Patent ID: 6259560
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
A continuously variable beam combiner comprising:a first polarizing beam combiner coupled to a horizontally polarized first input beam and to a vertically polarized second input beam for transmitting the first input beam along a common output beam axis and reflecting the second input beam along the common output beam axis to form a first intermediate beam;a first half-wave plate coupled to the first polarizing beam combiner for rotating the polarization orientation of the first intermediate beam to produce a second intermediate beam wherein the first half-wave plate is rotated by a selected angle to vary continuously the proportion of the first input beam and the second input beam in the first intermediate beam; anda second polarizing beam combiner coupled to the first half-wave plate and to a vertically polarized third input beam for transmitting a horizontally polarized portion of the second intermediate beam along the common output beam axis and reflecting the vertically polarized third input beam along the common output beam axis to generate an output beam.