Abstract: An optical component including: a substrate made from heat absorptive glass having a front surface and a rear surface, at least one of said surfaces being a crenulate surface having optical power.

Abstract: A main object of the present invention is to provide a novel optical power limiting material of high performance being less susceptible to damages caused by heat occurring when an intensified laser beam is irradiated, having reversible characteristic and exhibiting a stable optical power limiting effect; production of the optical power limiting is simple and economical. The optical power limiting material of the present invention comprises a transparent substrate and an oxide(s) of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Nb, Mo, Ru, In, Sn, Sb, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir and Bi.

Abstract: Optical bond-wire interconnections between microelectronic chips, wherein optical wires are bonded onto microelectronic chips. Such optical connections offer numerous advantages compared to traditional electrical connections. Among other things, these interconnections are insensitive to electromagnetic interference and need not be located at the edges of a chip but rather can be placed for optimal utility to the circuit function. In addition, such interconnections can be given the same or other pre-specified lengths regardless of the placement in the module and they are capable of signal bandwidths up to 20 Gigahertz without causing a cross-talk problem. A method of fabrication of such optical interconnections using optical fiber, a laser or photodetector and etched mirror and etched V-shaped grooves.

Abstract: An improved optical film having a continuous/disperse phase morphology and a method for making the same is provided. At least one of the continuous and disperse phases comprises a blend of homopolymers which are inter-reacted, as by transesterification. The resulting films exhibit a higher degree of birefringence for a given level of strain than analogous films in which the blend is replaced by a random copolymer.

Abstract: Disclosed is device and/or material integration into thin opto-electronic layers, which increase room for chip-mounting, and reduce the total system cost by eliminating the difficulty of optical alignment between opto-electronic devices and optical waveguides. Opto-electronic devices are integrated with optical waveguides in ultra thin polymer layers on the order of 1 &mgr;m to 250 &mgr;m in thickness.

Abstract: An optical soil survey device to survey the optical characteristics of a given underground soil, a soil survey device to survey the soil, a soil survey system and a mobile soil survey vehicle to survey the soil are disclosed. The disclosed devices and systems may be used to survey the characteristics of a given soil for agricultural purposes. This survey can be carried out without experiencing significant resistance from the soil. A plow-shaped optical soil survey device may be provided with a plow-shaped main unit, whose forward extremity turns up soil; a frame, which supports the sensor and connects a tractor and a main unit; a spectrometer, which is mounted on the frame; a wheel, which surveys the depth of the furrow and is connected to the main unit via an arm; and a survey control unit, which is mounted on the tractor.

Abstract: A multiplexing device includes two facing-but-spaced apart optical transmitting plates, with optical reflective filters in facing contact with outer surfaces of the optical transmitting plates to define a reflective beam path therebetween. Light transceivers are associated with each of the optical reflective filters. The optical transmitting plates have greater indices of refraction than the central medium between them, so that the beam path has a low angle of incidence to the optical reflective filters but a higher angle in the central medium.

Abstract: A balloon illumination system, for illuminating a thin film balloon comprising a pair of thin film panels that are heat sealed together to define a balloon interior, the balloon having a balloon top and a balloon bottom, an apex at the balloon top, a mouth at the balloon bottom, and a flat film valve creating a sleeve having a sleeve width. The balloon illumination system comprises a tube having a tube circumference that is substantially equal to two times the sleeve width, a proximal end and a distal end. A light source is located in the tube midway between the proximal end and distal end. An electrical cable extends proximal through the tube from the light source. The distal end of the tube is inserted into the mouth of the tube and is extended through the sleeve until the distal end reaches the apex. Leakage is prevented by the tight fit between the tube and the sleeve. The light source is positioned in the balloon interior midway between the balloon top and balloon bottom.

Abstract: A slide for use in microscopic examination of biological fluid is constituted by two plates of transparent material, one plate being a bottom and the other plate being a cover, the plates forming wells which are filled by capillarity with the biological fluid to be examined. A plurality of reliefs form a plurality of computation chambers in each well. The reliefs which define each computation chamber sectioned along a plane perpendicular to the bottom of the well have a shaped section along a profile assimilable to a polygon having at least one right angle.

Abstract: An open mounting frame for use in a recessed lighting fixture is the subject matter. The open mounting frame supports the recessed lighting fixture in a fixture aperture formed in a ceiling. The frame has an annular base ring. The base ring is engagable with the lower surface of the ceiling. The frame includes a pair of spaced apart columnar uprights connected to the base ring. The uprights are diametrically opposed to each other. The columnar uprights are connected to each other by a bridge which is connected to the ends of the columnar uprights. A lock is connected to each of the uprights. The locks engage the upper surface of the ceiling to cooperate with the base ring to hold the frame in the aperture.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical switching element causing less loss of light and permitting high response, thinning of an optical system for illumination, and the realization of an image display device exhibiting precise grayscale properties. In the optical switching element, an extraction surface of a light extraction unit mounted to a thin film is brought into contact with the total reflection surface of a light guide serving as a light guide unit comprising a glass plate or the like for transmitting light by total reflection, or near at a distance from the total reflection, surface for allowing extraction of evanescent waves, to extract the incident light transmitted through the light guide and emit the extracted light to the outside through an emission member.

