Patent ID: 8818193
Filing Date: 2014-08-26
Classification: G02B,H04B

Abstract:
1. A tunable optical dispersion compensator comprising: a first beam displacer on an optical path, wherein the first beam displacer separates an input optical signal into a first beam and a second beam; a first half-wave plate attached to the first beam displacer and located in the optical path of both the first beam and the second beam; a first polarizing beam splitter including a garnet and a second half-wave plate on the optical path, wherein the optical path from the first beam displacer through the first half-wave plate and the first polarization beam splitter is linear in a first direction; two or more component sets cascaded together on the optical path, wherein each of the two or more component sets includes: wherein the collinearly-located and orthogonally-located etalons in the two or more component sets are tunable and produce a group delay in the first beam and the second beam; a reflecting mirror on the optical path collinearly aligned parallel to the first direction with the orthogonally-located polarization beam splitter of a last one of the two or more component sets, wherein the reflecting mirror returns the optical signal back along the optical path; and a second beam displacer on the optical path and positioned to receive the first beam and the second beam after reflection by the first polarization beam splitter in a direction orthogonal to the first direction, wherein the second beam displacer combines the first beam and the second beam into an output optical signal.