Abstract: Even if there is a temperature variation, a positional discrepancy at a colliding surface of an active surface of a semiconductor laser and an optical waveguide is suppressed, resulting in realization of a semiconductor light emitting element coupled with optical fiber of stable operation. In order to realize the above object, a semiconductor light emitting element coupled with optical fiber comprises a substrate, an optical waveguide disposed on the substrate and including a core and a cladding layer covering the core, a semiconductor light emitting element disposed on the substrate and comprising an output end-surface facing one end of the core of the optical waveguide, and an optical fiber comprising a core an end of which faces the other end of the core of the optical waveguide, wherein the cladding layer sandwiches both surfaces of the semiconductor light emitting element.

Abstract: A plane light source unit for backlighting and a method for manufacturing holographic light-guides used for the same is disclosed. The holographic light-guide has a first holographic layer on the bottom surface. The first holographic layer has patterns formed with a plurality of holograms, the area density of the pattern being low toward the tubular light source and increasing with an increase in distance from the tubular light source, thereby uniformly illuminating the LCD panel. The holographic light-guide also has a second holographic layer on the top surface, the second holographic layer adjusting scattering pattern of the beam emerged from the light-guide plate.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ultraviolet (UV) polarizing beam splitter cube. The UV polarizing beam splitter cube is transmissive to light at wavelengths equal to or less than 170 nm and can image, at high quality, light incident over a wide range of angles and including a numeric aperture greater than 0.6. The UV polarizing beam splitter cube comprises a pair of prisms that are made of at least a fluoride material, and a coating interface having at least one layer of a thin film fluoride material. Alternating layers of thin film fluoride materials can comprise a first fluoride material having a first refractive index and a second fluoride material having a second refractive index. The first and second fluoride materials form a stack of fluoride materials having relatively high and low refractive indices such that the coating interface separates UV light into two polarized states.

Abstract: The invention relates to an arrangement (1) for the contactless transmission of data between a rotating component and a stationary component by means of light signals which are transmitted by a projector (2) and detected by a receiver (4). According to the invention, a ring-shaped light-conducting body (5) which consists of a transparent material and has integrated reflecting prisms is integrated between the projector (2) and the receiver (4). The exit surface (10) of the light-conducting body (5) opposite the receiver (4) is matt. The projector (2) is allocated to the stationary component and the receiver (4) is allocated to the rotating component This enables light signals to be permanently transmitted from the stationary component to the rotating component, with a high data rate at a high relative speed.

Abstract: The invention relates broadly to a fiber optic sensor device, advantageously, a refractive index measurement device. A light emitting member transmits light, preferably coherent light, to a light splitter. The light splitter splits the light into a first portion that is transmitted to a first fiber optic coupler having an input optical fiber member and an optical fiber member having a waist region. A first output optical fiber member emerges from the first fiber optic coupler waist region. The light splitter is positioned to insert light into the first fiber optic coupler input optical fiber member. A reference fiber optic coupler includes an input optical fiber member and an optical fiber member having a waist region. The reference fiber optic coupler is enclosed in a potting medium stable reference of constant refractive index. A reference output optical fiber member emerges from the reference fiber optic coupler waist region.

Abstract: A reflecting mirror is obtained which prevents double images from being formed and provides sufficient the hydrophilic property. The hydrophilic coating is approximately 15 nm in thickness and the photocatalytic coating between the hydrophilic coating and the glass substrate is approximately 240 nm in thickness. This setting of dimensions reduces the surface optical reflectance of light having a wavelength ranging from approximately 550 nm to 580 nm. This also reduces the deterioration of the photocatalytic action caused by the diffusion of sodium ions contained in the glass substrate into the photocatalytic coating. Furthermore, the aforementioned setting of dimensions turns the color of surface reflected light to whitish. Even when images formed by the surface reflected light or images formed by reflected light from the reflecting film interfered by surface reflected light are viewed, the after-image thereof hardly remains.

Abstract: An actuator is configured to reliably provide fine and coarse positioning or adjusting for objects such as a telescope or other technical or scientific instrument or communication components, preferably at cryogenic as well as higher temperatures. The actuator includes a fine positioning system and a selectively engageable coarse positioning system. The fine positioning system includes a flexure structure constructed to provide support and strength, preferably in all axes, such as may be needed to withstand launch forces. Preferably flexure axes are defined at upper and lower edges of sidewalls and at intermediate positions of sidewalls. A cam or other suitable device adjusts distance between sidewall intermediate flexures and, by operation of sidewall flexures, adjusts the distance between upper and lower surfaces.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a technique for creating diffraction gratings on curved surfaces with electron beam lithography. The curved surface can act as an optical element to produce flat and aberration-free images in imaging spectrometers. In addition, the fabrication technique can modify the power structure of the grating orders so that there is more energy in the first order than for a typical grating. The inventors noticed that by using electron-beam lithography techniques, a variety of convex gratings that are well-suited to the requirements of imaging spectrometers can be manufactured.

Abstract: Agile steering of a laser beam using a pair of complementary optical elements which are mechanically translated. The elements consist of pixelated steps of varying depth. Structure is provided to steer a laser beam by translating one element with respect to the other element by a distance that is an integer multiple of the step width.

