Electro-optical device and a wavelength selection method utilizing the same

• Main Authors: BURSTEIN AMIR, ARIE ADY
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 24.06.2003
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; 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; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION; ELECTRICITY; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; TESTING

A method and an electro-optical device are presented for affecting the propagation of input light impinging on the device. The electro-optical device is composed of at least one domain-patterned ferroelectric crystal structure with inverted domains, and an electrodes' arrangement on the surface of the at least one structure connected to a voltage source. When the input light is appropriately directed onto the electro-optical device, and voltage is appropriately applied to the electrodes, this causes at least one of the following effects: deflecting a light component of a predetermined wavelengths contained in the input light from the direction of propagation of the input light so as to direct this light component in a reflection output direction, while allowing the other light components to propagate in the direction of propagation of the input light; changing the phase of the input light in a wavelength-dependent manner; and separately controlling the wavelength-dependent transmission and dispersion for different polarizations of light.