Holographic optical apparatus for use with expanded-beam type fiber optical components

Claim 2

Apparatus for optically coupling optical fibers, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of optical components each of which includes a refracting surface having a focus at a predetermined location behind said refracting surface and which is adapted to facilitate receiving and positioning an end of an optical fiber at or nearly at said focus, said refracting surface being optically configured so that light emerging from an optical fiber located at a focus thereof is collimated and aimed by said refracting surface within predetermined angular tolerances on emerging therefrom and so that collimated light within the numerical aperture of said optical components which strikes said refracting surface thereof is nominally focused thereby into the end of an optical fiber; a housing adapted to receive and support said optical components such that at least one of said optical components is nominally aimed in a first direction and the others of said optical components are nominally aimed in a direction different from that of said first direction; and reflection holographic means of predetermined size positioned within said housing and exposed and developed in place in said housing to operate to intercept an output from said optical component aimed in said first direction and precisely direct it into predetermined ones of said differently aimed other optical components and to precisely direct the output from any of said differently aimed optical components into the end of said optical component aimed in said first direction, said reflection holographic means having interferometrically formed therein index of refraction variations by exposure and development in place to correct for any aiming errors between said components.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said holographic means comprises at least one holographic layer of predetermined thickness overlying a predetermined portion of a clear substrate.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first direction and said different direction are orthogonal and wherein said substrate is planar and is arranged at an angle that is nominally at 45-degrees to both said first direction and said direction orthogonal thereto.

Claim 5

Apparatus for optically coupling predetermined combinations of a plurality of optical fibers where each optical fiber can carry information signals on one or more modulated electromagnetic waves of preassigned wavelength, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of optical components each of which includes a refracting surface having a focus at a predetermined location behind said refracting surface and each of which is adapted to facilitate receiving and positioning an end of an optical fiber at or nearly at said focus, said refracting surfaces being optically configured so that light emerging from an optical fiber located at a focus thereof is collimated and aimed by said refracting surface within a predetermined angular tolerance on emerging therefrom and so that collimated light within the numerical aperture of said optical components which strikes a refracting surface thereof is nominally focused thereby into the end of an optical fiber; a housing adapted to receive and support said optical components such that at least one of said optical components is nominally aimed in a first direction and the other of said optical components are nominally aimed in a direction different from that of said first direction; and at least one reflection holographic means of predetermined configuration arranged in a predetermined spaced apart relationship with respect to said optical components and exposed and developed in place in said housing to operate to receive any information signal of any preassigned wavelength, from any or all of the optical fibers, said holographic means being structured to, in cooperation with said optical components, selectively and precisely direct predetermined portions of any signals received thereby into the ends of various combinations of the optical fibers in accordance with predesignated wavelengths associated with each combination, said reflection holographic means having interferometrically formed therein index of refraction variations by exposure and development in place to correct for any aiming errors between said components.

Claim 6

Apparatus for optically coupling predetermined combinations of a plurality of optical fibers where each optical fiber can carry information signals on one or more modulated electromagnetic waves of preassigned wavelength, said apparatus comprising: a plurality of optical components each of which includes a refracting surface having a focus at a predetermined location behind said refracting surface and each of which is adapted to facilitate receiving and positioning an end of an optical fiber at or nearly at said focus, said refracting surfaces being optically configured so that light emerging from an optical fiber located at a focus thereof is collimated and aimed by said refracting surface within a predetermined angular tolerance on emerging therefrom and so that collimated light within the numerical aperture of said optical components which strikes a refracting surface thereof is nominally focused thereby into the end of an optical fiber; a housing adapted to receive and support said optical components such that at least one of said optical components is nominally aimed in a first direction and the other of said optical components are nominally aimed in a direction different from that of said first direction; and at least one reflection holographic means of predetermined configuration arranged in a predetermined spaced apart relationship with respect to said optical components and exposed and developed in place in said housing to operate to receive any information signal of any preassigned wavelength, from any or all of the optical fibers, said holographic means being structured to, in cooperation with said optical components, selectively and precisely direct predetermined portions of any signals received thereby into the ends of various combinations of the optical fibers in accordance with predesignated wavelengths associated with each combination, said reflection holographic means having interferometrically formed therein index of refraction variations by exposure and development in place to correct for any aiming errors between said components.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said holographic means comprises at least one holographic layer of predetermined thickness.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said holographic means comprises at least one holographic layer overlying a predetermined portion of a clear substrate.