Abstract: To protect a waveguide or cable in an installation channel, a protective profile is inserted into the channel and has a substantially U-shaped cross-section when installed. To install this in the channel, an apparatus having a drum with a profile wound thereon has the profile unwound and guided by guide rolls to a press roll, which presses the profile into the channel to the desired depth. The profile can have a center portion provided with embedded reinforcing elements or even optical or electrical leads.

Abstract: An add/drop filter for optical wave energy incorporates a Bragg grating in a very narrow waist region defined by merged lengths of elongated optical fibers. Light is propagated into the waist region via adiabatically tapered fibers and is transformed from two longitudinally adjacent fibers into two orthogonal modes within the air-glass waveguide of the waist and reflected off the grating from one fiber into the other. The geometry of the waist region is such that the reflected drop wavelength is polarization independent, without lossy peaks in the wavelength band of interest. Additionally, back reflection are shifted out of the wavelength band of interest. High strength gratings are written by photosensitizing the waist region fibers by constantly in-diffusing pressurized hydrogen or deuterium. For narrow spectral bandwidth gratings, dimensional variations must be minimized or compensated, and the grating is apodized by both a.c. and d.c. variations in writing beams at a net constant power.

Abstract: The invention is directed to circularly polarized single mode waveguide fiber and to high data rate, multiplexed transmission systems that employ this fiber. The circularly polarized waveguide fiber attenuates the non-linear effects present in such high performance transmission links. In particular, self phase modulation is attenuated by more than 30% and four wave mixing is essentially eliminated. This latter effect occurs because four wave mixing does not occur when a multiplexed link is made of a plurality of circularly polarized waveguide fibers which are arranged so that adjacent fibers have opposite circular polarization. The circularly polarized fiber enhances the non-linear effect of cross phase modulation, a feature that can be used in optical switching components associated with the transmission link. In addition, the strength of the XPM in CPF is independent of the relative polarization states of the signal and control pulses.

Abstract: An optical connector comprises a housing having a ferrule holding portion for holding a ferrule to be connected to an optical fiber, wherein said ferrule is equipped with a split sleeve for implementing an alignment with a ferrule of a mate connector, and said ferrule holding portion has a ferrule holding through passage which allows said ferrule to be received along the direction of ferrule diameter, allows said split sleeve to be inserted along the axial direction of said sleeve, and allows said ferrule to be installed into and held to said housing.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for demultiplexing spectrum lines contained in an optical spectrum. This device comprises a energy separator (2a, 2b, 2c) and selective wavelength light reflectors (12), each selective wavelength light reflector having a wavelength bandpass that contains the spectral region associated with one of the lines and that, therefore, reflects only this particular line. Applications to surveying constructions, such as buildings and aircraft.

Abstract: An illumination technique and system employing an optical waveguide to transmit light from a source, typically a light emitter which operates at high temperature, to a light head which creates a desired light dispersion pattern. The light head includes a member which emulates the light source and the emitted light is coupled from the source into the optical waveguide by a compact and efficient columnator comprising a pair of dissimilar three dimensional reflectors and a lens.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical connection means arranged in order to rearrange and connect optical fibers connected to the connection means. In order to simplify handling of optical fiber ribbons, so-called fiber ribbons, an optical connection means with an integrated cross-connection (2) has been produced with which component optical fibers (3) connected to the component can be rearranged such as cross-connected and connected via an interface (4). With an optical cross-connection of the “sidings” type integrated with a so-called MT-connector interface from for example a four-fiber transmitter array and a four-fiber receiver array an eight-fiber MT-connector interface with alternate transmitter respective receiver fibers next to each other can be obtained.

Abstract: An optical apparatus is disclosed that includes a first Z×T optical switch having Z input ports and T output ports, where T is at least 2, optically coupled to an integrated optical generalized Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The result is an optical switch, which is operated using a smaller number of control elements and control levels than the generalized Mach-Zehnder interferometer alone.

Abstract: One aspect of the present invention is a method of making a semiconductor laser optical waveguide telecommunications module which includes providing a semiconductor laser, a housing, and an oxidizing atmosphere, such that the oxidizing atmosphere is in contact with the semiconductor laser and contained by the housing. In another aspect, the invention includes a semiconductor laser optical waveguide telecommunications module that includes a semiconductor laser, a housing for enclosing the semiconductor laser and an O2-free oxidizing atmosphere in contact with the semiconductor laser and contained by the housing.

Abstract: A mechanical optical switch with a first port for holding a first optical fiber and a second port for holding a second optical fiber and a lensing element positioned in front of the first and second ports. The switch has a signal port holding a signal or input fiber which emits a light beam to be switched between the first and second fibers. The light beam propagates along a free beam path to the first lensing element and is in-coupled into the first optical fiber. The switch is equipped with a beam guiding element, such as a wedge, which can be moved in and out of the free beam path for directing the light beam to the second fiber. The wedge is designed to shift the light beam by an offset and rotate it by an angle.

