Patent ID: 6470119
Filing Date: 2002-10-22
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
An optical coupling device with two waveguide end surfaces, which are arranged opposite one another, for the coupling of light between the two end surfaces, one of the two end surfaces being an end surface of a waveguide of a phased-array filter in which the positions of the center wavelength is temperature-dependent, said device having displacement means for the displacement of the two end surfaces relative to one another in a direction parallel to the end surfaces, the means including an expansion element that moves the end surfaces relative to one another on the basis of a spatial expansion and/or contraction of the element and compensation means to compensate for a positional spacing between a relative actual position, which position of the two end surfaces assume relative to one another, and a relative target position, which target position the two end surfaces are supposed to assume relative to one another, the positional spacing between the relative actual position and relative target position being dependent on a change of temperature occurring in the environment of the coupling device, the compensation means being an expansion element of a material with a thermal expansion coefficient and the thermal expansion coefficient and a dimension of the expansion element parallel to the one end surface being selected so that a thermal expansion and contraction of the expansion element, caused by the temperature change, parallel to the one end surface essentially compensates for the positional spacing and to compensate for the temperature-dependance of the position of the center-wavelength of the phase-array filter.