Abstract: The present invention is related to assemblies of luminous ornaments having optical fiber cables arranged in parallel, each formed by luminous optical fibers sheathed with a transparent tube, with interlaced connection elements formed therebetween, thereby forming a luminous net when being expanded.

Abstract: A microfluidic chip that includes a substrate, a microresonator, and at least one waveguide or coupling surface. The substrate defines a microfluidic channel. The microresonator is positioned within the microfluidic channel. The at least one waveguide or coupling surface receives light having a frequency bandwidth greater than the spacing between the whispering gallery mode resonance frequencies supported by the microresonator. The at least one waveguide or coupling surface is evanescently coupled to the microresonator such that supported whispering gallery mode resonance frequencies are coupled from the at least one waveguide or coupling surface into the microresonator and light at frequencies not resonant with the microresonator are not coupled into the microresonator.

Abstract: An optical isolator using a photonic crystal. The optical isolator includes an input portion that in turn includes an input waveguide part and an input waveguide having a taper portion formed in the input waveguide part. An output portion includes an output waveguide part and an output waveguide formed in the output waveguide part continuously with the input waveguide. The output waveguide includes a backward directional optical signal shield surface having an inclination greater than the taper portion with respect to an optical signal transmission center axis. The optical isolator is operable to have an optical signal substantially transmitted in a forward direction from the input portion to the output portion and further operable to substantially not transmit the optical signal in a backward direction from the output portion to the input portion.

Abstract: A non-circular, mechanically variable optical attenuator using a pair of specially constructed polarizing elements with means enabling a gradual transition from un-crossed polarization vector fields to crossed polarization vector fields using a linear motion with respect to one another. The polarizing elements whose polarization axis varies with spatial position on the element have a polarization vector field that is a function of position on the element. Specifically, the two polarizing elements have a defined orientation of polarization axes or vectors on the polarization vector fields that vary with spatial location on the polarizing element such that when aligned light passes, and when the polarization axes are crossed, light is attenuated. The present attenuator has a practical application for dimmable mirrors or windows by providing a variable optical attenuator that is purely mechanical and non-circular in shape.

Abstract: The invention relates to a ferrule assembly for optical fibres comprising a high-density ferrule plate with a two-dimensional array of through-holes for said optical fibres. The holes of the ferrule plate comprise substantially straight edges adapted to substantially contain said optical fibres. The invention further relates to a method for manufacturing a high-density ferrule plate, a mould for die casting such a high-density ferrule plate and a method for manufacturing such a mould.

Abstract: An injection mold for a light guide body is disclosed which comprises: a cavity defined inside the injection mold to provide a contour of the light guide body; a plurality of through holes each of which communicates with the cavity, allows an optical fiber to be inserted in the through hole, and has a portion at which the optical fiber is clamped; and a first mold and a second mold having a first groove and a second groove for each through hole, respectively, which first and second grooves are adapted to mate and form the through hole when the first mold and second molds are joined together for injection molding with the fiber clamped, wherein at least one of opposed portions in the first and second grooves corresponding to the portion of at least one of the through holes at which the optical fiber is clamped is made of an elastic material.

Abstract: An orthogonal heterodyne in-band optical signal-to-noise-ratio (OSNR) monitoring method and apparatus that use the polarization characteristics of two narrow bandwidth filtered optical spectral components which is not only insensitive to the effects of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) and inter-channel cross-phase modulation (XPM) induced nonlinear polarization scattering, but also independent of bit rate and modulation format. The monitoring method is demonstrated for both linear and nonlinear systems.

Abstract: An FBG encoder as an optical waveguide device includes plural unit FBGs respectively including a periodic refractive index modulation structure in a longitudinal direction of an optical fiber and aligned in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber; and a phase shift section formed between any two adjacent unit FBGs among the plural unit FBGs, thereby producing a predetermined phase difference between the periodic refractive index modulation structures of two adjacent unit FBGs, wherein the unit FBGs respectively have a structure wherein a period of the periodic refractive index modulation of the plural unit diffraction grating sections gradually increases or decreases in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber or a structure wherein amplitude of the periodic refractive index modulation is varied relative to the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber so that an envelope of the periodic refractive index modulation is a predetermined window function.

