Abstract: A touch panel comprises a substrate having a forward major surface and formed of a plurality of assembled substrate segments. Cover material overlies the forward major surface to reduce the visibility of seams between adjacent substrate segments.

Abstract: A touch panel comprises a substrate having a forward major surface and formed of a plurality of assembled substrate segments. Cover material overlies the forward major surface to reduce the visibility of seams between adjacent substrate segments.

Abstract: An optical gain apparatus has a pump source providing pump energy at a pump wavelength to a gain medium that generates optical energy at a signal wavelength. To minimize disturbance from signal wavelengths appearing in a coupling path between the pump source and the gain medium, an optical attenuator is located in the coupling path that provides a significant degree of attenuation to signal wavelengths, while providing negligible attenuation of pump wavelengths. The attenuator may comprise a grating structure, such as a long period grating or a blazed grating. It may also comprise an angled coupling fiber that is oriented to reflect signal wavelengths out of the coupling path. The end of such a fiber would typically be formed into a microlens, such as a wedge-shaped lens or a biconic lens, and would preferably be coated with a material that is highly reflective at the signal wavelength, but anti-reflective at the pump wavelength. The microlens may also be angled relative to a longitudinal axis of the fiber.

Abstract: A method of making a fiber having a single mode absorptive core whose position relative to the cross sectional plane of the inner multimode cladding varies along the length of the fiber. A groove or grooves are made in the outer cladding of the preform. When fiber is drawn from the grooved preform, the position of the core does not follow the centerline of the fiber; the position within the fiber varies in accordance with the grooves.

Abstract: An optical fiber having a single mode absorptive core whose position, relative to the cross sectional plane of the inner multimode cladding, varies along the length of the fiber. The periodicity and the magnitude of the relative displacement of the core with respect to the cladding are such that the transfer of radiation from the inner multimode cladding to the core is substantially improved over conventional fibers.

Abstract: An optical coupling system for improving the coupling efficiency of an elliptical light beam into optical fiber comprises a cylindrical concave microlens on the end facet of the optical fiber in conjunction with a pair of bulk optic asphere lenses. A method of producing a cylindrical concave microlens according to the invention consists of translating a fine wire across the end facet of an optical fiber so as to create a cylindrical grove.