Abstract: Disclosed is an optical waveguide device including an optical waveguide, and optical input and output ports for inputting and outputting an optical signal to and from the optical waveguide, characterized in that the optical input port receives an optical signal inputted from the optical output port to the optical waveguide in accordance with a timing control signal inputted as an electrical signal to the optical input port.

Abstract: To provide a diffractive optical element that allows simplification of a manufacturing process and reduction in manufacturing costs. A diffractive optical element includes a first transparent substrate having a pair of transparent interdigitated electrodes facing each other formed on its surface, a second transparent substrate, and a liquid crystal sandwiched therebetween. Alignment layers are formed on surfaces of the first and second transparent substrates facing the liquid crystal. Pads are provided on the transparent electrodes and electrically connected to an outside. A seal material and a liquid crystal sealing port are provided on the first transparent substrate. The seal material is formed into a partly cut rectangle, and the liquid crystal sealing port is formed at the cut portion of the rectangular seal material.

Abstract: Holey optical fibers (e.g. photonic fibers, random-hole fibers) are fabricated with quantum dots disposed in the holes. The quantum dots can provide light amplification and sensing functions, for example. When used for sensing, the dots will experience altered optical properties (e.g. altered fluorescence or absorption wavelength) in response to certain chemicals, biological elements, radiation, high energy particles, electrical or magnetic fields, or thermal/mechanical deformations. Since the dots are disposed in the holes, the dots interact with the evanescent field of core-confined light. Quantum dots can be damaged by high heat, and so typically cannot be embedded within conventional silica optical fibers. In the present invention, dots can be carried into the holes by a solvent at room temperature. The present invention also includes solid glass fibers made of low melting point materials (e.g. phosphate glass, lead oxide glass) with embedded quantum dots.

Abstract: A planar optical waveguide is provided. The planar optical waveguide includes a polymer substrate having a coefficient of thermal expansion, a first cladding disposed on the substrate, and a core disposed on at least a portion of the first cladding. The core is a halogenated polymer having an absorptive optical loss of less than approximately 2.5×10?4 dB/cm in the range from about 1250 to 1700 nm. The core has a thermo-optic coefficient and a refractive index, a product of the thermo-optic coefficient and the reciprocal of the refractive index being approximately equal to the negative of the coefficient of thermal expansion.

Abstract: Optical fibers to form an optical transmission line suitable for WDM transmission in a wide-spreading wavelength band, having the following characteristics and parameters: a dispersion in absolute value of 0.5 ps/nm/km to 9 ps/nm/km in a wavelength band of 1430 nm to 1625 nm, a dispersion slope in absolute value of 0.04 ps/nm2/km or less at a wavelength of 1550 nm, a mode field diameter of 7 ?m or less at a wavelength of 1550 nm and a cable cutoff wavelength of less than 1430 nm; core 11 surrounded by cladding 7, core 11 being at least two-layered (first layer 1 at the center and second layer 2 surrounding the first layer; relative refractive index of glass layer ?1 with reference to the cladding being adjusted to not less than 0.6 but not more than 1.6%, relative refractive index of second layer ?2 with reference to the cladding being adjusted to a negative value.

Abstract: An optical connector socket includes: a body having an insertion section in which a socket-side optical element is arranged and into which an optical connector plug is inserted; a cover, covered on the body, having an opening communicated with the insertion section; a shutter, openably/closably attached to the cover, for closing the opening; and a herical spring for elastically urging the shutter in a constant-closing direction. The opening is larger than an outside dimension of the optical connector plug inserted into the cover and smaller than that of the shutter. Therefore, there is no light leakage and dust intrusion, the socket can be attached to a device or a wall so as to direct an opening toward a front face without a cap, and an inspection in a state where the socket is assembled in an electronic device can be performed without attaching/detaching the cap to/from the socket.

Abstract: An optical fiber comprises a photosensitive core that includes a concentration of a first material that increases the refractive index of the core and a concentration of a second material that is other than boron and that reduces the refractive index of the core. A cladding is disposed about the core for tending to confine light to the core. The fiber also includes at least one longitudinally extending region having a thermal coefficient of expansion that is different from the thermal coefficient of expansion of the cladding. In another embodiment, the core includes a concentration of germanium and a concentration of boron. Also disclosed is a polarization-maintaining double-clad (PM DC) fiber comprising one or both of at least one circular axially extending stress inducing region(s) and an inner cladding comprising a circular outer perimeter.

Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, a gain equalizer comprises a wavelength division demultiplexer operable to separate one or more communication bands into a plurality of wavelengths and an array of phase shifter stages. Each phase shifter stage comprises a micro-electro-optic system (MEMS) device comprising a moveable mirror layer operable to receive a first copy of an input signal from a beam splitter and to reflect the first copy of the input signal for combination with a second copy of the input signal at an output to form an output signal. The moveable mirror layer is displaceable in a substantially piston-like motion to introduce a phase shift between the first and second signal copies at the output, the amplitude of the output signal varying depending on the displacement of the moveable mirror layer.

Abstract: A microphotonic device is provided. The microphotonic device includes a membrane structure that can experience strain. A waveguide element is formed on the membrane structure so that when the membrane structure is strained, the waveguide element elements are tuned to a selective amount.

