PHOTODETECTING FIBER

• US 20120263409A1
• Filed: 10/05/2011
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Fink, Yoel, Joannopoulos, John D., Sorin, Fabien, Lestoquoy, Guillaume, Danto, Sylvain
• Granted Patent: US 8,630,519 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/10 of the optical waveguide type G02B6/02, G02B6/24 take precedence; devices or arrangements for the control of light by electric, magnetic, electro-magnetic or acoustic means G02F1/00; transferring the modulation of modulated light G02F2/00; optical logic elements G02F3/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/032 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only compounds not provided for in groups H01L31/0272 - H01L31/0312
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035281 Shape of the body
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

Photodetecting fiber. The fiber detects and localizes an incident optical beam. A semiconducting core is in intimate contact with a material forming a resistive channel that breaks axial symmetry. The resistive channel has a resistivity between that of metals and the semiconducting core, enabling the imposition of non-uniform, convex electric potential distributions along the fiber axis allowing photo-current measurements along the fiber.

Claims

1. Photodetecting fiber for detection and localization of an incident optical beam comprising:

a semiconducting core in intimate contact with a material forming a resistive channel that breaks axial symmetry, the resistive channel having a resistivity between that of metals and the semiconducting core enabling the imposition of non-uniform, convex electric potential distributions along the fiber axis allowing photo-current measurements along the fiber.

2. The photodetecting fiber of claim 1, wherein the resistive channel is a composite material.

3. The photodetecting fiber of claim 2, wherein the composite material is polycarbonate with carbon black particles embedded therein.

4. The photodetecting fiber of claim 1, wherein the core is a semiconducting chalcogenide glass.

5. The photodetecting fiber of claim 1, wherein the core is a hybrid thin-film/solid-core fiber structure.