Electrostatically-controlled cantilever apparatus for continuous tuning of the resonance wavelength of a fabry-perot cavity

A method for tuning a resonance wavelength of a Fabry-Perot cavity using a cantilever structure comprising a base section, a deformable section, and an active head, said Fabry-Perot cavity comprising a bottom reflecting means and a top reflecting means, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) positioning a support block on an electrically responsive substrate containing said Fabry-Perot cavity;
• b) producing said cantilever structure on said support block such that said active head contains at least a portion of said top reflecting means and is positioned above said Fabry-Perot cavity, and said deformable section extends above said electrically responsive substrate and creates an air gap between said deformable section and said electrically responsive substrate;
• c) disposing an electrical tuning contact on said cantilever structure;
• d) applying a first tuning voltage V.sub.t1 to produce a vertical electrostatic force F.sub.d between said electrical tuning contact and said electrically responsive substrate, thereby altering the size of said air gap and tuning said resonant wavelength.