Acousto-optic tunable filter
US6549328B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 18, 2002 |
| Grant date | Apr 15, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 18, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02F1/125
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An object of the invention is to provide an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) that realizes filter characteristics where the wavelength characteristics in the vicinity of a selected center wavelength are smooth, and the bandwidth thereof is sufficiently narrow. To this end, an AOTF of the invention has a construction where a mode coupling section and a wavelength characteristic flattening section provided with an optical filter configuration for selecting an optical signal based on mode conversion using the acousto-optic effect, are respectively connected via a mode branching device. The mode coupling section mode converts an optical signal corresponding to a selected wavelength, and the wavelength characteristic flattening section again mode converts only the optical component of a part of the selected optical signal mode converted in the mode coupling section in the vicinity of a center wavelength thereof. The optical component that has not been subjected to second mode conversion in the wavelength characteristic flattening section is branched and output by a mode branching device connected to the output side of the wavelength characteristic flattening section, to thereby perfo…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.