Patent · US Expired

Multiple-cavity optical filter using change of cavity length

US5103340A · kind A · utility

36Cited by
8References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 21, 1989
Grant dateApr 7, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 21, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F2203/055
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

This invention describes a tunable optical filter to be used in an optical communication system. The filter of this invention has a pair of resonator cavities which are cascaded. The lengths of each of the cavities change simultaneously with the change in length of a piezoelectric sleeve which contacts a reflective surface of each of the cavities through spacers. The sleeves and spacers are set so as to move the reflecting surfaces of the cavities along a single axis in response to a single control signal. When optical signals are passed through the two cavities and when the ratio of the length of the cavities is adjusted to a predetermined ratio of integers, the resonator cavity will resonate at a desired wavelength.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.