Abstract: A plurality of magnets is provided in an illumination prism carrier of a transmitted light refractometer and a corresponding plurality of magnets is provided in a sample prism housing of the refractometer to align a light exit surface of the illumination prism relative to a sample surface of the sample prism and urge the optical surfaces together in an even and uniform manner. The magnets replace mechanical biasing arrangements for positioning the optical surfaces and function to consistently reproduce a measurement optical path in the instrument for improved accuracy and repeatability of measurements.

Abstract: In a diffractive optical element having a diffraction grating formed at an interface between different substances, a total sum of values obtained by multiplying rates of change in refractive index due to temperature variations of the substances by a grating thickness of the diffraction grating is smaller than a useful wavelength.

Abstract: An antireflection film containing a transparent substrate film, a hard coat layer on the substrate film, and first and second refractive index layers on the hard coat layer. The hard coat layer has a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the transparent substrate film; the first refractive index layer has a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the hard coat layer; the second refractive index layer has a refractive index lower than the refractive index of the hard coat layer.

Abstract: An apparatus for forming at or closer than infinity one or more images of multiple sources is disclosed. The new concept of this invention will permit the manufacture of a flat holographic beamsplitter and a flat holographic analog of a spherical mirror-beamsplitter. The combination of these elements will produce a very compact full color in-line infinity display system of a thickness ranging from ⅜ of an inch thickness to ⅝ inch (based on size) which requires only an image input screen to provide a collimated display. This ultra-thin collimating display can be used to simulate the real aircraft, marine or automobile windows etc., when cut to replace the real windows thereby providing the observer with a true infinity display through actual window size and thickness. Furthermore these windows can be joined-horizontally and vertically, as the application requires.

Abstract: In order to prevent decrease in diffraction efficiency that is brought about when the diffraction peak wavelength shifts due to, for example, the shrinkage of a volume-hologram-recording photosensitive material layer 1, the present invention provides an original volume hologram film 10. The original volume hologram film 10 has a volume-hologram-recording photosensitive material layer 1 provided on a film 2, and an adhesive layer 8 provided on a film 9. The films 2 and 9 are affixed to each other with the layer 1 and 8 facing each other. The volume hologram has been recorded in the layer 1. The layer 8 can migrate an ingredient to the layer 1 to shift the diffraction peak wavelength to the opposite side.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to an optical element (OE) which can serve as an optical analogue to digital converter (OADC) and/or an optical digital to analogue converter (ODAC), and uses therefor. The OE can be usefully employed in a variety of applications to transform analogue information present in a light wave front into digital light signals and/or to transform digital information into analogue information in the form of the physical parameters of a light wave front.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical element including a substrate made of a monocrystal of a fluoride compound, and a fine structure formed on the substrate and made of a non-monocrystal of metal fluoride. Also disclosed are an optical system having such optical element, and an exposure apparatus having such optical system incorporated therein.

Abstract: An optical interface between circuit cards, more particularly between optical paths on a circuit card and a mainboard, is manufactured using bulk silicon micromachining technology. Silicon components of the interface are chemically etched and mass produced at a reduced cost for a higher degree of accuracy and precision than is available for mechanically produced interfaces. By use of micromachining technology to manufacture mating components of an interface, dimensional tolerances are possible which cannot be produced with conventional machining techniques. The resulting interface includes a pair of micromachined silicon substrates for mounting on a pair of circuit cards, each of the substrates having fiducial features, detents or cavities for aligning with the other substrate and thereby for aligning the two circuit cards. The optical path on a first circuit card may include an optical fiber mounted thereon.

Abstract: An approach for performing fault recovery in an optical communications network is disclosed. An optical switch is connected to working optical fibers and protection optical fibers, which carry WDM (wave division multiplexing) optical signals. The optical switches possess functionality to switch over the optical signals among the working optical fibers and the protection optical fibers. The optical switch includes dual unit optical switches that have a common driving mechanism. The common driving mechanism is configured to perform simultaneously switching operation of the unit optical switches to alter a switching state of the optical switch. Monitoring devices are distributed throughout the node to monitor the transmitted optical signals over the optical fibers, and to output monitoring signals that indicate one or more faults in these optical fibers. In response to the monitoring signals, a control device outputs control signals to the optical switches to effect an optical protection scheme.

Abstract: An optical system includes a diffractive optical element having a diffraction grating provided, on a lens surface having a curvature, in a concentric-circles shape rotationally-symmetrical with respect to an optical axis. The sign of the curvature of the lens surface having the diffraction grating provided thereon is the same as the sign of a focal length, at a design wavelength, of a system composed of, in the optical system, a surface disposed nearest to an object side to a surface disposed immediately before the lens surface having the diffraction grating provided thereon, and is different from the sign of the distance from the optical axis to a position where the center ray of an off-axial light flux enters the lens surface having the diffraction grating provided thereon. Further, the apex of an imaginary cone formed by extending a non-effective surface of the diffraction grating is located adjacent to the center of curvature of the lens surface having the diffraction grating provided thereon.

Abstract: A silica glass member is provided for use in an optical system using light of a wavelength equal to or less than about 400 nm as a light source. The silica glass member has striae in a direction different from an optical axis of the optical system. The strength of the striae is equal to or less than about 2×10−6 in terms of refractive index differential.