Mechanisms and methods for selective wavelength filtering

US7187835B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration · US

Inventors

• Margaret L. Tuma · Strongsville, US
• Thomas Gordon Brown · Rochester, US
• Russell Wayne Gruhlke · Fort Collins, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 28, 2005
• Grant date: Mar 6, 2007
• Expiry date: May 2, 2025

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B6/34
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An optical filter includes a dielectric waveguide layer, supporting waveguide modes at specific wavelengths and receiving incident light, a corrugated film layer, composed of one of a metal and a semiconductor and positioned adjacent to a second surface of the waveguide layer and a sensor layer, wherein the sensor layer is capable of absorbing optical energy and generating a corresponding electrical signal. The metal film layer supports a plurality of plasmons, the plurality of plasmons producing a first field and is excited by a transverse mode of the waveguide modes at a wavelength interval. The first field penetrates the sensor layer and the sensor layer generates an electrical signal corresponding to an intensity of received incident light within the wavelength interval.