Abstract: A frequency allocation scheme for optical channels transmitted via a WDM transmission line with alternating left side and right side filtering for adjacent channels, with alternating channel spacing of A and B, where A<B, and with two sets of channels orthogonally polarized.

Abstract: An improved pressure vessel comprises a tubular casing having an internal cavity and a first and second opening at each end. The internal cavity is divided into a first and second cylindrical plug region extending inward from the first and second opening and a hollow interior region. An optical component in the hollow interior has at least a plurality of optical fiber pigtails extending therefrom. A first and second cylindrical plug is force fit into the plug regions. At least one plug has a through-hole for receiving optical fiber pigtails. At least one plug has a ceramic adhesive plug formed by inserting adhesive into the through-hole and preferably filing the void space therein. The adhesive encapsulates the optical fibers passing through the through-hole. The plug has a channel machined into its outer circumference to receive an O-ring. A cap covers over and beyond the outer surface of the plug.

Abstract: An optical waveguide module in which transmitted signal light emitted from a laser light-emitting element 4 passes through a first optical waveguide 3a and a second optical waveguide 3b to strike a transmitting/receiving medium 5 such as an optical fiber, and a signal light from the transmitting/receiving medium 5 passes through the second optical waveguide 3b and is received by a light-receiving element 7, the optical waveguide module comprising, a first light-blocking resin covering part 12, which covers a light-emitting coupling part 11a coupling the laser light-emitting element 4 and the first optical waveguide 3a, and a second light-block resin covering part 14, which covers a light-receiving coupling part 13a coupling the light-receiving element 7 and the second optical waveguide 3b.

Abstract: One of a pair of substrates with liquid crystals sandwiched therebetween includes a plurality of pixels each of which is provided with a scanning electrode, an image signal electrode, a switching element provided at an intersection of the scanning electrode and the image signal electrode, a pixel electrode connected to the image signal electrode via the switching element, a counter electrode, and a busbar electrically connected to the counter electrode. A portion of the pixel electrode is overlapped with the busbar so as to make up a storage capacitance. A shape of the pixel electrode is altered for each pixel so that a value of the storage capacitance becomes smaller from a feeding side to a termination side. The portion of the pixel electrode overlapped with the busbar so as to make up the storage capacitance is located within the busbar in a plan view of the device.

Abstract: A glass sheet for a liquid crystal display apparatus with a scribe groove formed thereon is divided by cooling the scribe groove and its surroundings and heating surrounding areas on both sides of the scribe groove to extend the scribe groove to a backside of the glass sheet, resulting in uniform distribution of residual stress on a cutting area. Also disclosed is a method for cutting a thin sheet of brittle material such as glass or ceramics by extending a scribe groove without deformation or impact so that peeling or cracking is reduced.

Abstract: A lightweight, touch-input-type reflective liquid-crystal display panel having a reflective liquid-crystal display panel. The reflective liquid-crystal display panel being formed in a manner such that external light incident on an outer surface is reflected by the light-reflecting layer so that display light transmitted through the liquid-crystal layer is made to emerge from the visual side cell substrate and viewed.

Abstract: An optical wavelength router separates an input signal into two complementary output signals. A beamsplitter of the wavelength router separates the input signal into a first beam and a second beam. A first resonator reflects the first beam producing a group delay that is dependent on wavelength. Similarly, a second resonator reflects the second beam. The center wavelength of the second resonator is offset relative to that of the first resonator by one half of the free spectral range of the first resonator, so that the resonance frequencies of the second resonator are matched to the anti-resonance frequencies of the first resonator. The beams reflected by the resonators interfere within the beamsplitter to produce two output signals containing complementary subsets of the spectrum of the input signal (e.g., even optical channels are routed to a first output port and the odd optical channels are routed to a second output port).

Abstract: A manual variable optical attenuator (10) includes a base (2), a cover (3), an optical module (4), a shifting device (5), and an optical fiber retainer (6). The optical module comprises a mirror (41), a frame (42), a dual optical fiber collimator (43), a stopper (44), a graded transmittance filter (45), and a filter carrier (46). The shifting device comprises a screw pole (51), a first holder (52), and a second holder (53). The screw pole comprises a terminal portion (511) rotatably received in the first holder, a first annular groove (512) accommodating the second holder, a second annular groove (513) receiving a gasket (514), an adjusting slot (515), and a screw thread (516). The gasket protrudes from a circumferential surface of the screw pole and seals a gap between the screw pole and a sidewall (36) of the cover. External harmful contamination cannot penetrate into the attenuator.

Abstract: A single photon generating apparatus includes an optical waveguide, an active medium section and a resonator section. In the active medium section, a single electron is excited in response to application of exciting energy, and a single photon is emitted from the electron. The resonator section optically resonates with the active medium section, holds the photon emitted from the electron in the resonator, and transfers the held photon to the optical waveguide in response to a first control signal.

