Rapidly tunable wideband integrated optical filter
US5542010A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 19, 1995 |
| Grant date | Jul 30, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 19, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/12007
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A monolithically integrated wideband optical filter which is rapidly tunable to a large number of optical frequencies over a wide optical frequency range comprises two series connected optical filters of different resolutions formed in a semiconductive wafer. A control circuit applies electrical energy to predetermined controllably transmissive waveguides connecting components of the filters defined in the wafer. This tunes the overall filter to a desired one of a plurality of optical frequencies. Application of such electrical energy creates frequency selective pathways through the wafer able to pass one of up to hundreds of selected optical frequencies over the entire bandwidth of a semiconductive medium. This filter is economical to construct and is useful in high capacity, high speed optical communications networks.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.