Patent ID: 7574096

Claim:
An optical attenuator comprising: a first optical fiber that directs light toward a single-element lens, the single element lens comprising a lens axis, a plane wedged surface, and a curved surface; a tilting micro-electro-mechanical mirror that reflects light from the first optical fiber after the light is transmitted through the lens; and a second optical fiber that receives light from the lens after the light is reflected from the mirror and retransmitted through the lens; wherein the lens comprises a material whose refractive index depends on wavelength, wherein the plane wedged surface forms an angle of ten degrees or more with a plane perpendicular to the axis of the lens, wherein the wavelength dependent loss of the attenuator is less than 0.3 dB for all attenuations between 0 dB and 15 dB in the wavelength range from 1.53 μm to 1.57 μm, wherein the lens comprises a material whose index of refraction varies by more than 0.0005 over the wavelength range from 1.53 μm to 1.57 μm or a material whose index of refraction varies by more than 0.0005 over the wavelength range from 1.57 μm to 1.61 μm.