Patent ID: 6907169
Filing Date: 2005-06-14
Classification: G02B,G02F

Abstract:
1. An optical apparatus, comprising: a transmission optical waveguide for receiving an optical signal, the transmission optical waveguide supporting transmission waveguide optical modes linearly polarized alone substantially perpendicular first and second transmission waveguide polarization directions, the optical signal being carried by the transmission waveguide optical modes, the transmission optical waveguide including first and second transverse-coupling segments thereof; a first transverse-coupled optical waveguide including a transverse-coupling segment thereof, the transverse-coupling segment of the first transverse-coupled optical waveguide being transverse-coupled to the first transverse-coupling segment of the transmission optical waveguide, the transverse-coupling segment of the first transverse-coupled optical waveguide being adapted for substantially complete substantially modal-index-matched transfer of a first portion of the optical signal from the transmission optical waveguide into the first transverse-coupled optical waveguide, the first portion of the optical signal being that portion carried by the transmission waveguide optical mode polarized along the first polarization direction; and a second transverse-coupled optical waveguide including a transverse-coupling segment thereof, the transverse-coupling segment of the second transverse-coupled optical waveguide being transverse-coupled to the second transverse-coupling segment of the transmission optical waveguide, the transverse-coupling segment of the second transverse-coupled optical waveguide being adapted for substantially complete substantially modal-index-matched transfer of a second portion of the optical signal from the transmission optical waveguide into the second transverse-coupled optical waveguide, the second portion of the optical signal being that portion carried by the transmission waveguide optical mode polarized along the second polarization direction, the transmission optical waveguide comprising an optical fiber, the first transverse-coupling segment of the transmission optical waveguide comprising a portion of a fiber-optic taper segment of the optical fiber, the second transverse-coupling segment of the transmission optical waveguide comprising a portion of a fiber-optic taper segment of the optical fiber.