Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
123 words
An integrated-photocircuit interferometer with a thin-walled substrate having formed therein: an exit waveguide for directing coherent light for measurement from a light source toward an object; an inlet waveguide having a plurality of branch waveguides for receiving said light for measurement reflected from said object and for guiding said received light through said plurality of branch waveguides to a corresponding plurality of photodetectors; and reference waveguides optically connecting said exit waveguide to said branch waveguides for extracting a plurality of reference beams from the light for measurement propagating through said exit waveguide and for guiding each of said reference beams into a corresponding one of said branch waveguides, said reference waveguide providing different optical path length differences for said plurality of reference beams.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
123 words
An integrated-photocircuit interferometer with a thin-walled substrate having formed therein: an exit waveguide for directing coherent light for measurement from a light source toward an object; an inlet waveguide having a plurality of branch waveguides for receiving said light for measurement reflected from said object and for guiding said received light through said plurality of branch waveguides to a corresponding plurality of photodetectors; and reference waveguides optically connecting said exit waveguide to said branch waveguides for extracting a plurality of reference beams from the light for measurement propagating through said exit waveguide and for guiding each of said reference beams into a corresponding one of said branch waveguides, said reference waveguide providing different optical path length differences for said plurality of reference beams.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
An integrated-photocircuit interferometer as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of reference waveguides has optical path length adjusting means for adjusting the optical path length differences.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
An integrated-photocircuit interferometer as claimed in claim 2, wherein said optical path length adjusting means comprises electrodes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
78 words
An integrated-photocircuit interferometer as claimed in claim 2, wherein said thin-walled substrate is provided with: an adjusting waveguide passage formed in said thin-walled substrate and optically connected to each of the branch waveguides and guiding the reference beams from the branch waveguides to an adjustment photodetector for adjusting the difference between the optical path lengths of the plurality of reference beams, wherein said optical path adjusting means can be adjusted depending on the output from the adjustment photodetector.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
64 words
An integrated-photocircuit interferometer as claimed in any of claims 1 through 4, further comprising: a light source for generating linearly polarized coherent light for measurement; and measurement-light polarizing means provided in said thin-walled substrate for polarizing said measurement light reflected from said object in such a manner that said reflected measurement light will not enter said exit waveguide but will enter said inlet waveguide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
An integrated-photocircuit interferometer as claimed in any of claims 1 through 4, wherein two branch waveguides are provided.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
73 words
An integrated-photocircuit interferometer as claimed in any of claims 1 through 4, further comprising: a light source for generating linearly polarized coherent light for measurement; and measurement-light polarizing means provided in said thin-walled substrate for polarizing said measurement light reflected from said object in such a manner that said reflected measurement light will not enter said exit waveguide but will enter said inlet waveguide, wherein said reference waveguides are constituted by branch waveguides.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
70 words
An integrated-photocircuit interferometer as claimed in any of claims 1 through 4, wherein two branch waveguides are provided, further comprising: a light source for generating linearly polarized coherent light for measurement; and measurement-light polarizing means provided in said thin-walled substrate for polarizing said measurement light reflected from said object in such a manner that said reflected measurement light will not enter said exit waveguide but will enter said inlet waveguide.