Electrical generator or motor structure – Non-dynamoelectric – Charge accumulating
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-30
2004-11-09
Budd, Mark (Department: 2834)
Electrical generator or motor structure
Non-dynamoelectric
Charge accumulating
C385S017000, C385S018000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06815865
ABSTRACT:
This application is the national phase under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT International Application No. PCT/CH01/00072 which has an International filing date of Jan. 31, 2001, which designated the United States of America.
1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a radiation guide switch arrangement as claimed in the precharacterizing clause of patent claim
1
, and to a method for producing it as claimed in the precharacterizing clause of patent claim
10
.
2. Prior Art
A radiation guide arrangement is known from WO 98/12589. The known arrangement has four optical fiber insert channels, which run toward one another in the form of a star, with optical fibers inserted in them. A moveable switching part was arranged at the intersection point of the projection of the fiber ends. The switching part could be withdrawn from the intersection point, as a result of which it was then possible for light to be transmitted between any two opposite optical fiber ends. This light transmission was inhibited when the switching part was inserted. Since the switching part was mirrored, light transmission then occurred via the mirror surface between two adjacent fiber ends arranged at 90° to one another.
The switching part was arranged in a holder which was in the form of filigree and had two pairs of leaf springs arranged one behind the other on the left and right. The longitudinal faces of each leaf spring had a first comb structure, which engaged in a second comb structure that was arranged in a fixed position on a base plate. The comb structures could be attracted to one another or repelled from one another by applying an electrical voltage, by which means the switching part was drawn in or drawn out at the intersection point. A mechanical stop was provided on the leaf springs for each defined position of the switching part.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a radiation guide switching arrangement which has low radiation losses, or exactly adjustable radiation losses, with a good switching response.
ACHIEVEMENT OF THE OBJECT
The object is achieved by producing a radiation guide arrangement having at least one radiation guide switch from a sandwich wafer with a substrate, a covering layer, and an electrically insulating intermediate layer. Each radiation guide switch has at least one moveable switching part as well as at least two radiation guide ends which come to rest in a plane. The radiation guide ends are arranged closely adjacent to one another such that radiation which emerges from one radiation guide end can be blocked on its optical path to another guide end, or can be reflected into this other guide end, by means of the switching part. The intermediate space which holds the switching part is, according to the invention, filled with an index matching liquid having a predetermined refractive index. Furthermore, the core of each radiation guide, which carries the radiation, is designed to taper such that radiation collimation can be achieved by interaction with the refractive index of the index matching liquid and the free core profile in the space which is filled with liquid.
It is thus not sufficient to arrange the radiation guide ends as close to one another as possible. The end region of each radiation guide and the refractive index of an index matching liquid between the radiation guide ends should be matched to one another so as to ensure good radiation transmission between the radiation guide ends. In order to achieve good radiation transmission, the guide ends are designed, and the corresponding index matching liquid is chosen, such that the radiation which emerges from one guide end is passed to the other guide end with only low losses. Radiation guidance with losses that are as low as possible can be achieved in the free space (which is filled with index matching liquid) between the ends if the beam which emerges from the guide end can be passed to the other guide end with the same beam diameter. This means that a collimated beam must emerge from the guide end. Radiation collimation is achieved by designing the guide core which carries the radiation such that it tapers in its end region, and by searching for the index matching liquid such that its refractive index for the radiation which is to be transmitted in the radiation guide results, together with the core profile, in the desired lens effect for radiation collimation.
The refractive index of the index matching liquid should at most be of equal magnitude to refractive index of each radiation guide core. The refractive index of the liquid is preferably chosen to be between 99.90% and 98.00% with respect to the core refractive index. Very good results can be achieved with a refractive index between 99.4% and 98.6%. If the distance between the guide ends is short (in the region of 30&mgr;m), a good value of the refractive index is obtained in the region of 99.1% (at 25° C.). This value allows stable coupling at a temperature range between −10° C. and 85° C. at a wavelength of between 1250 nm and 1630 nm. This value should increase if the distance is greater.
The radiation guide switching arrangement according to the invention also makes use of radiation guide switches with a mirrored switching part. If a switching part such as this is used, then, on the one hand, it is possible to “pass on radiation” between mutually opposite radiation guide ends when the switching part is withdrawn from the intermediate space, as already indicated above. When the switching part is inserted into the intermediate space, the passing on of radiation is interrupted; however, radiation which emerges from a radiation guide can now be reflected (passed on) into another radiation guide. If passed on “straight”, the collimated beam emerges from the one guide and enters the opposite guide. If not, the collimated beam is deflected by the mirror. In order that this switching operation can operate with minimal radiation losses, the radiation guide ends as well as the mirrored surface must be positioned exactly. To do this, all the radiation guide ends to be switched are located in a plane. The mirror surfaces of the switching part must then be positioned at right angles on this plane. It has now been shown that a mirrored switching part which was produced according to the method described in WO98/12589 had mirror surfaces which are not at right angles, which then led to additional radiation losses between two guide ends.
It has now been found that those surfaces of the switching part from WO98/12589 which are not at right angles were a result of the etching process described there. In contrast to WO98/12589, a sacrificial web is now in each case produced at a short distance in front of the mirror surfaces which are to be produced by etching. This greatly reduces any space holding etching ions in front of the mirror surfaces to be produced, thus making it possible to prevent, or greatly minimize, oblique etching. Mirror surfaces produced in this way are now at right angles.
The expression a good switching response does not just mean that the radiation is transmitted with losses that are as low as possible when the switch is in the “switched-on position”. The switching times must also be reproducible, and it must be possible to carry out the switching operations quickly. However, this also refers to switching processes by means of which a predetermined attenuation can be set. However, the switching times in the case of the radiation guide switch known from WO98/12589 differed; furthermore, high voltages had to be applied to the comb structure of each holder having a switching part, in order that it was possible to overcome the “tearing free effect” from one switching position to the other.
It has been possible to eliminate this “tearing free effect” in the embodiment described below since two identical comb structure engaging in one another have no longer been used, and, instead the tine end region of one of the two comb structures has a region with a broadened cross section. This thus results
Budd Mark
Seralco Microtechnology Ltd.
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