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Class 359/579 - By nonmovable driving element (e.g., piezoelectric, magnetostrictive)


Subclass of Class 359 - Optical: systems and elements
Definition: Subject matter including an element for causing motion of
No. of patents: 80
Last issue date: 01/27/2009


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NumberTitleIssue Date
7483211Optical tunable filter and method of manufacturing the same
An optical tunable filter has a fixed substrate having a first recess formed therein and a movable substrate bonded to the fixed substrate. The movable substrate includes a movable portion having an opening formed at a location facing the first recess and a support ...
01/27/2009
7444014Extended depth of focus microscopy
Imaging techniques. The focus of an imaging device is varied while acquiring an image of an object. The resulting blurred image is deconvolved to generate, in one embodiment, a two-dimensional projection image of three dimensions of the object. ...
10/28/2008
7420738Dual membrane single cavity Fabry-Perot MEMS filter
A dual membrane, single cavity MEMS Fabry-Perot filter has a cavity that is defined between two mirror structures that are located on separate MEMS membranes. This configuration can yield a number of advantages. First, the membranes will be typically subject to the ...
09/02/2008
7329853Spectrally tunable detector
A spectrally tunable optical detector and methods of manufacture therefore are provided. In one illustrative embodiment, the tunable optical detector includes a tunable bandpass filter, a detector and readout electronics, each supported by a different substrate. The...
02/12/2008
7319560Partitioned-cavity tunable fabry-perot filter
A tunable Fabry-Perot filter that is less sensitive to angle of incidence is formed by replacing the cavity (air gap) with a partitioned cavity that has an effective refractive index greater than one. The partitioned cavity includes a pair of partitioned cavity diel...
01/15/2008
7315420CWDM filter with four channels
A CWDM filter having four channels of the present invention comprises a substrate and odd number of stack structures. Each stack structure includes a first multi-layer stack, a spacer layer, a second multi-layer stack and a coupling layer arranged in turn from the s...
01/01/2008
7304799Tunable optical filter with heater on a CTE-matched transparent substrate
An optical device including: a glass substrate; a crystalline silicon layer bonded to the glass substrate; and a thermally tunable thin-film optical filter fabricated on top of the crystalline silicon layer. ...
12/04/2007
7304800Optical tunable filter and method of manufacturing the same
An optical tunable filter is provided including a first substrate having light transmission properties and having a movable part and a supporting member that movably supports the movable part and having a smaller thickness than the movable part, a second substrate h...
12/04/2007
7301703Tunable filter and method of manufacturing the same, and sensing device
A tunable filter including; a fixed substrate provided with a fixed reflecting film and capable of transmitting light having a shorter wavelength than infrared light; a movable substrate provided with a movable section equipped with a movable reflecting film and dis...
11/27/2007
7289262Optical attenuator element, and variable optical equalizer and optical amplifier that use this optical attenuator element
Instead of using a demultiplexer to divide an optical signal into different wavelengths, this invention uses a plurality of cascade-connected optical attenuator elements whose attenuation factor and the wavelength characteristics thereof can both be varied. Reflecti...
10/30/2007
7286244Analyzer
An analyzer includes an optical tunable filter 1 for selectively outputting light having a predetermined wavelength, and a PD 421 for receiving light outputted from the optical tunable filter 1 and then passed through or reflected by an object t...
10/23/2007
7259865Process control monitors for interferometric modulators
Process control monitors are disclosed that are produced using at least some of the same process steps used to manufacture a MEMS device. Analysis of the process control monitors can provide information regarding properties of the MEMS device and components or sub-c...
08/21/2007
7250828Compact balun
A distributed backwards-wave balun comprising first and second pairs of coupled transmission line sections having one line section of the first coupled pair connected in series with one line section of the second coupled pair. A differential port is connected across...
07/31/2007
7230684Method and apparatus for range finding with a single aperture
An apparatus has a rangefinder portion that includes: a radiation generator which emits radiation having a selected wavelength; a radiation detector which detects radiation having the selected wavelength; and an optical portion which includes a non-reciprocal optica...
06/12/2007
7228025Thin film interleaver
A thin film interleaver device is disclosed. The thin film interleaver includes thin film optics. The thin film(s) are formed such that they reflect one group of wavelengths while allowing a second group of wavelengths to pass through the thin film(s). The thin film...
06/05/2007
7212292Interferometer calibration methods and apparatus
A Fabry-Perot (FP) interferometer includes substantially parallel first and second reflecting surfaces spaced apart by an optical gap between the first and second reflecting surfaces. The FP interferometer also has a mechanism for controlling the optical gap. The me...
05/01/2007
7209608Wavelength tunable optical filter
Provided is a Fabry-Perot type wavelength tunable optical filter, comprising a first mirror; a second mirror located over the first mirror; a driving body located over the first mirror, and having both ends fixed to the first mirror through a spacer; a plurality of ...
04/24/2007
7209290Diffractive thin-film piezoelectric micromirror and method of producing the same
Disclosed is a diffractive micromirror and a method of producing the same. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a diffractive micromirror, in which a recess having a desired depth and width is precisely formed in a piezoelectric operation manner, and...
04/24/2007
7199927Optical element and optical add-drop module
In an optical element, a first mirror stack layer is formed on a substrate, and a spacer layer made of a paraelectric material having a secondary electrooptic effect is formed thereon through a first conductive thin film. Further, a second mirror stack layer is form...
