Voltage induced optical waveguide means

Claim 2

Optical waveguide means for guiding given light wave energy, said waveguide means comprising a piece of electro-optic crystal, said crystal being substantially transparent to said given light wave energy, and a plurality of spaced electrodes disposed solely on a single surface of said crystal comprising at least one pair of spaced electrodes arranged in side-by-side relationship with respect to each other to define a region of said crystal therebetween, said plurality of spaced electrodes comprising all of the electrodes of said optical waveguide means, whereby the region of any pair acts as a waveguide for said given light wave energy in response to a suitable voltage being applied across that pair of spaced electrodes.

Claim 3

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 1, further including first means for applying an input beam of said given light wave energy to one end of said region and second means for extracting an output beam of said given light wave energy from the other end of said region.

Claim 4

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 2, wherein at least one of said first and second means includes an imaging lens having an image plane substantially coincident with that end of said region corresponding to said one of said first and second means.

Claim 5

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 3, wherein said image plane is the focal plane of said lens.

Claim 6

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 2, wherein at least one of said first and second means includes a fiber optic having one end thereof in cooperative optical relationship with that end of said region corresponding to said one of said first and second means.

Claim 7

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 1, further including a control signal source for applying a voltage across said electrodes, the depth of said region with respect to the surface of said crystal being a function of the voltage gradient between said electrodes.

Claim 8

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of spaced electrodes includes first, second and third separate and distinct ones of said pairs of spaced electrodes arranged with only one end of each of said first, second and third pairs within a particular area of said surface, and a switching section comprising first, second and third additional spaced electrodes located wholly within said particular area with said first additional electrode extending from said one end of one of said first pair to said one end of one of said second pair and with said second additional electrode extending from said one end of the other of said first pair to said one end of one of said third pair, said third additional electrode being situated intermediate said first and second additional electrodes in side-by-side relationship therewith and extending from said one end of the other of both said second and third pair to a point in between said one end of the electrodes of said first pair, whereby light wave energy in said first pair may be switched either to said second or third pair in accordance with the respective relative potentials selectively applied to said first, second and third additional electrodes of said switching section.

Claim 9

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 7, wherein said first, second and third pairs of electrodes are oriented in a Y-shaped configuration and said third additional electrode has a triAngular shape with one side thereof in cooperative relationship with said one end of the other of both said second and third pair and the apex of the angle of said triangular shape opposite to said one side at said point in between said one end of the electrodes of said first pair.

Claim 10

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 7, further including a control signal source for applying a reference potential to said third additional electrode, respective negative potentials to each of said one electrode of said first and second pairs and to said other electrode of said third pair, and respective positive potentials to each of said other electrode of said first and second pair and to said one electrode of said third pair, said control signal source further selectively applying a negative potential to said first additional electrode and said reference potential to said second additional electrode to thereby cause light wave energy in the region of said first pair to be switched into the region of said second pair or for selectively applying said reference potential to said first additional electrode and a positive potential to said second additional electrode to thereby cause light wave energy in the region of said first pair to be switched into the region of said third pair.

Claim 11

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of pairs of electrodes includes first, second and third pairs of electrodes disposed in serial relationship with each other with said second pair of electrodes extending from said first to said third pairs of electrodes, the electrodes of said first pair being substantially parallel to each other and spaced substantially a first given distance from each other, the electrodes of said third pair being substantially parallel to each other and spaced substantially a second given distance from each other which is greater than said first given distance, and the electrodes of said second pair diverging from each other from a first end thereof which is in cooperative relationship with one end of said first pair to the other end thereof which is in cooperative relationship with one end of said third pair, whereby said waveguide means is capable of transforming the mode of light wave energy from a first mode in the region of said first pair to a second mode in the region of said third pair.

Claim 12

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 10 further including a first relatively narrow fiber optic in cooperative relationship with the other end of said first pair and a second relatively wide fiber optic in cooperative relationship with the other end of said third pair.

Claim 13

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 1, wherein said pair of electrodes includes a periodic structure disposed along the length thereof.

Claim 14

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 12, wherein said pair of electrodes comprises a pair of substantially parallel spaced portions defining a region therebetween, and said periodic structure includes a plurality of protrusions attached to each of said portions and extending substantially perpendicular thereto into said region, said protrusions of each electrode of said pair being equally spaced along the length thereof.

Claim 15

The optical waveguide means defined in claim 13, wherein each respective protrusion of one electrode of said pair is aligned with a corresponding respective protrusion of the other electrode of said pair.