Integrated Optical Locker Beam Splitter Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Optical lockers face challenges due to the sensitivity to interference from stray light and the need for precise alignment and significant space usage in their components, such as etalons and beam splitters, which affects their precision and compactness.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a plate beam splitter with a refractive index and thickness that creates a specific beam separation between the primary and secondary beams, allowing detectors to exclude portions of these beams, thereby reducing interference and achieving a more compact optical assembly by collocating the etalon, beam splitter, and mirror, eliminating unwanted cavities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a traditional optical assembly with beam splitter, etalon, and multiple detectors is used, then wavelength measurement precision is improved, but device size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the beam splitter and etalon into a single integrated optical component, where the beam splitter is positioned within the etalon structure. This merging eliminates the need for separate alignment of multiple components while maintaining the wavelength measurement function, directly reducing device complexity without sacrificing measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated optical assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: the beam splitter divides the input light into reference and measurement beams, the etalon provides wavelength-selective filtering, and the detectors measure both beams for ratio calculation. By combining these functions into a single compact unit, the device achieves multi-functionality without increasing overall complexity.
2Measurement precision
If multiple precision optical components are used for accurate wavelength measurement, then measurement precision is improved, but alignment difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the beam splitter and etalon into a single component structure, the patent eliminates the need for precise alignment between separate components. The beam splitter is positioned within the etalon housing, creating a fixed geometric relationship that removes alignment degrees of freedom, thereby simplifying manufacturing while preserving measurement precision.
3Measurement precision
If traditional optical components are used, then wavelength measurement capability is achieved, but device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the beam splitter and etalon into a single compact optical assembly, eliminating the space required for separate component housings and alignment mechanisms. This merging reduces the overall volume of the optical assembly while maintaining all necessary wavelength measurement capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The beam splitter is nested within the etalon structure, with the beam splitter component housed inside the etalon housing. This nesting arrangement allows one optical component to occupy the space within another, significantly reducing the overall device volume while maintaining functional integrity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration significantly reduces interference and distortion, enabling accurate wavelength measurements while minimizing the size of the optical assembly, resulting in improved precision and compactness for optical lockers.
Implementation Method 1
one of the first output beam or the first reference beam is a reflection of the input beam in the first face of the plate beam splitter
Implementation Method 2
an etalon, also known as a Fabry-Perot interferometer
Data Source
AI summary
An optical assembly includes an optical cavity; an output detector; a reference detector; and a plate beam splitter, wherein the plate beam splitter has a first face and a second face, and is configured to form, from an input beam: a first output beam, that passes through the optical cavity and impinges the output detector, a first reference beam that impinges on the reference detector, a second output beam parallel to the first output beam, and a second reference beam parallel to the first reference beam; one of the first output beam or the first reference beam is a reflection of the input beam in the first face of the plate beam splitter; the output detector is configured to exclude at least a portion of the second output beam; and the reference detector is configured to exclude at least a portion of the second reference beam.