Abstract: Multilayer thin film reflectors, such as mirrors and reflective polarizers, are described in which form birefringent optical layers are incorporated into a plurality of optical repeat units in the film. The form birefringent layers exhibit birefringence as a result of microscopic structures that have a dimension that is small compared to the wavelength of light but large compared to molecular distances. The optical layers within the optical repeat units have out-of-plane indices of refraction that are tailored to produce desired effects as a function of incidence angle for p-polarized light. The multilayer reflectors can be made by conventional vacuum deposition techniques using known inorganic optical materials, but can also be made entirely with polymeric materials by co-extrusion or other processes.

Abstract: An optical system having at least one switched mirror for switching and routing at least one incident beam of electromagnetic radiation. The switched mirrors are controlled by a voltage source and based upon the desired controllability of the switched mirrors and wide range of switching and or routing of an optical signal can be effected. In addition by the selective placement of components with the optical system polarization effects can be controlled with the optical system to more effectively provide for subsequent signal transmission.

Abstract: A stack of two or more birefringent crystals having complimentary properties is arranged to have zero net beam walk-off at off-normal incidence and a finite free-spectral range. In another embodiment, the birefringent crystal materials are selected to provide reduced temperature dependence. The result is an optically and mechanically stable composite birefringent crystal unit. A variety of folded birefringent filters are implemented using the composite birefringent crystal.

Abstract: A polarizer construction is disclosed that includes a reflective polarizer disposed on a first side of the construction to transmit light having one polarization and reflect light having an orthogonal polarization, and one or more colored dichroic polarizers disposed on a second side of the construction. The one or more colored dichroic polarizers are arranged so that when the construction is illuminated from the first side, an observer viewing the construction from the second side will observe a first spectral distribution of visible light, and when the construction is illuminated from the second side, an observer viewing the construction from the second side will observe a second spectral distribution of visible light different from the first spectral distribution. Various display constructions using colored polarizers to achieve color changing and image reversal effects are also disclosed.

Abstract: The illustrated fiber management assembly includes a rectangular case configured to fit between bays of equipment. Fiber connected to the equipment bays enters the case through a top inlet opening and exits the case through one of two outlet openings extending along respective sides of the case, with any excess fiber being located within the storage chamber defined by the case. Adjacent the inlet opening of the case is a clamp that is compressible around the fiber to relieve axial loading on the fiber. The management assembly is provided with a slack take-up mechanism that is configured to support excess fiber in a looped arrangement within the storage chamber. The slack take-up mechanism includes a plurality of spool assemblies adjustably positioned along the length of the storage chamber.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for converting modes in an optical network. Briefly described, the system comprises an optical pathway extending from an exit face of a single-mode waveguide to an entrance face of a multimode waveguide. A first ball lens and second ball lens are located in the optical pathway, with an optical link gap located the first and second ball lenses.

Abstract: A sample having a plurality of probe molecules is illuminated with at least one beam of excitation light that is linearly polarized along a first axis, thereby effecting fluorescence emission in a plurality of spectral bands. The intensity of a first component of fluorescence emission that is polarized along the first axis, as well as the intensity of a second component of fluorescence emission that is polarized along an orthogonal second axis, is measured for each of said plurality of spectral bands. These measurements are represented as a measurement vector M. Since each probe emits some limited amount of light in the characteristic band of another probe, this results in cross-talk between probes. The measurement vector is therefore corrected using an instrument response matrix A, which is generated by measuring the flux output of control samples which each have only a single probe species.

Abstract: An arrangement and corresponding method are provided for coupling radiation, preferably laser radiation, into a scanning head with a scanning unit in at least two dimensions. The radiation is focussed on an object via a microscope objective via at least one light-conducting fiber which is coupled with the scanning head. A collimato is arranged downstream of the fiber end at the scanning head for collimatiing the radiation exiting in a divergent manner at the fiber end.

Abstract: An optical multiplexing/demultiplexing device with variable branching ratio is disclosed. The device includes a first collimator lens assembly having a first collimator lens 14, and first and second optical fibers F1 and F2 which have distal ends thereof optically coupled to the lens, and are away from each other by a distance “d,” an optical axis of the lens being positioned at a midpoint therebetween, a second collimator lens assembly having a second collimator lens 15 and a third optical fiber F3 which has a distal end thereof optically coupled to the lens, being away from an optical axis of the lens by a distance “d/2” and reflection mirror means. The reflection mirror means reflects and couples a part or all of a parallel beam of an expanded mode field area, which is emitted from the first optical fiber and formed on a reference plane, to the second optical fiber, or transmits and connects all or a part of the parallel beam to the third optical fiber.