Abstract: A microstructured optical waveguide that supports the propagation of an optical signal of a desired wavelength is described. The optical waveguide includes a core region formed from an optically nonlinear material having a &ggr; of at least about 2.5×10−19 m2/W at 1260 nm. The optical waveguide also includes a cladding region surrounding the core region, the cladding region including a bulk material and a lattice of columns located in the bulk material, the lattice of columns having a pitch, and each column having a cross-sectional area. The pitch of the lattice and the areas of the columns are selected such that the dispersion of the optical signal at the desired wavelength is within the range of about −70 ps/nm-km to about 70 ps/nm-km.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments include method and apparatus for detecting the alignment of movable reflectors in an optical switch. A diagnostic device embodiment includes a two-dimensional photoimager positioned to receive light from movable mirrors in the switch. Each movable mirror reflects light to different two-dimensional positions on the photoimager based on the position of each movable mirror, thereby creating a two-dimensional image of the reflector array. A controller receives information from the photoimager and adjusts the positions of the movable mirrors according to light received at the photoimager. A related diagnostic device includes an illumination source for directing monitor light beams onto the movable mirrors where the monitor beams are reflected onto the photoimager. This configuration provides two-dimensional information concerning the current position of the movable mirrors which is used to monitor and adjust the positions of the movable mirrors of the switch.

Abstract: An optical fiber cable that has a cable core formed by covering an external circumference of a coated optical fiber or a collective coated optical fiber with a cushioning member, a tension member, and a thermoplastic resin sheath for collectively covering the cable core and the tension member, wherein the cushioning member contains a blended fiber composed of a non-water absorbent fiber and a water absorbent fiber.

Abstract: The present invention aims at providing an optical wavelength filter of band rejection type capable of reliably and stably blocking a light of a desired wavelength from passing through. To this end, the optical wavelength filter of the present invention comprises a plurality of optical filter sections each blocking the light corresponding to the selected wavelength from passing through, the respective optical filter sections being cascade connected to be in a multi-staged structure, wherein the selected wavelengths in the optical filter sections are deviated from one another, to form a blocking band having a wavelength band corresponding to a deviation amount.

Abstract: A right angle bend mount for bending an optical fiber into the plane of a circuit board. The mount includes a base and a cover that is pivotably connected to the base by a hinge. A clamp is formed by a first pair of opposed surfaces of the base and cover adjacent the hinge. This clamp fixedly grips a ferrule portion of the optical fiber when the base and the cover are closed together. A second pair of opposed surfaces of the base and cover forms another clamp. This clamp fixedly grips a non-ferrule portion of the optical fiber when the base and the cover are closed together. A bent portion of the optical fiber between the ferrule portion and the gripped non-ferrule portion is disposed in a non-gripping gap between the base and the cover when the base and the cover are closed together.

Abstract: An optical transmission system is provided. The system includes a series of consecutive blocks of optical fiber. Each block of the system includes a first, second and third series of spans of optical fiber, where the second series of spans compensates for accumulated dispersion in the first and third series in the wavelength range of transmission. Optionally either the first or third series can be omitted.

Abstract: An optical beam-shaping element is used to produce a high brightness laser beam from a diode bar or a single emitter diode, allowing for efficient coupling of the beam into an optical fiber. An embodiment of the beam-shaping element allows the construction of a quasi-monolithic beam shaper incorporating both fast axis collimation as well as beam rotation. Additional slow axis collimation of the individual emitting elements of the diode bar is also possible in one quasi-monolithic design. The beam rotation element may comprise an array of beam-inverting planar grin lenses aligned with their axes of equal refractive index at an angle of ±45° with respect to the slow axes of the emitters. Alternative embodiments comprise beam rotation elements based on Fresnel lens arrays or aspheric cylindrical lens arrays.

Abstract: An optical fiber connector system includes first and second mateable connectors (12, 14) with fiber blocks (32,72) that hold optical fiber termini (50), wherein forward (F) movement of the second connector housing (70) toward the first housing (30) results in automatic latching together of the fiber blocks with the latches taking the forces of termini springs that have been partially compressed. The second fiber block (72) can slide within the second housing (70) between front and rear positions, and is held in the front position by a cam (90) that engages a free end (104) of a cam follower arm (103) of the second housing. As the connectors mate, a rigid second fiber block latch (100) deflects a resilient first housing latch end (62) and rides forward of it until faces of the blocks are close together.

Abstract: In optoelectronic systems, package moisture can affect stress levels in dielectric coatings on MEMS devices. Specifically, as the moisture content in these dielectric coatings changes, there are concomitant changes in the material stress. These changes in material stress can affect the operation of the overall MEMS device. Specifically, in the context of tunable filters, moisture can lead to a drift in the size of the optical resonant cavity over time as changes in material stress affect the MEMS structures. According to the invention, a getter is added to the package to absorb moisture, and thereby stabilize the operation of the optical filter, and specifically prevent uncontrolled drift in the size of its optical cavity.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optoelectronic device, a method of manufacture thereof, and an optical communication system including the same. The optoelectronic device may include, in one particular embodiment, an active device located over a substrate and a passive device located proximate the active device and over the substrate. The optoelectronic device may further include a doped cladding layer located over the active and passive devices and a barrier layer located over the doped cladding layer and the passive device.