Abstract: A pixel area of an in-plane switching mode LCD (IPS-LCD) device has at least two common electrodes extending along Y-axis direction and at least a pixel electrode extending along Y-axis direction, in which the pixel electrode is disposed between the two adjacent common electrodes in parallel. The common electrode and the pixel electrode have the same profile that is connected by a first strip-shaped segment, a second strip-shaped segment, a third strip-shaped segment and a fourth strip-shaped segment in sequence. The first segment is not parallel to the second segment, the first segment is not parallel to the third segment, the second segment is not parallel to the fourth segment, and the third segment is not parallel to the fourth segment.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical fiber having a structure suitable for long-distance optical communications, and an optical transmission line including the same. The optical fiber in accordance with the present invention comprises a core region extending along a predetermined axis, and a cladding region disposed so as to surround the outer periphery of the core region; and, as characteristics at a wavelength of 1.55 &mgr;m, an effective area of at least 110 &mgr;m2, a dispersion of 18 to 23 ps/nm/km, and a dispersion slope of 0.058 to 0.066 ps/nm2/km.

Abstract: During the process of writing a grating, the fiber is placed in a support which has a surface cut-out such as a V-shaped groove. The side walls of this groove form an angle (&agr;) of 60° with respect to the direction of propagation of the radiation arriving from the source. The aforesaid surfaces have characteristics of high reflectivity with respect to the aforesaid radiation. Consequently, during the writing process, the core of the fiber is subjected to the action of a plurality of radiation fronts converging on the core. The first radiation front corresponds to the radiation arriving from the source and two other radiation fronts are obtained from this radiation by the effect of the reflection from the walls of the surface cut-out of the support. The preferred application is to the making of long-period gratings.

Abstract: A fiber optic cable connector including a coupler body with a channel for receiving a connector plug therein; and a door spanning the channel, the door biased to cover the channel but displaceable with respect to the channel when the plug body is received in the channel to prevent light from escaping the channel when the plug body is removed from the channel.

Abstract: An add-drop wavelength filter is described which separates specific wavelength components from optical signals propagating through an optical waveguide or adds specific wavelength components thereto. In general, add-drop wavelength filters serve to separate or add specific channels in channels comprising several different wavelengths in a wavelength division optical communication system, and require good wavelength selectivity, stability and etc. Up to now, several types of add-drop wavelength filters are proposed, however disadvantageously they were not stable or were difficult to fabricate. The add-drop wavelength filter of the present invention comprising a mode discrimination coupler, Bragg gratings in which mode conversion occurs and etc., utilizes mode conversion in a dual mode waveguide and has low loss and stability.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes a liquid crystal panel, a back light unit, a housing and a frame. The liquid crystal panel has opposing upper and lower surfaces. The back light unit is disposed under the lower surface of the liquid crystal panel and joined with it. The housing supports the back light unit and has a wall adjacent to the back light unit. The frame has a first portion covering at least one edge of the upper surface of the liquid crystal panel and a second portion coupled to the wall of the housing. The LCD device is characterized by having at least one projection formed at the wall of the housing for pressing the second portion of the frame away from the wall such that the first portion of the frame is curved and concave toward the liquid crystal panel.

Abstract: An information recording and reproducing apparatus for at least one of recording and reproducing information on a recording medium utilizing near-field light has a suspension arm and a near-field light head mounted on the suspension arm. The near-field light head has a minute aperture, an optical waveguide for propagating light from a light source, and a reflection film for reflecting the light propagated by the optical waveguide and for irradiating the reflected light to the minute aperture to generate near-field light at the minute aperture for interaction with a recording medium. A light guiding structure guides light from the light source to the optical waveguide of the near-field light head.

Abstract: An optical device for the differentiation of a first optical signal and an optical signal lagging behind the first, in which the differentiation is represented by a signal carried by a continuous wave passing through the two arms of an interferometer including media with an index that depends on the optical power passing through them. The delayed signal is the first signal fed back to one of the arms through a delay.

Abstract: A method of forming a hybrid optical component includes the steps of masking and etching a pattern on a core layer of a planar optical component to define at least one alignment element and an optical element and subsequently overcladding the optical element such that a passive platform is formed which exposes a surface of the optical element such as a waveguide and an alignment element for receiving a mirror image alignment element formed on an active platform including an active device, such as a laser. Hybrid components include a passive platform having an alignment element formed therein and a waveguide for receiving an active platform with a mating mirror image alignment element and an active device which aligns with the waveguide when the platforms are mated.

Abstract: An optical dispersion compensator includes a saturable absorber. Coupled to the saturable absorber is a pre-amplifier and a post-amplifier. The saturable absorber compresses optical pulse signals based upon the amplitude envelope of the optical pulse in order to prevent optical dispersion.

Abstract: An optical system for modulating and switching logical information-bits in optical communication networks and optical computers. The system includes at least one input, at least one interference device, and at least one output. The interference device receives radiation from the input along multiple orientations at different timings. The interference device produces one interference pattern from a group of different interference patterns so that it can produce a pattern according to the timings, and directs this pattern toward the one output. The output receives the interference pattern produced by the one interference device and selectively emits radiation from the system according to the interference pattern produced according to the timings. The system has two basic versions. In the first version the system operates as an all-optical modulator for generating very short pulses. The second version of the system operates as an all-optical switch. In both versions the system has two operational modes.