Abstract: A method an assembly for aligning a TO window can and a TO header is provided. The present invention includes a die assembly having an upper die with forming details disposed thereon and a lower die which holds the TO header. The upper die and the lower die close such that the forming details form notches on the TO header. When the TO window can is fitted to the TO header, the TO window can engages with the notches on the TO header. If the TO window can and the TO header do not properly align, the notches may be increased in size until the proper alignment between the TO window can and the TO header is achieved.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical fiber composite power cable having a loose-tube-type optical fiber impregnated therein, wherein the optical fibers are installed in a loose tube made of metal to prevent lateral pressure from being imposed on the optical fibers by the metal conductors, even when tensile force or bending force is applied to the cable.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of controlling optical loss in an optical switch to equalize optical power or loss in a group of optical signals in an optical transmission system relatively insensitive to mechanical vibration. In one embodiment a group of optical signals is input into an optical switch and selected optical signals are variably attenuated using synchronized control to two mirrors in order to provide more uniform power distribution among the group of optical signals without enhancing vibration sensitivity of the optical switch.

Abstract: High speed optical modulators can be made of a reverse biased lateral PN diode formed in a silicon rib optical waveguide disposed on a SOI or other silicon based substrate. A PN junction is formed at the boundary of the P and N doped regions. The depletion region at the PN junction overlaps with the center of a guided optical mode propagating through the waveguide. Electrically modulating a reverse biased lateral PN diode causes a phase shift in an optical wave propagating through the waveguide. Prior art forward biased PN and PIN diode modulators have been relatively low speed devices.

Abstract: A connector pair formed of a receptacle having an inner cavity about which is arranged a plurality of contact springs each of which is coupled to a corresponding one of a plurality of external contacts, and a plug having a plurality of contact pads upon an outer surface of the plug, and a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) coupled to the plurality of contact pads and at least one optical fiber wherein a portion of the plug occupies a portion of the inner cavity such that at least one of the plurality of contact pads is coupled to at least one of the contact springs.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving the sensing of a physical parameter using a distributed optical waveguide and scattering. The optical waveguides have improved scattering efficiency and/or improved light capturing capability provided by multi-cladding layers and a tightly confining core waveguide. The core can be highly doped with a material such as germanium to improve scattering. The cladding layers provide a multi-mode waveguide for capturing scattered light. Such optical waveguides are useful in systems that rely on Rayleigh, Raman and Brillouin scattering.

Abstract: A fresenel zoned microstructured optical fiber is described. The fiber is constructed of concentric zones, each zone being defined by discontinuities in the refractive index. The refractive index within each zone may either be constant or may vary, for example each zone being a section of a parabola or hyperbola. The fiber may be used as a lens, for example for coupling light between fibers with different core sizes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to coupling high power optical sources into small diameter optical fibers. In a first embodiment, an optical source is provided to the side of a fiber. The fiber is a single mode fiber, which has a cladding and a core, with a Bragg grating written into the core at a low angle. Light emitted from the optical source is index-match coupled into the cladding by using an index-matched element, and subsequently coupled into the fiber core along its length. Alternatively, the light is launched into an end of a larger diameter fiber with a mode reducing means, e.g. long period grating, therein for directing the light into the small diameter fiber.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical waveguide interconnection board, including: optical input and output ports; at least one optical waveguide corresponding to an optical circuit pattern; and at least one light direction-changing element each of which is disposed between one of the optical input port and the optical output port and one of the at least one optical waveguide or, when the optical waveguide interconnection board has two or more optical waveguides, between two of the optical waveguides, and which comprises at least one of at least one light direction-changing element A that changes the direction of light in a plane parallel to a plane of the optical waveguide interconnection board and at least one light direction-changing element B that changes the direction of light to a direction having an angle with respect to a plane parallel to the plane of the optical waveguide interconnection board.

Abstract: A structure is to affix an optical plate on a frame in a panel display. The optical plate has a protruding region with a slit. The structure includes a first hook-like member, disposed on one side of the frame and having an extending portion for passing through the slit and hooking the protruding region of the optical plate. A blocking member is disposed on the side of the frame and separated from the first hook-like member, having a sidewall against an edge of the protruding region of the optical plate.

Abstract: An optical filter is disclosed which adjusts the contours of blurred images and maintains the size of blurred images. The optical filter includes a substrate being substantially transparent and a first layer whose optical density changes continuously, formed on the substrate. A transmission rate of the first layer decreases substantially linearly from a center toward a periphery of the optical filter, and the transmission rate distribution is symmetric with respect to the center.

Abstract: A laser beam delivery system is disclosed, which allows transmission of high-power infrared light through a hollow core photonic band gap (HC-PBG) fiber made of non-silica-based glass. In this system, the infrared beam first passes through input coupling optics which focus the beam onto the hollow core of the HC-PBG fiber. In front of the input end of the HC-PBG fiber, there is provided a mask with a hole aligned with the hollow core, and the infrared beam first passes through this hole before entering the hollow core of the HC-PBG fiber. This protects the photonic band gap structure from being damaged by the beam. After passing through the HC-PBG fiber, which may be from one to several hundred meters in length, the infrared beam exits at the output end of the fiber and passes through output coupling optics which collimate and focus the beam onto a desired target.