Optical lenses, systems, devices and methods for fabricating and manufacturing diffractive waveplate lenses that allow setting the focal length sign of an optical system by positioning the lens with its front or back surface with respect to an incoming circular polarized light beam. Applications for the lenses include optical systems comprising fibers, diode lasers, waveplates, polarizers, and variable lenses, particularly, in the form of a set of polymer films with re-attachable adhesive layers. And providing a flat mirror with concave or convex function due to diffractive waveplate lens coating.

An apparatus includes a first input port, a first switch, and a second switch. The first switch and the second input port are in optical communication with the first input port. The apparatus also includes a second input port, a third switch, and a fourth switch. The third switch and the fourth switch are in optical communication with the second input port. Each switch is switchable between a first state to pass optical signals and a second state to block optical signals. The apparatus also includes a first combiner in optical communication with the first input port via the first switch and the second input port via the third switch. The apparatus also includes a second combiner in optical communication with the first input port via the second switch and the second input port via the fourth switch.

An optical device includes an optical port array, an optical arrangement, a dispersion element, a focusing element and a programmable optical phase modulator. The optical port array has at least one optical input port for receiving an optical beam and a plurality of optical output ports. The optical arrangement allows optical coupling between the input port and each of the output ports and prevents optical coupling between any one of the plurality of optical output ports and any other of the plurality of optical output ports. The dispersion element receives the optical beam from the input port after traversing the optical arrangement and spatially separates the optical beam into a plurality of wavelength components. The focusing element focuses the plurality of wavelength components. The programmable optical phase modulator receives the focused plurality of wavelength components and steers them to a selected one of the optical outputs.

The present invention generally relates to optical circuits for mitigating power loss in medical imaging systems and methods for using such circuits. Circuits of the invention can involve a first optical path, a second optical path, and a means for recombining an optical signal transmitted through the first and second optical paths by sequentially gating the first and second optical paths to a single output.

Methods, systems and devices for diffractive waveplate lens and mirror systems allowing electronically focusing light at different focal planes. The system can be incorporated into a variety of optical schemes for providing electrical control of transmission. In another embodiment, the system comprises diffractive waveplate of different functionality to provide a system for controlling not only focusing but other propagation properties of light including direction, phase profile, and intensity distribution.

The present disclosure relates to wavelength selective switches. In one embodiment, a wavelength selective switch may include a liquid crystal (LC)-based attenuation switching device that has an LC switching module to switch an incident beam to one of a plurality of output paths. The LC switching module may include one or more LC switching cells. The LC-based attenuation switching device further includes a mirror to reflect the beam from the LC switching module so as to output the beam through a corresponding output port, and a temperature compensation module provided on a side of the mirror opposite to the LC switching module. The temperature compensation module may be configured to alter curvature of the mirror as temperature changes so as to compensate for deformation of the LC switching cells due to the temperature change.

An optical device includes an optical port array, an optical arrangement, a dispersion element, a focusing element and a programmable optical phase modulator. The optical port array has at least one optical input port for receiving an optical beam and a plurality of optical output ports. The optical arrangement allows optical coupling between the input port and each of the output ports and prevents optical coupling between any one of the plurality of optical output ports and any other of the plurality of optical output ports. The dispersion element receives the optical beam from the input port after traversing the optical arrangement and spatially separates the optical beam into a plurality of wavelength components. The focusing element focuses the plurality of wavelength components. The programmable optical phase modulator receives the focused plurality of wavelength components and steers them to a selected one of the optical outputs.

Diffractive waveplate lenses, devices, systems and methods of fabricating and manufacturing lenses for correcting spherical and chromatic aberrations of diffractive waveplate lenses and refractive lenses, by using nonlinear patterning of anisotropy axis of birefringent layers comprising the diffractive waveplate lenses, and their combinations and for obtaining polarization-independent functionality of diffractive waveplate lenses.

An optical switching arrangement includes a plurality of input and output waveguides. Each of the input waveguides has a first plurality of 12 optical switches associated therewith and extending therealong. Each of the output waveguides has a second plurality of 12 optical switches associated therewith and extending therealong. Each of the first and second plurality of optical switches is selectively switchable between a through-state and a cross-state. The input and output waveguides are arranged such that optical losses arising for any wavelength of light only depend on a length of segments of the input and output waveguides located between adjacent ones of the 12 optical switches. Each of the first plurality of optical switches associated with each of the input waveguides is optically coupled to one of the second plurality of optical switches in a different one of the output waveguides when both optical switches are in the cross-state.

A wavelength selective switch includes an attenuation liquid crystal cell array and a switching liquid crystal cell array, the attenuation liquid crystal cell array is configured to select a region where a light is incident on the switching liquid crystal cell array; the switching liquid crystal cell array includes a first ECB liquid crystal cell array, which is divided into a plurality of pixel units, a phase of each pixel unit is adjusted by setting different voltages so that a phase pattern formed by the pixel units exhibits a lens property, and the light passing through the switching liquid crystal cell array is deflected by changing a center of the lens formed by the phase pattern, so as to select an outgoing port.