Optical resonant cavity filters

An optical filter system for transferring light energy from an input optical waveguide to an output optical waveguide, said system comprising a block of optical waveguide material drawn with a plurality of optical fibers embedded therein extending along a given axis thereof, at least a given portion of said block having a pair of generally parallel end faces extending normal to said axis and in intercepting relation to one or more of said embedded optical fibers, and reflective means located at each end of said given portion of said block to form a linear optical resonator cavity comprising at least one of said embedded fibers.

An optical filter system for transferring at least one select wavelength of optical energy from an input optical waveguide supporting a broad range of wavelengths within a given wavelength band to an output optical waveguide, said system comprising an optical waveguide filter coupled to said waveguides, said filter having an optical waveguide resonator arrangement for resonating a plurality of wavelengths within said given band including said select wavelength and said resonator arrangement including wavelength dependent means for discriminating against unwanted wavelengths and for preferentially resonating said select wavelength for transfer to said output waveguide whereby energy of said select wavelength is transferred thereto and other wavelengths within said input waveguide are relatively uneffected.

An optical waveguide fiber cavity comprising an optical fibers segment of fixed length having substantially parallel end faces and a longitudinally extending optical fiber core surrounded by cladding material, said segment having opposed, longitudinally extending flats to provide reduced cladding thickness between the core and the surface of the flats for enhanching lateral coupling there at, and reflective means located at each of said end faces to effect an optical resonant cavity.

An optical waveguide cavity arrangement comprising at least a pair of resonant cavities formed of optical waveguides with the optical path of one of said cavities including a waveguide section forming a portion of the optical path of the other of said cavities whereby the resonance of each of said cavities is interrelated.

An optical filter system comprising an elongated input optical waveguide mounted in generally spaced parallel relation to an elongated output waveguide to define an elongated gap therebetween, a plurality of optical waveguide resonator arrangements located along said elongated gap and coupled to said input and output waveguides so as to transfer energy from said input to said output waveguide at the location of each resonator arrangement, and said resonator arrangements are located along said gap in relation to each other such that energy transferred to the output waveguide for travel in a backward direction opposite to the flow of energy in said input waveguide is different in phase from one resonator arrangement to another so as to reduce such backward flowing energy.

An optical filter system comprising an input optical waveguide, an output optical waveguide, a waveguide cavity resonator coupled to said input and output waveguides so as to transfer from said input to said output waveguide wavelengths resonant in said resonator, said resonator being laterally coupled to said output waveguide near a proximate end thereof such that transferred energy in said output waveguide is directed both toward and away from said proximate end, and said output waveguide including a reflective arrangement at its said proximate end to reflect energy directed toward said end to increase the energy in said output waveguide which is directed away from said proximate end.