Light distributor for optical communication systems

Claim 1

A light distributor connected to an incoming light guide and several outgoing light guides for distributing light arriving from the incoming light guide into the outgoing light guides, comprising a disk member having an electrically controllable index of refraction and parallel surfaces and of a material having properties of a low light absorption and low light scattering, said disk member having edge portions forming an abutting surface for each of the incoming and the outgoing light guides, said abutting surface for the incoming light guide being opposite the abutting surfaces for the outgoing light guides, a total width L for the abutting surfaces for the outgoing light guides being determined by the distance between the abutting surfaces of the incoming and outgoing light guides and by the unhampered spread of the light of the incoming light guide in said disk member perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the light in the disk and parallel to the parallel surface; and individual triggerable electrodes being disposed on said disk member adjacent the abutting surfaces for the outgoing light guides to electrically control the index of refraction of the material adjacent the abutting surface for each outgoing light guide.