Patent ID: 6351260
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: G02B,G06F

Abstract:
An apparatus comprising:a light source; a multichannel transmission waveguide portion optically coupled to receive light from said light source, said transmission waveguide portion integrally houses a plurality of light transmission waveguides and provides said light transmission waveguides with precise alignments within said transmission waveguide portion, said light transmission waveguides produce a first set of light beams by guiding the light received from said light source so that said first set of light beans emanate from said light transmission waveguides in a first direction; a multichannel reception waveguide portion spaced apart from said transmission waveguide in the first direction, said reception waveguide portion integrally houses a plurality of light reception waveguides and provides said light reception waveguides with precise alignments within said reception waveguide portion, said light reception waveguides receiving said first set of light beams emanating from said light transmission waveguides; and a light detector optically coupled to said reception waveguide portion to receive the light from the light reception waveguides of said reception waveguide portion, said light detector including a plurality of light detecting elements that substantially simultaneously detects light intensity of the light from at least the first set of the light reception waveguides of said reception waveguide portion, wherein said light reception waveguides have a flared out section near a side of said reception waveguide portion where said first set of light beams are received.