Patent ID: 6137619
Filing Date: 2000-10-24
Classification: G02F

Abstract:
A light modulator comprising:an input optical fiber;a polarization separator that separates incident light from the input optical fiber, said incident light having a wavelength in the range of 1200 nm to 1600 nm, into two polarization components along separate pats within the modulator, said paths defining a separation plane;a crystalline ceramic electro-optic phase retarder having electrodes that provide an electric field across the paths, said electric field having a voltage of less than 500 volts across said phase retarder to provide relative phase retardation with respect to the two polarization components from the separator;a polarization recombinor that combines the polarization components from the retarder to form a modulated optical signal; andan output fiber optically coupled to the recombinor and that receives the modulated optical signal.