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US 7,116,481 B2Granted
Optical component
AssigneeEricsson Inc.
InventorRichard Rodney Anthony Syms
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tunable optical resonator for use as a tunable laser or optical filter comprising a cavity in which the cavity is delimited by a reflection grating and a reflector in which the reflection grating is fixed to a flexible support, the resonator also comprising means for flexing the flexible support for causing the grating to mimic rotation about a selected point. A micro-mechanical tunable resonator as above providing mode-hop free tuning.
Claims17
A tunable optical resonator, comprising:
- a cavity delimited, at one end, by a reflector and, at an opposite end, by a reflection grating, the reflection grating being supported by a flexible support thereby to allow adjustment of a length of the cavity, the flexible support including a portal frame arranged to flex thereby to allow linear displacement of the reflection grating, and a cantilever arranged to flex thereby to allow angular displacement of the reflection grating, the flexible support being arranged such that the flexing of the portal frame and the cantilever mimics rotation about a selected point.
A tunable laser light source, comprising:
- a tunable optical resonator including a cavity delimited, at one end, by a reflector and, at an opposite end, by a reflection grating, the reflection grating being supported by a flexible support thereby to allow adjustment of a length of the cavity, the flexible support including a portal frame arranged to flex thereby to allow linear displacement of the reflection grating, and a cantilever arranged to flex thereby to allow angular displacement of the reflection grating, the flexible support being arranged such that the flexing of the portal frame and the cantilever mimics rotation about a selected point.
A tunable optical filter, comprising:
- a tunable optical resonator, the resonator including a cavity delimited, at one end, by a reflector and, at an opposite end, by a reflection grating, the reflection grating being supported by a flexible support thereby to allow adjustment of a length of the cavity, the flexible support including a portal frame arranged to flex thereby to allow linear displacement of the reflection grating, and a cantilever arranged to flex thereby to allow angular displacement of the reflection grating, the flexible support being arranged such that the flexing of the portal frame and the cantilever mimics rotation about a selected point.
An optical communications system, comprising:
- a tunable optical resonator including a cavity delimited, at one end, by a reflector and, at an opposite end, by a reflection grating, the reflection grating being supported by a flexible support thereby to allow adjustment of a length of the cavity, the flexible support including a portal frame arranged to flex thereby to allow linear displacement of the reflection grating, and a cantilever arranged to flex thereby to allow angular displacement of the reflection grating, the flexible support being arranged such that the flexing of the portal frame and the cantilever mimics rotation about a selected point.
A tunable optical resonator, comprising:
- a cavity delimited in one axis, at one end, by a reflector and, at an opposite end, by a reflection grating, the reflection grating being fixed to a flexible support, means for adjusting a length of the cavity along the one axis by causing the reflection grating to mimic rotation about a selected point by flexing the flexible support, the flexible support being implemented in a semiconductor material, the means for adjusting including first adjusting means for radial adjustment of a position of the reflection grating and second adjusting means for independent axial adjustment of the position of the reflection grating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.