Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-17
2001-11-13
Ngo, Hung N. (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure
C385S065000, C385S147000, C216S024000, C216S039000, C216S042000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315462
ABSTRACT:
The invention concerns a fiber optic circuit switch and a process for the production of a fiber optic circuit switch.
A fiber optic circuit switch has been known since the publication of “Micro-Optic Switch as Bypass Element in Optical Data Networks” by J. Mohr, 1
st
Status Symposium of the Micro-Systems Technology Project, Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center, 1993, pages 73-77. The known fiber optic circuit switch has four fiber optic light guides which join at the switch and a switching device that can be switched between two positions, two ball lenses and two deviating prisms.
In the switching position where the switching device is located outside the path of rays, radiation exiting from a first fiber is collimated with a first ball lens and directed into a second ball lens with a first deviating prism for focusing into a second fiber. A receiver, amplifier and transmitter are connected after the inlet in the second fiber. The transmitter feeds its radiation into a third fiber, which ends before the first ball lens collimating exiting radiation. This collimated ray is directed to the second ball lens with a second deviating prism in order to be focused by it into a fourth fiber.
In the example of the switching device that is inserted into the path of rays, radiation originating from the first fiber is collimated by the first ball lens, and the collimated ray is deviated onto the second ball lens with the switching device and focused by it into the fourth fiber.
The known micro-optic switch is executed with LIGA [X-ray depth lithography, electroforming, synthetic molding] technology, with the ball lenses having to be inserted into the layer thus produced.
It is the object of the invention to create a fiber optic circuit switch that can be produced in a simple and thus cost-efficient way with quick-switching features and the required dimensional and functional exactitude.
The object is met by eliminating additional optical elements apart from the light guides in the fiber optic circuit switch according to the invention, in contrast to the above-mentioned publication by J. Mohr. Furthermore, in contrast to the above-mentioned publication, the LIGA procedure is no longer used for production of the fiber optic circuit switch, but rather uses the procedure according to the invention described below.
Unlike the complex and therefore costly LIGA procedure, requiring a synchrotron radiation source, with the considerably less extensive procedure involving the, of the present invention all structures required for the switch can be produced, including the positioning aids described below for the light guide, which only have to be inserted into the finished component to the respective stop.
The movable control mirror integrated in the switch can also easily be coated optically.
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Patent Abstract of Japan of JP Application No. 55-130505, Oct. 9, 1980.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin vol. 32, no. 10b, Mar. 1990, pp. 172-174.
Mohr J. et al.: Microoptical Devices Based on Free Space Optics with LIGA Microoptical Benches Examples & Perspectives Proceedings of the SPIE, vol. 2783, Jun. 12, 1996, pp. 48-54.
Anthamatten Olivier
Marxer Cornel
Ascom AG
Ngo Hung N.
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