Optical waveguides – With optical coupler – Particular coupling structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-16
2001-08-28
Bovernick, Rodney (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
With optical coupler
Particular coupling structure
C385S039000, C385S015000, C385S014000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282343
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an optical coupler and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an optical coupler having Y-junction optical waveguides between input and output optical waveguides.
2. Related Art
Optical couplers, optical devices for dividing an optical signal into a plurality of optical signals, are the heart of an optical subscriber network. Optical couplers can be manufactured by thermally uniting two optical fibers, which requires a large amount of manual work. Thus, the manufacturing cost can be high, and direct use of the optical fibers can increase the size of the manufactured optical couplers.
I have found that an improved optical coupler would be desirable, and that efforts have been made to improve optical couplers. Exemplars of recent efforts in the art include U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,167 for OPTICAL COUPLER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING issued to Jean et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,225 for DISTRIBUTOR FOR OPTICAL SIGNALS issued to Auracher et al.
While these recent efforts provide advantages, I note that they fail to adequately provide a convenient and efficient optical coupler.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An objective of the present invention is to provide an improved optical coupler. A further objective of the present invention is to provide an optical coupler in which the number of output optical waveguides can be easily increased by modularizing an off-axis optical coupler using Y-junction optical waveguides and curved optical waveguides for connecting the Y-junction optical waveguides, and a method of manufacturing the same.
Accordingly, to achieve the above objectives and others, the present invention provides an optical coupler including an input optical waveguide and N output optical waveguides, for dividing an optical signal received from the input optical waveguide into N optical signals, the optical coupler comprising: a plurality of Y-junction optical waveguides configured in m stages, for branching the received optical signal into two optical signals at each stage; and a plurality of curved optical waveguides alternately connected to the Y-junction optical waveguides, at least one curved optical waveguide connected between Y-junction optical waveguides in the m-th stage and the output optical waveguides, wherein when the guiding direction of the optical signal is set to be the longitudinal axis, and the junction between the input optical waveguide and the first-stage Y-junction optical waveguide is set to be the starting point, the positions and sizes of the Y-junction optical waveguides and the curved optical waveguides are determined in order to minimize the longest path among N paths ranging from the starting point to each of the output optical waveguides.
To achieve the above objectives and others, the present invention provides a method of designing a pattern mask for an optical coupler including an input optical waveguide, N output optical waveguides, a plurality of Y-junction optical waveguides configured in m stages for branching an optical signal received by the input optical waveguide into two optical signals at each stage, and a plurality of curved optical waveguides alternately connected to the Y-junction optical waveguides, at least one curved optical waveguide connected between Y-junction optical waveguides at the m-th stage and the output optical waveguides, and manufacturing the optical coupler according to the mask pattern, the method comprising the steps of: (a) determining the lengths, widths and branching angles of the Y-junction optical waveguides, and forming Y-junction optical waveguide modules having sizes depending on the determined lengths, widths and branching angles of the Y-junction optical waveguides; (b) forming connection optical waveguide modules having sizes depending on the radius of curvature and inside angle of each of the curved optical waveguides, for connecting the Y-junction optical waveguides to each other and connecting the m-th Y-junction optical waveguide modules to the output optical waveguides; (c) arranging the Y-junction optical waveguide modules and the curved optical waveguide modules between the input optical waveguide and each of the output optical waveguides, after determining the lengths of the connection optical waveguide modules and the positions of the Y-junction optical waveguide modules and the connection optical waveguide modules so that the longitudinal distance between the starting point and each of the output optical waveguides is minimized, when the junction between the input optical waveguide and the first-stage Y-junction optical waveguide is set to be the starting point, and the guiding direction of the optical signal is set to be along the longitudinal axis; and (d) manufacturing the pattern mask according to the arranged structure.
The present invention is more specifically described in the following paragraphs by reference to the drawings attached only by way of example. Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4760580 (1988-07-01), Thompson et al.
patent: 4953935 (1990-09-01), Suchoski, Jr. et al.
patent: 5226100 (1993-07-01), Maerz
patent: 5297233 (1994-03-01), Lerminiaux
patent: 5539847 (1996-07-01), Lerminiaux et al.
patent: 5542014 (1996-07-01), Lerminiaux et al.
Cho Jung-hwan
Kim Dug-Bong
Rhee Tae-hyung
Yi Sang-yun
Bovernick Rodney
Bushnell , Esq. Robert E.
Pak Sung
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
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