Optical switch
Abstract
Abstract A crystalline material gadolinium molybdate, CD3(MoO4)3 has been determined to have reversible birefringence, the sign of the birefringence depending upon the direction of polarization along the ferroelectric axis of the Gd3(MoO4)3 crystal. Thus, if the ferroelectric axis is chosen as the c-axis (or optical axis), the a-axis and b-axis are two other crystallographic axes that are perpendicular to such c-axis, and the index of refraction of light polarized along the a-axis i different from the index of refraction of light polarized along the b-axis. The property of the reversibility of the birefringence enables one to optically sense the direction of light sent through the crystal, parallel to the c-axis. Such a crystal can be used in various optical switching and memory devices.
Inventors
- 👤 Gerald Burns
- 👤 Archibald W Smith
- 👤 William V Smith
Bibliographic Details
Claims Analysis
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