04/03/2007
7190523Wavelength-tunable optical filter
A wavelength-tunable optical filter includes a stationary mirror, a movable mirror disposed so as to face the stationary mirror, an actuating plate for actuating the movable mirror, and a peripheral supporting portion holding the actuating plate which are disposed a...
03/13/2007
7167612Wavelength tunable filter capable of being bidirectionally driven by electromagnetic forces
A wavelength tunable filter capable of being driven such that reflecting mirrors move more distant as well as closer by using the principle that a direction of the electromagnetic forces changes depending on the direction of the current flowing perpendicular to the ...
01/23/2007
7167065Filter circuit
A filter circuit has a complex block and exciting portions. The complex block has: a first block end resonator; a first resonator that is coupled to the first block end resonator; a second resonator that is coupled to the first resonator; a third resonator that is c...
01/23/2007
7145165Tunable laser fluid sensor
A sensitive fluid sensor for detecting fluids and particularly trace fluids. The sensor may be adjustable for detecting fluids of various absorption lines. To effect such adjustment, a tunable laser may be used. The laser may be an edge emitting diode, a VCSEL or ot...
12/05/2006
7116481Optical component
A tunable optical resonator for use as a tunable laser or optical filter comprising a cavity in which the cavity is delimited by a reflection grating and a reflector in which the reflection grating is fixed to a flexible support, the resonator also comprising means ...
10/03/2006
7113339Interferometric modulator and display unit
The interferometric modulator of the invention includes a transparent substrate (refractive index: n0) 12, an optical thin film (complex index of refraction: N1=n1−i·k1) 13 provided on the transparent subs...
09/26/2006
7110122Interferometer calibration methods and apparatus
A method for calibrating an interferometer uses an actuator adapted to control an optical gap in response to application of an electrical signal. The interferometer is illuminated with a beam of light having a predetermined substantially monochromatic wavelength, or...
09/19/2006
7078856Wavelength variable light source
A wavelength variable light source is provided with: a light emitting layer containing therein light emitting substance having a carbon-carbon inter-atomic bond; a pair of electrodes disposed on both sides of the light emitting layer while holding the light emitting...
07/18/2006
7061681Fabry-Perot interferometer
A method of tuning a resonant cavity of an FP (Fabry-Perot) interferometer in a DLD (diffractive light device) MEMS (microelectromechanical system) device, wherein the FP interferometer has a top plate and a bottom plate, and wherein the method comprises; using firs...
06/13/2006
7035484Tunable optical filter
A tunable optical filter is provided that includes an array of independently tunable filter elements. Each of the elements is located along a different optical path that extends between an input and an output port. Optical assemblies for receiving an incident optica...
04/25/2006
7024116Optical add drop multiplexer
The invention proposes a Grouped Optical Add Drop Multiplexer (GOADM) comprising a periodic filter for forming a group of spaced optical wavelengths to be dropped or added. ...
04/04/2006
7015457Spectrally tunable detector
A spectrally tunable optical detector and methods of manufacture therefore are provided. In one illustrative embodiment, the tunable optical detector includes a tunable bandpass filter, a detector and readout electronics, each supported by a different substrate. The...
03/21/2006
7016096Transmission wavelength characteristics variable optical element, and wavelength characteristics variable apparatus, optical amplifier, and optical transmission system, using same
An object of the invention is to easily realize an optical element using an etalon type structure, capable of changing a periodic transmission wavelength characteristic in an axial direction of transmissivity, and also capable of changing a periodic characteristic w...
03/21/2006
7002646Tunable thin film optical devices and fabrication methods for tunable thin film optical devices
Thin film structures include electro-optic materials and transparent conducting materials which are combined to fabricate vertical optical devices. The electro-optic materials are responsive to an electric field to change an optical characteristic. For example, a mo...
02/21/2006
6965477Optical shutter
An optical shutter including a multi-layer fixed filter and a multi-layer movable filter arranged with a gap therebetween controls the transmittance of light passing through the multi-layer filters. The optical shutter includes minute driving elements provided on th...
11/15/2005
6958818Fabry-Perot interferometer including membrane supported reflector
An interferometer comprises a membrane, a substrate, and a support structure. The membrane comprises a first reflector. The substrate comprises a second reflector. The support structure circumferentially couples the membrane to the substrate and orients the first re...
10/25/2005
6947630Control method and control apparatus for variable wavelength optical filter
The present invention has an object to provide a control method and a control apparatus for a variable wavelength optical filter, which can reliably and stably control drive conditions of the variable wavelength optical filter, independent of the number of wavelengt...
09/20/2005
6941038Tunable optical fiber with compression ring
A tunable optical filter (30) includes a thin film waveguide (10) and a ring (308) surrounding the thin film waveguide. The ring can be mechanically pressed inwardly toward or pulled outwardly away from the thin film waveguide by external radial...
09/06/2005
6937394Device and method for changing the stress-induced birefringence and/or the thickness of an optical component
A device serves the purpose of changing the stress-induced birefringence and/or the thickness (d and D, respectively) of an optical component by elastic deformation caused by means of stress. The optical component is gripped on a circumference, arranged at least app...
08/30/2005
6930814Calibrating voltage controllable optical components in communication systems
A method of, and apparatus for, setting an operating (control) voltage of a voltage controllable optical component, such as a Mach-Zehnder optical modulator, having a periodic voltage/optical parameter (optical power) characteristic include an up/down counter and a ...
08/16/2005
6842287Interference filter for optical telecommunication
A micro-optic Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a differential delay of n bit periods, where n is an integer number, and thermal bias control is useful as a spectral filter in front of a differential detection system to accomplish a balanced receiver. The interferome...
01/11/2005
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