Compact optical delay devices
First Claim
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1. An optical device, comprising:
- an optical polarization beam splitter (PBS) having a first port, a second port and a third port, wherein light at a first optical polarization transmits through the PBS between the first port and the second port, and light at a second optical polarization orthogonal to the first optical polarization that enters at either of the second port and the third port is reflected to the other of the second port and the third port;
a first optical path having a first end optically coupled to the second port of the PBS to receive light from the second port and to direct light to the second port;
a polarization reflector coupled to a second end of the first optical path to reflect light received from the first optical path back to the first optical path with a reflected optical polarization that is orthogonal to a polarization of the light that initially enters the first optical path upon exiting the second port of the PBS;
a second optical path having a first end optically coupled to the third port of the PBS to receive light from the second port and to direct light to the third port; and
a reflector coupled to a second end of the second optical path to reflect light received from the second optical path back to the second optical path with a reflected optical polarization that is the same as an optical polarization of the light at the third port when entering the second optical path.
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Abstract
Optical devices and techniques for using optical polarization of light to transmit through an optical path four times to quadruple a total delay in the light through the optical path.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. An optical device, comprising:
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an optical polarization beam splitter (PBS) having a first port, a second port and a third port, wherein light at a first optical polarization transmits through the PBS between the first port and the second port, and light at a second optical polarization orthogonal to the first optical polarization that enters at either of the second port and the third port is reflected to the other of the second port and the third port; a first optical path having a first end optically coupled to the second port of the PBS to receive light from the second port and to direct light to the second port; a polarization reflector coupled to a second end of the first optical path to reflect light received from the first optical path back to the first optical path with a reflected optical polarization that is orthogonal to a polarization of the light that initially enters the first optical path upon exiting the second port of the PBS; a second optical path having a first end optically coupled to the third port of the PBS to receive light from the second port and to direct light to the third port; and a reflector coupled to a second end of the second optical path to reflect light received from the second optical path back to the second optical path with a reflected optical polarization that is the same as an optical polarization of the light at the third port when entering the second optical path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An optical device, comprising:
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a light source to produce light; an optical coupler to receive the light and to split the light into a signal beam and a reference beam; a reference optical path to receive the reference beam and to reflect the reference beam back to the optical coupler; and a signal optical path to receive the signal beam and having an optical head that couples the received signal beam to a sample and collects reflected light from the sample as a reflected signal beam to propagate in the signal optical path towards the optical coupler which mixes the reflected signal beam and the reflected reference beam to produce an optical interference signal, wherein the reference optical path includes an optical delay device which comprises; an optical polarization beam splitter (PBS) having a first port, a second port and a third port, wherein light at a first optical polarization transmits through the PBS between the first port and the second port, and light at a second optical polarization orthogonal to the first optical polarization that enters at either of the second port and the third port is reflected to the other of the second port and the third port, and wherein the first port receives the reference beam and the PBS transmits the received reference beam to the second port; a first optical path having a first end optically coupled to the second port of the PBS to receive light from the second port and to direct light to the second port; a polarization reflector coupled to a second end of the first optical path to reflect light received from the first optical path back to the first optical path with a reflected optical polarization that is orthogonal to a polarization of the light that initially enters the first optical path upon exiting the second port of the PBS; a variable optical delay element coupled in the first optical path between the Faraday reflector and the PBS to produce a variable optical delay in light in the first optical path; a second optical path having a first end optically coupled to the third port of the PBS to receive light from the second port and to direct light to the third port; and a reflector coupled to a second end of the second optical path to reflect light received from the second optical path back to the second optical path with a reflected optical polarization that is the same as an optical polarization of the light at the third port when entering the second optical path. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An optical device, comprising:
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an opto-electronic oscillator having a closed opto-electronic loop that comprises an optical modulator which modulates CW laser light to produce a modulated optical output in response to an electrical modulation control signal, an electronic circuit to produce the electrical modulation control signal, an optical loop to receive the modulated optical output and an optical detector coupled between the optical loop and the electronic circuit to detect light from the optical loop and to produce a detector output which is directed into the electronic circuit to produce the electrical modulation control signal, wherein the optical loop comprises an optical delay module to receive at least a portion of the modulated optical output, the optical delay module comprising; an optical polarization beam splitter (PBS) having a first port to receive light of the modulated optical output coupled into the optical loop, a second port and a third port, wherein light at a first optical polarization transmits through the PBS between the first port and the second port, and light at a second optical polarization orthogonal to the first optical polarization that enters at either of the second port and the third port is reflected to the other of the second port and the third port, and wherein the first port receives the reference beam and the PBS transmits the received reference beam to the second port; a first optical path having a first end optically coupled to the second port of the PBS to receive light from the second port and to direct light to the second port; a polarization reflector coupled to a second end of the first optical path to reflect light received from the first optical path back to the first optical path with a reflected optical polarization that is orthogonal to a polarization of the light that initially enters the first optical path upon exiting the second port of the PBS; a second optical path having a first end optically coupled to the third port of the PBS to receive light from the second port and to direct light to the third port; and a reflector coupled to a second end of the second optical path to reflect light received from the second optical path back to the second optical path with a reflected optical polarization that is the same as an optical polarization of the light at the third port when entering the second optical path. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for providing an optical delay in light, comprising:
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using an optical polarization beam splitter (PBS) having a first port, a second port and a third port to direct light at a first optical polarization to transmit through the PBS between the first port and the second port into a first optical path; reflecting light received by the first optical path back to the second port of the PBS to have a reflected optical polarization that is, at each location along the first optical path, orthogonal to an optical polarization of the light when traveling in the first optical path away from the PBS prior to the reflection; reflecting the reflected light received at the second port of the PBS to the third port of the PBS; reflecting light at the third port of the PBS to the second port of the PBS as an output beam to travel in the first optical path with a reflected optical polarization that is the same as an optical polarization of the light when directed from the second port to the third port; and reflecting the output beam received by the first optical path back to the second port of the PBS to have a reflected optical polarization that is, at each location along the first optical path, orthogonal to an optical polarization of the light when traveling in the first optical path away from the PBS prior to the reflection to transmit the output beam from the second port to the third port of the PBS. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification