Patent US4012113A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4012113A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Adjustable optical switch or modulator
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1975-12-17
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Granted: 1977-03-15
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Expires: 1995-12-17
Abstract
Abstract An optical switch of the switched directional coupler type is provided with an adjustable cross-over state as well as an adjustable straight-through state, in order to provide reduced crosstalk in the cross-over state, for example, when the switches are used in an optical switching system. The improved switch is based on asynchronous or phase-mismatched coupling between two parallel optical strip guides driven by electrodes to which the voltage is applied. In order to use phase-mismatched coupling instead of phase-matched coupling for the cross-over state, in order thereby to obtain electrical adjustability of that state, the driving electrodes are split into two or more sequential sections, thereby defining two sequential coupling sections of the parallel optical strip guides. The cross-over coupling is then achieved by switching the mismatch conditions so that at the point of partial coupling the "nonoriginating" guide appears to the coupled optical waves to be the "originating" guide.
Inventors
- 👤 Herwig Werner Kogelnik
- 👤 Ronald Vernon Schmidt
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 13:48
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02F; G02F1/00; G02F1/29; G02F1/31; G02F1/313; G02F1/3132; G02F2201/00; G02F2201/12; G02F2201/125
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
81 words
A switch comprising a pair of waveguides having mutually parallel portions in sufficient proximity for Δβ-switched directional coupling therebetween, and control means comprising at least two sets of control elements disposed about said parallel portions of said waveguides and coupled sequentially thereto to define at least two asynchronous sequential coupling sections along said parallel portions, and means for supplying control signals to make the phase mismatch of opposite sign in two sequential ones of said sections to achieve a cross state.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
81 words
A switch comprising a pair of waveguides having mutually parallel portions in sufficient proximity for Δβ-switched directional coupling therebetween, and control means comprising at least two sets of control elements disposed about said parallel portions of said waveguides and coupled sequentially thereto to define at least two asynchronous sequential coupling sections along said parallel portions, and means for supplying control signals to make the phase mismatch of opposite sign in two sequential ones of said sections to achieve a cross state.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
A switch according to claim 1 in which the waveguides comprise optical waveguides comprising electrooptic material and the control means comprise at least two sets of electrodes disposed about said parallel portions of said waveguides and coupled sequentially thereto.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
A switch according to claim 2 in which the electrodes are disposed to provide in said portions an electric field normal to the common plane of said parallel portions.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
A switch according to claim 2 in which the electrodes are disposed to provide in said portions an electric field parallel to the common plane of said parallel portions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
A switch according to claim 2 in which the set of electrodes include a center electrode and are disposed to provide in said portions an electric field parallel to the common plane of said parallel portions.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
A switch according to claim 2 in which the set of electrodes are disposed one over and one adjacent to respective parallel portions to provide in said portions an electric field parallel to the common plane of said parallel portions.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
A switch according to claim 6 in which the successive sets of electrodes have a staggered arrangement of electrodes over and adjacent the parallel portions to provide in said portions an electric field parallel to the common plane of said parallel portions.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
A switch according to claim 2 including means for driving the successive sets of electrodes with respectively opposed polarities of voltages.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
84 words
A switching system comprising a plurality of optical switches, each of said optical switches comprising a pair of optical waveguides having mutually parallel portions in sufficient proximity for phase-matched coupling therebetween, and control means comprising at least two sets of control elements disposed about said parallel portions of said waveguides and coupled sequentially thereto to define two sequential coupling sections along said parallel portions, and means for selectively applying the signals to said control elements to generate bar and cross states characterized by asynchronism.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
84 words
A switching system comprising a plurality of optical switches, each of said optical switches comprising a pair of optical waveguides having mutually parallel portions in sufficient proximity for phase-matched coupling therebetween, and control means comprising at least two sets of control elements disposed about said parallel portions of said waveguides and coupled sequentially thereto to define two sequential coupling sections along said parallel portions, and means for selectively applying the signals to said control elements to generate bar and cross states characterized by asynchronism.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
A switching system according to claim 9 in which the control elements and control signals in the sequential sections are mutually adapted to provide asynchronism of opposite polarity and different values in the sequential sections.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
74 words
An optical switch comprising a pair of optical waveguides having mutually parallel portions in sufficient proximity for Δβ-switched directional coupling therebetween, and control means having subdivided parts thereof coupled to said parallel portions to define at least three sequential sections of said parallel portions, and means for supplying signals to said parts of said control means associated with said sections to provide asynchronism of alternating sign from section to section of the sequential sections.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
74 words
An optical switch comprising a pair of optical waveguides having mutually parallel portions in sufficient proximity for Δβ-switched directional coupling therebetween, and control means having subdivided parts thereof coupled to said parallel portions to define at least three sequential sections of said parallel portions, and means for supplying signals to said parts of said control means associated with said sections to provide asynchronism of alternating sign from section to section of the sequential sections.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
An optical switch according to claim 1 in which the means for supplying control signals includes means for supplying phase mismatches of like polarity to achieve a bar state.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1980-03-14 | 1980-09-13 | 1981-03-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1984-03-14 | 1984-09-13 | 1985-03-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1988-03-14 | 1988-09-13 | 1989-03-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |