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US 6,665,459 B2Granted
Wavelength selective optical filter
AssigneeMarconi UK Intellectual Property Ltd.
InventorsRosemary Cush, William J Stewart, Ruth Hibberson
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AssigneeMarconi UK Intellectual Property Ltd.
InventorsRosemary Cush, William J Stewart, Ruth Hibberson
Estimating the term…
The present invention provides a wavelength selective optical filter device (240) for receiving input radiation and outputting corresponding filtered output radiation, characterized in that the filter device (240) includes a plurality of at least partially mutually coupled Fabry-Perot optical resonators (330, 340, 360; 360, 400, 430) for filtering the input radiation to generate the output radiation, the filter device (240) being tunable from a first radiation wavelength to a second radiation wavelength by mutually detuning the resonators in a period where the resonators are being retuned from the first wavelength (λ1) to the second wavelength (λ2) so that the filter device (240) is substantially in a non-responsive state during the period. The resonators incorporate freely suspended mirrors (360, 430) which are electrostatically actuated to affect tuning of the resonators (330, 340, 360; 360, 400, 430). The filter device (240) is thereby capable of tuning between different wavelengths without tuning through wavelengths therebetween. The filter device (240) can be included into an add-drop filter (10) for providing channel add and drop functions when the filter (10) is incorporated in a multichannel WDM communication system (100).
A method of fabricating a tuneable wavelength selective optical filter including a plurality of at least partially mutually coupled optical resonators in which a resonant wavelength of each resonator is independently tuneable, the method comprising the steps of:
A method of tuning a tuneable wavelength selective optical filter from a first wavelength range to a second wavelength range, the filter including a plurality of at least partially mutually coupled optical resonators in which a resonant wavelength of each resonator is independently tuneable, the method comprising the steps of:
A method of selecting a selected channel from wavelength division multiplex (WDM) radiation, said WDM radiation comprising a plurality of channels each channel having associated therewith an allocated wavelength range, the method comprising the steps of:
A tuneable wavelength selective optical filter, comprising:
The tunable filter according to claim in which the common reflecting plane is independently moveable.
The tuneable filter according to claim if in which, in the first assembly, the first and third sub-layers are each in a range of 45 to 55 nm thick, and the second sub-layer is in a range of 15 to 25 nm thick.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.