Abstract: An improved optical light pipe for side-lit uses is formed from a core/cladding combination, optionally with a transparent jacket, where the core is preferably a cured acrylic polymer and the cladding is preferably a fluorocarbon polymer containing a very low level of fine particles which scatter the light uniformly along the length of the piping. Further light enhancement can be obtained with low levels of glass fibers or glass microspheres also present in the cladding. Chopped glass fibers alone at low levels in the cladding are useful for back-lit applications. The light pipe so formed is useful in signs, underwater outlines, corridor lighting in theaters, and similar uses.

Abstract: A photonic switching device has a first set of optical waveguides, a second set of optical waveguides, and an arrangement of controllable deformable micromirrors for selectively completing an optical path between any one of the first set of waveguides and any one of the second set of waveguides. Typically, the deformable mirrors are arranged in a pair of opposed grid arrays with the input and output waveguides extending along respective rows and columns in the manner of a crosspoint switch, but with the rows and columns intersecting at an oblique angle.

Abstract: A connection assembly of a computer and a port replicator for distributing a plurality of signals generated from the computer to each of a plurality of peripheral devices. The connection assembly includes a first optical connecter installed at the computer for transmitting input signals using light, a second optical connecter installed at the port replicator to correspond to the first optical connecter for transmitting input signals using light, and a portion for coupling the first and second optical connecters to communicate with each other. Thus, since the first and second light-receiving/emitting units are disposed to be separated a predetermined distance from each other and exchange information signals, the reliability with respect to connection can be maintained when the port replicator is repeatedly connected and disconnected to and from the computer. Also, EMI can be reduced by replacing the pin and pin holder with the first and second light-receiving/emitting units.

Abstract: A microlens array includes short lengths of fibre held across an aperture in a rigid body. The fibres are conveniently short lengths cut from commercially available ultraviolet grade fused silica fibre that has had a normal outer protective coating removed. The microlens array is comparatively cheap to make and has particular application in producing long period gratings by exposing strands of silica fibre to UV radiation via the microlens array using a diffraction pattern produced by the microlens.

Abstract: An optical depolarizer and method of depolarizing light is described. An input light beam is split into two beams. One split beam is recirculated through a birefringent medium and looped back to be recombined with the input light. This allows a weighted averaging of the different polarization states that result from birefringence in the recirculation path of the recirculated beam. The depolarizer is formed from single mode fiber optic cables and fused single mode fiber couplers. Each fiber coupler has an input pair of fibers and an output pair of fibers. One of the output fibers is coupled to one of the input fibers to form a recirculation loop. Additionally, polarization controllers provided in the input fiber and recirculation loop allow the degree of polarization of the output beam to be varied across a wide spectrum of values.

Abstract: Asymmetric stress in the tip of a polarization-maintaining optical fiber is measured using the photoelastic effect to determine the fiber polarization axes of two fibers appointed to be joined. The fibers are rotated to align their respective polarization axes and are joined together. A single polarization-maintaining optical fiber is thereby produced in an accurate, reliable, time efficient and cost effective manner.

Abstract: The present invention provides a dense wavelength division multiplexer for separating an optical signal into optical channels which minimizes channel leakage. The multiplexer includes a mechanism for inputting an optical signal, the optical signal having a plurality of optical channels; at least one channel separator optically coupled to the inputting mechanism; at least one dense optical channel comb filter optically coupled to the at least one channel separator; and a mechanism for outputting the separated plurality of optical channels along a plurality of optical paths, optically coupled to the at least one dense optical channel separator.

Abstract: A pin keeper for use in a transition between a multiple fiber ferrule holding at least two fibers and having a fiber to fiber spacing substantially equal to a first lateral dimension and a fiber optic body having a fiber to fiber spacing substantially equal to a second lateral dimension which is different from said first lateral dimension. The pin keeper is disposed between the ferrule and the fiber optic body. The fibers pass through the pin keeper, which splays the fibers from the first lateral dimension to the second lateral dimension.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the field of illumination engineering, particularly to structural elements of lighting devices, and may be used in luminaires, searchlights, lanterns with a directed light and dynamic beam movement, in controlled scanning devices. The invention makes it possible to transmit a focused light beam and to control thereof by the fact that in a light guiding apparatus comprising a bundle of fiber light guides fastened together at an input end face which is mounted to rotate about its own axis, said light guides are fastened together at an output end face with a relative position of the fibers being equal at the both ends which form the input and output end faces perpendicular to the light guide axes, wherein the output end face of the bundle is mounted to rotate about an axis which is perpendicular to the axis of the input end face, by means of the turning mechanism hinged to a rotating mechanism installed to rotate the input end face.

Abstract: An optical multiplexing device is disclosed for multiplexing optical signals, for example, for a fiber-optic telecommunication system employing wavelength division multiplexing. The optical multiplexing device has a filter assembly defining a light path, preferably a multi-bounce zigzag expanded beam light path, from a common port at least to a first channel port and then a second channel port and then a pass-through port. The first channel port has a first optical filter element, for example, a multi-cavity interference filter, which is transparent to a wavelength sub-range within the wavelength range passed by the common port and the pass-through port, and substantially reflective of other wavelengths within such wavelength range. The second channel port includes a second optical filter element having light transmittance and reflectance properties substantially the same as those of the first optical filter element.