US5343542A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tapered fabry-perot waveguide optical demultiplexer
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
•
Filing: 1993-04-22
•
Granted: 1994-08-30
•
Expires: 2013-04-22
Abstract
Abstract This invention covers apparatus for providing a compact, high resolution waveguide optical demultiplexer or spectrometer for application in optical communications. With this invention, incoming light composing many discrete wavelengths or optical channels is spectrally resolved by the waveguide demultiplexer such that the wavelength channels are separated spatially. The two major elements of this invention are a waveguide having a partial mirror along its length to reflect optical frequencies therein, and an optical resonator where one of its resonating mirrors is the partial mirror of the waveguide. Selected frequencies are then extracted from the waveguide and resonated in the resonator.
Inventors
- 👤 Jeffrey A. Kash
- 👤 Bardia Pezeshki
- 👤 Franklin F. Tong
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 13:45
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/10; G02B6/12; G02B6/12007; G02B6/122; G02B6/124; G02B6/24; G02B6/26; G02B6/28; G02B6/293; G02B6/29346; G02B6/29358; G02B6/42; G02B6/4201; G02B6/4246
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
72 words
An apparatus for obtaining at least one selected optical frequency from a plurality of optical frequencies, comprising: a. a waveguide having a partial mirror along its length to reflect transmitted said optical frequencies within said guide; and b. an optical resonator, having an optical thickness for optical resonance, with one of its resonating mirrors being said partial mirror with said selected frequency being extracted from said guide and resonated in said resonator.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
72 words
An apparatus for obtaining at least one selected optical frequency from a plurality of optical frequencies, comprising: a. a waveguide having a partial mirror along its length to reflect transmitted said optical frequencies within said guide; and b. an optical resonator, having an optical thickness for optical resonance, with one of its resonating mirrors being said partial mirror with said selected frequency being extracted from said guide and resonated in said resonator.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said resonator has a resonating cavity with variable thickness along its length so as to generate different resonant frequencies at different positions along its length.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said resonator is a Fabry-Perot resonator.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said resonator is a Fabry-Perot resonator.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said waveguide is an anti-resonance waveguide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the loss of said resonator is such as to extract the optical energy from said guide in a minimum distance.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
28 words
An apparatus as recited in claims 1, wherein a path of said optical frequencies in said waveguide has lower index refraction than a path in said resonator cavity.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said resonator is configured as a photo detecting element with at least one said selected optical frequency being converted to electrical signals.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4825262A
Cited
US4715672A
Cited
US4745607A
Cited
US4861136A
Cited
US5060235A
Cited
US5191219A
Cited
US5282260A
Cited
US5144498A
Cited
US5285274A
Cited
US5268985A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-08-29 | 1998-02-28 | 1998-08-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-08-29 | 2002-02-28 | 2002-08-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-08-29 | 2006-02-28 | 2006-08-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |