[54] SWITCHABLE OPTICAL COMPONENTS/ STRUCTURES AND METHODS FOR THE FABRICATION THEREOF
[75] Inventor: Lawrence H. Domash, Conway, Mass.
[73] Assignee: Foster-Miller, Inc., Waltham, Mass.
[21] Appl. No.: 08/797,950 [22] Filed: Feb. 12, 1997
[51] Int. CI.6 G02B 6/26; G02B 6/34
[52] U.S. CI 385/16; 385/20; 385/24;
385/31; 385/37; 385/10; 359/130
[58] Field of Search 385/8-10, 16-24,
385/31, 37, 40; 359/283, 251, 252, 224, 225, 291, 295, 573, 117, 130; 349/86, 92, 201, 202, 117, 141, 146
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
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4,006,963 2/1977 Baues et al 385/37
4,688,900 8/1987 Doanne et al 350/347
4,938,568 7/1990 Margeram et al 350/334
5,096,282 3/1992 Margeram et al 359/3
5,182,665 1/1993 O'Callaghan et al 359/95
5,488,681 1/1996 Deacon et al 385/37
5,544,268 8/1996 Bischel et al 385/4
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Sutherland, R. L., V. P. Tondiglia, L. V. Natarajan, T. J. Bunning and W. W. Adams, "Switchable holograms in a new photopolymer-liquid crystal composite." SPIE: Diffractive and Holographic Optics Technology, 2404:132-, Feb. 9-10 1995.
Sutherland, R. L., V. P. Tondiglia, L. V. Natarajan, T. J.
Bunning and W. W. Adams, "Electrically switchable volume
gratings in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals." Appl. Phys.
Lett., 64 (9): 1074-1076, Feb. 28, 1994.
Sutherland, R. L., V. P. Tondiglia, L. V. Natarajan and T. J.
Bunning, "Bragg Gratings in an Acrylate Polymer Consist-
ing ol Periodic Polymer-Dispersed Liquid-Crystal Planes."
Chemistry of Materials, 5:10 1533-1538, 1993.
A variety of optical components or nodes are provided which components are formed utilizing holographically polymerized polymer/liquid crystal composites, and which components include free space/unguided wave switches, guided wave switches, out/in couplers, reflection nodes/ reflection filters and guided wave interconnect nodes. Selected ones of these nodes may be designed to operate either in a single wavelength mode or in a multiwavelength WDM mode. All of the components are switchable so as to able to modify the component output to which an optical signal received on a component input is applied as a function of an electric field applied across the component, and to vary the channel outputted on a given output for WDM operation. Nodes of the same type or node of two or more different types may be interconnected into two dimensional and/or three dimensional structures, particularly switching structures for a telecommunications or other purposes, including such structures adapted for multiwavelength operation. For preferred embodiments, guided wave optical paths, and in particular waveguides, are utilized for node interconnects, with various techniques being presented for forming nodes and/or structures as integrated optical structures.
30 Claims, 10 Drawing Sheets