Abstract: A method of placing a fiber on a substrate includes holding at least one fiber under tension, aligning the held fiber with a groove formed into a substrate, moving the substrate towards the fiber to place the fiber in the groove, fixing the position of the fiber under tension in the groove, and releasing the fiber.

Abstract: An arrayed waveguide grating optical multiplexer/demultiplexer includes an arrayed waveguide having a plurality of channel waveguides which includes a shortest channel waveguide having a shortest length. Each channel waveguide includes a curved portion provided between first and second connection portions. The shortest channel waveguide has a radius (R1) of curvature of the curved portion and an angle (&thgr;1) which is a half of a central angle of the curved portion. The radius (R1) of curvature and the angle (&thgr;1) are determined such that a product (R1×&thgr;1) is a value within a range which includes a minimum value of the product (R1×&thgr;1) and in which all of the plurality of channel waveguides are drawn.

Abstract: The specification describes optical mode converters wherein coupling is made between a fundamental, or near fundamental, propagation mode and the next, or closely adjacent, higher order mode (HOM). Both modes propagate in the core of the optical fiber, thus maintaining efficient transmission through the mode converter. Mode coupling is effected using a long period grating (LPG) and the strength of the mode coupling is dynamically varied by changing the period of the grating or by varying the propagation constants of the two modes being coupled. The period of the grating is varied by physically changing the spacing between grating elements, for example by changing the strain on the grating to physically stretch the LPG. The propagation constants of the modes can be varied using any method that changes the refractive index of the fiber containing the LPG, for example, by changing the temperature, or electrically changing the index using the electro-optic effect.

Abstract: A dispersion compensating fiber and module are described for controlling residual dispersion in a dispersion compensated system. The dispersion compensating fiber is designed with dispersion curve having an inflection point at a wavelength near the optical transmission operating wavelength region. The dispersion curve, having an inflection point near the operating wavelength region, produces a relative dispersion slope that closely matches the relative dispersion slope of the transmission fiber over a relatively wide bandwidth surrounding the operating wavelength region.

Abstract: A method for the collective production of microlenses at the end of a set of aligned optical fibers. The method consists in heating the end of all the fibers by means of an electric arc in order to form the microlenses, the plane in which the ends of the fibers are situated being distant from the line of the hottest points in the electric arc in order to round their end homogeneously. Useful for making optical and optoelectric modules.

Abstract: An optical waveguide (1) has a grating structure (2) in which gratings of different orders are superimposed. When first and second order gratings are superimposed, input light is partially reflected by the first order component and partially coupled out of the waveguide by the second order component. The second order component can also be used to couple external light into the waveguide (1). The grating structure (2) has applications to free space couplers, optical sensors, and suppression of ripples in dispersion compensators.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a periodically perturbation part which serves as a refractive index modulated part is provided in a part of the optical waveguide of an optical fiber or the like in the longitudinal direction thereof, a line perpendicular to a level plane of this periodically perturbation part is tilted with respect to the optical axis X of the optical waveguide, and the plane defined by this optical axis X and a line A intersecting the optical axis X, that is, the deflection angle plane M is made, by twisting or the like, to include a portion that varies depending on the position of the optical waveguide in the longitudinal direction thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a fiber grating filter optical waveguide device, comprising an optical fiber consisting essentially of silica, whereby said optical fiber has an area with a diffractive grating region and wherein said area with a diffractive grating region is covered with a material having a negative thermal expansion coefficient &agr; satisfying the following equation: &agr;=−(dneff/dT)/neff wherein dneff/dT is the thermo-optic coefficient of the fiber material and neff is the effective refractive index. Furthermore, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing such a device.

Abstract: An exemplary optical isolator, which may use a magnetic-composite material made of a ferromagnetic-composite, and method for making the same are provided. The optical isolator may include a core, a cladding, and a magnetic-composite material. The core is operable to allow a light wave incident a first end to propagate to a second end to define a positive propagation direction, and to allow a light wave incident the second end to propagate to the first end to define a negative propagation direction. The cladding is positioned relative the core and includes a thinned segment of the cladding with a cladding thickness operable to allow an optical field penetration through the thinned segment of the cladding by a light wave that propagates either in the positive or negative propagation direction. The thinned segment has a length that extends relative to a portion of the core.

Abstract: A package contains therein a semiconductor laser element for emitting light and a semiconductor circuit element for driving the semiconductor laser element and is provided with an optical fiber supporting face and a back face. The optical fiber supporting face is provided for supporting an optical fiber for transmitting the light from the semiconductor laser element, and the back face is opposed to the optical fiber supporting face. The back face has a lead pin for feeding a positive-phase signal into the semiconductor circuit element and a lead pin for feeding a negative-phase signal into the semiconductor circuit element. The lead pins penetrate through the back face. The semiconductor circuit element receives positive-phase and complementary negative-phase signals, both including a high-frequency component of 10 GHz or higher, through the lead pins, converts these signals into a single-ended signal, and outputs the resulting signal to the semiconductor laser element.