Tunable fabry-perot interferometer using entropic materials
US6597461B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 19, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jul 22, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 13, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B2290/25
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A cost-effective broadband tunable Fabry-Perot interferometer uses entropic, rather than enthalpic, materials to provide the compliant support for the interferometer's movable mirror. Entropic materials exhibit an entropic plateau region over a wide frequency range with a Young's modulus much lower than enthalpic materials, linear elastic behavior over a wide deformation range, and, in certain geometries, energy and stress behavior that tend to stabilize the movable mirror during deformation. The compliant support can be configured in a variety of geometries including compression, tension, sheer and diaphragm and of a variety of materials including elastomers, aerogels or other long chained polymers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.