COLLIMATOR HOLDER FOR ELECTRO-OPTICAL SENSOR

摘要

A collimator holder in the form of a glass or ceramic block that has precisely machined holes formed in the block to receive respective collimator assemblies. Each collimator assembly includes an optical fiber attached to a GRIN lens by a ferrule. Optionally, each collimator assembly can include a glass tube that surrounds at least the lens and optionally part or all of the ferrule. The lens or the tube is inserted into the hole and bonded therein by an epoxy. The block, together with the collimator assemblies installed, is bonded to the bottom surface of a crystal assembly thereby forming an electro-optic sensor. The crystal assembly can include one or more polarizing beam splitters, an electro-optic crystal, and a prism, configured to sense a current through a current-carrying cable or a voltage between the cable and another potential.

主权项

1. An electro-optical sensor that senses a characteristic of electricity, comprising:
a collimator holder having a plurality of channels formed therein; a crystal assembly having at least one polarizing beamsplitter (PBS) with a bottom surface bonded to a top surface of the collimator holder; and a plurality of collimator assemblies, each including a lens and a fiber optic ferrule housed within a tube inserted into corresponding ones of the plurality of channels, wherein a thermal expansion coefficient of the collimator holder is substantially the same as a thermal expansion coefficient of the PBS and of the tube.