Abstract: The micro-lens array in which a plural of convexly-protruded micro-lens are closely arranged two-dimensionally and a plural of convex sub-lenses having a curvature-radius smaller than that of the micro-lens are protrusively formed on the surface of each micro-lens has a large view angle, since Dsav/D is in a range from 0.1 to 0.3 where D is the micro-lens bottom face width obtained by halving the summation of the maximum and the minimum width which are measured along the line passing through the center of the bottom face of the micro-lens; Ds is the sub-lens bottom face width obtained by halving the summation of the maximum and the minimum width which are measured along the line passing through the center of the bottom face of the sub-lens; and Dsav is the average sub-lens bottom face width obtained by averaging a plural of the sub-lens bottom face widths Ds.

Abstract: A device for transmitting optical signals between at least two units movable relative to each other comprises an adjustable attenuating member for achieving a system attenuation which is independent of the relative position of the units movable relative to each other.

Abstract: A ruggedized, snap-together, module securely retains a pair of mutually abutting fiber optic interconnect MT ferrules, that have been joined together by a ferrule aligning pin clamp structure. The module includes a generally rectangular base member having a ferrule retention cavity that is configured to retain a pair of MT ferrules and an associated pin clamp assembly therefor. A cover is configured to engage the base in such a manner that the two MT ferrules are firmly held in their intended face-to-face abutting condition as captured between the base and the cover. A bias compression spring is captured between the cover and the base in a manner that facilitates removal of the cover when it is desired to open the module and gain access to the two MT ferrules.

Abstract: A photonic bandgap microcavity is provided. The microcavity includes a membrane structure that can experience strain. A photonic bandgap waveguide element is formed on the membrane structure having a defect so that when the membrane structure is strained, the photonic bandgap waveguide element is tuned to a selective amount.

Abstract: An optical wavelength cross connect is provided to receive multiple input optical signals that each have multiple spectral bands and to transmit multiple output optical signals that each have one or more of those spectral bands. The optical wavelength cross connect includes multiple wavelength routing elements, which are optical components that selectively route wavelength components between one optical signal and multiple optical signals in either direction according to a configurable state. As used within the optical wavelength cross connect, each of the wavelength routing elements receives at least one optical signal corresponding to one of the input optical signals. A mapping of the spectral bands to the output optical signals is determined by the states of the wavelength routing elements.

Abstract: An all-optical bistable device, comprising: a splitting device having first and second inputs and first and second outputs, for receiving first light beam at the first input and directing the first beam as second and third beams propagating through respective first and second outputs; first optical path between the first output and the second input and second optical path between the second output and the second input for creating combined optical path for the first and second beams at the second input; the combined optical path includes a saturable optical amplifier for enhancing and diminishing one of the second and the third beams for driving the optical amplifier into a saturation state to create one of two stable states in which one of the second and the third beams is an enhanced beam and the other beam is a diminishing beam; at least one tapping device for tapping output signal from one of the first and the second optical paths, and at least one coupling device for coupling input signal into one of the

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a hot plugging device for optical transceiver modules. The hot plugging device comprises a module housing, latching grooves extended from prescribed positions of both sides of the module housing to one end of the module housing, respectively, sliding members extended in the longitudinal direction of the module housing and linearly movably accommodated in the latching grooves, respectively, and a rotating member rotatably attached to one end of the module housing for engaging ends of the sliding members with corresponding ends of the latching grooves, respectively, while the rotating member is placed at a prescribed angle to the longitudinal direction of the module housing. With the hot plugging device of the present invention, a locking unit of the module housing is easily released, and the release of the locking unit is maintained, whereby the module housing is easily separated from a cage.

Abstract: A precise array of collimated light beams may be obtained by employing a chuck to tightly hold as an array a group of precision collimators attached to individual optical fibers. Advantageously, such arrays of collimators may be manufactured to very high tolerances so as to be useful in positioning collimated light beams for all-optical switching.

Abstract: A 1×N2 wavelength selective switch (WSS) configuration in which switch elements are configured in a way that enables the input or output fibers to be arranged in a two-dimensional (2D) array. By employing 2D arrays of input/output channels, the channel count is increased from N to N2 for wavelength selective switches. In one embodiment, in which the components are arranged as a 2-f imaging system, a one-dimensional (1D) array of mirrors is configured such that each mirror has a dual scanning axis (i.e., each mirror can be scanned in X and Y directions). In another embodiment, in which the components are arranged as a 4-f imaging system, two 1D arrays of mirrors are configured with orthogonal scanning directions. In both embodiments, the number of ports is increased from N to N2.

Abstract: A distinctive optical fiber comprises an optical fiber core, distinctive layers, and a colored layer. A plurality of the distinctive layers including fine drops of ink having a specific particle size is disposed intermittently on the optical fiber core in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber core. The colored layer is disposed on the distinctive layers and on the optical fiber core on which the distinctive layers are not disposed. The following five requirements are required for obtaining the distinctive optical fiber excellent in distinctiveness and with low transmission loss. The thickness of the colored layer is chosen so as to be larger than or equal to 2 ?m and smaller than or equal to 10 ?m. The thickness of the distinctive layers is chosen so as to be larger than or equal to 0.5 ?m and smaller than or equal to 2.5 ?m. The length of the distinctive layers is chosen so as to be larger than or equal to 1 mm and smaller than or equal to 15 mm.

Abstract: A system for monitoring a position of an instrument in a subject includes a light transmission medium configured to transmit light pulses to a desired region to produce an acoustic signal, at least one ultrasound sensor configured to receive the acoustic signal and to produce a transduced signal from the acoustic signal, and a processing unit connected to the at least one ultrasound sensor and configured to locate a source of the acoustic signal using the transduced signal.