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Fibre-modulators

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Fibre modulators

Details

Inventors: Hicks, Andrew M.; Wilkinson, Iain J.; Achurch, Nicholas E.; Hornung, Stephen;
Assignee: British Telecommunications public limited company (London, GB2)
Primary Examiner: Lobo; Ian J.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Nixon & Vanderhye

A modulation assembly includes a fibre having a drawn tapered portion, and apparatus for applying a perturbation to the tapered portion to vary the percentage transmission through the fibre.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION We claim: 1.
An optical signal modulator formed by an optical fibre assembly comprising: an optical fibre for carrying the optical signal to be modulated and having a tapered portion suspended between two support points without any intermediate support distributed therealong, and means for applying a modulation signal perturbation directly to the suspended tapered portion to vary the percentage transmission through the fibre by distorting the waveguide geometry of the suspended tapered portion and thereby causing coupling of optical signal mode carried by the tapered portion into higher order bound modes in accordance with said modulation signal.
2.
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the suspended tapered portion of the optical fibre is supported, under tension, between two support members.
3.
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tapered portion comprises a fibre that has been tapered by heating and drawing.
4.
An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the minimum radius of the tapered portion is 20 microns.
5.
An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tapered portion comprises a fused coupler.
6.
An assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the fused coupler is formed from two fibres.
7.
An assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the two fibres have been twisted together.
8.
An assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein a reflector loop is contiguous with the fused coupler.
9.
An assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the fused coupler and reflector loop are formed from a single fibre.
10.
An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the perturbation applying means comprises a vibratile member.
11.
An assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the vibratile member imparts a lateral deformation to the tapered portion.
12.
An assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the vibratile member imparts changes in tension to the tapered portion.
13.
An assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the vibratile member comprises a piezo-electric device.
14.
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tapered portion is further sensitised by the provision of an etched grating on its surface

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