Patent ID: 6895129

Claim:
An optical apparatus for coupling a first light beam from a first fiber to a second fiber and for coupling a second light beam from said second fiber to a third fiber, said second fiber being located opposite said first and said third fibers along a longitudinal direction of the apparatus, said first and said third fibers being located adjacent to each other along said longitudinal direction and being substantially symmetrical with respect to a central plane, said optical apparatus comprising along said longitudinal direction in sequence from said first and third fibers to said second fiber: (a) a first collimator in optical communication with said first and third fibers; (b) a first block of birefringent material; (c) a first compound polarization rotator; (d) a polarization-dependent light angle deflector consisting of first and second wedges of birefringent material, said first and second wedges having mutually perpendicular first and second optic axes respectively, said first and second wedges joined at an interface; (e) a second compound polarization rotator; (f) a second block of birefringent material; and (g) a second collimator in optical communication with said second fiber; wherein no collimator or lens is disposed between said first and second collimators; and wherein no polarization-dependent optical element other than said light angle deflector is disposed between said first and second compound polarization rotators.