Tunable optical filter
OwnerKen A. Nishimura, Ian Hardcastleinventors
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Abstract
The tunable optical filter comprises a Fabry-Perot cavity and a controlled-index device. The controlled-index device is located in the Fabry-Perot cavity and has a refractive index responsive to a control signal. The Fabry-Perot cavity has at least one resonant optical frequency that depends on the refractive index of the controlled-index device. The Fabry-Perot cavity has a maximum transmissivity for light having a frequency equal to its resonant optical frequency, and attenuates light whose frequency differs from the resonant optical frequency. Thus, the control signal controls the frequency of the light transmitted by the tunable optical filter.
Claims22
A tunable optical filter, comprising:
- a Fabry-Perot cavity;
- and
- a controlled-index device located in the Fabry-Perot cavity, the controlled-index device having a refractive index responsive to a control signal.
A tunable optical filter, comprising:
- a Fabry-Perot cavity including a pair of reflectors, the reflectors being partially reflective;
- a controlled-index device located in the Fabry-Perot cavity;
- and
- a controller coupled to the controlled-index device to control a refractive index thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.