Optical Components

Optical Components
These components change the behaviour of, bend, or conduct light and several optical components play an important role in photonic semiconductors.

Types of Components
Reflectors: Reflectors reflect some or most of an oncoming light beam.

Lenses: Lenses bend light. Important lenses are convex lenses and concave lenses. Convex lenses are used alongside semiconductor light detectors (for example they can collect and focus light onto a detector).

Filters: Filters transmit only a narrow band of optical wavelengths.

Beam Splitters: These reflect part of the oncoming light beam, and transmit the remaining part.

Optical Fibers: These are thin strands of very transparent glass (or plastic) and are used to send computer data or telephone calls via light pulses. The light travels through a core that is surrounded by a very thin cladding. Glass optical fiber cables are more transparent than the plastic counterpart.