Device for optical heterodyne detection and integrated optical component suitable for use in such a device.

摘要

An optical heterodyne receiver comprises an integrated optical component (140) in which the local oscillator beam is combined with the signal beam and in which these beams are simultaneously split into orthogonally polarized sub-beams. The optical component comprises a polarization-sensitive beam-splitting layer in a first plane (141) and a polarization-insensitive beam-splitting layer in a second plane (142) which is perpendicular thereto.