Common-lens reflective magneto-optical switch

Details Common-lens reflective magneto-optical switch Common-lens reflective magneto-optical switch

1997-08-22

1999-08-03

Epps, Georgia

Optical: systems and elements

Optical modulator

Light wave temporal modulation

359283, G02F 109

Patent

active

059332697

ABSTRACT:
A magneto-optical switch having three or more ports and two or more lenses, in which at least two ports share a common lens. In one embodiment, the switch has three ports and two lenses, where two of the ports share one of the lenses. In another embodiment, the switch has four ports and two lenses, where two of the ports share one lens and the other two ports share the other lens. A magnet generates a magnetic field in either of two directions to select one of two operating modes for the switch. Walk-off plates separate light energy into two polarized beams and rotators rotate the polarization states of those beams as a function of the magnetic field. Depending on the direction of the rotation, another walk-off plate is used either to recombine the two polarized beams or to further separate them. Further separated beams are reflected from a mirror, while converged beams are transmitted through the light-transmitting center of the mirror. Reflected light exits one port, while transmitted light exits a different port. In this way, the magnet can be used to select between different supported switch paths. Magneto-optical switches of the present invention can be configured with optical filter elements (e.g., selectively transmitting mirrors) to operate as drop/add multiplexers.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4969720 (1990-11-01), Lins et al.
patent: 5703992 (1997-12-01), Bergmann

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