modulators. Soliton pulses may be generated at a desired data rate, distributed to form a plurality of distributed pulse trains, and each pulse stream may be modulated with information from the same or different information channels.

Abstract: A laser scanning unit module (30) including one or more laser scanning units (LSUs), a base plate on which the laser scanning units are installed, and a memory device (80) for storing data required for scanning control of each LSU. Information for controlling the scanning synchronization of each LSU is provided from the memory device such that misregistration of images is prevented after the LSU module is installed in the printer. A test printing process for controlling the scanning synchronization is not required. Also, when replacing the LSU module of a printer, a new LSU module can be easily selected by reading information of the scanning characteristics provided from the memory device.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for optically clocking an integrated circuit in a semiconductor. In one embodiment, a laser is configured to emit infrared laser pulses at a desired clock frequency. The laser pulses are separated into a plurality of split laser pulses, each of which are focused through the back side of a C4 packaged integrated circuit die into P-N junctions distributed throughout the integrated circuit die. Each P-N junction locally generates a photocurrent in response to the split laser beams. Each of the photocurrents are locally converted into voltages and thus into local clock signals, which are used to clock the local area of the integrated circuit. With the presently described optical clocking technique, the local clock signals have extremely low clock skew. The presently described technique may be employed in integrated circuits system-wide, in multi-chip modules, or in an individual integrated circuit.