WAVE GUIDE TYPE POLARIZATION SCRAMBLER

• Main Author: MIYAGAWA TOSHIYA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 09.04.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wave guide type polarization scrambler that can scramble the polarization plane of guided wave light rapidly with low power consumption by using a resonance electrode as a modulation electrode. SOLUTION: A wave guide type polarization scrambler 10 is constituted by forming a straight optical wave guide 2 on the surface of a board 1 of lithium niobate crystal showing an electro-optical effect and further forming a modulating electrode composed of resonance type earth electrodes 3 and signal electrodes 4. The length of the signal electrode 4 in the resonance type modulating electrode is set to 1.45 mm so as to resonate at 30 GHz, for instance. High frequency of 4.8 V, frequency near a resonance point, is applied between the signal electrode 4 and earth electrode 3. Input voltage is therefore amplified by a resonance effect, and voltage higher by several times is applied to the wave guide. Even in a high frequency band of 30 GHz, polarization scrambling can therefore be performed with low power consumption of about 500 mW.