Inventors:
Anat Sneh - Branchburg NJ
Assignee:
Lucent Technologies Inc. - Murray Hill NJ
International Classification:
G02B 2700
G02B 2608
G02F 103
Abstract:
The invention provides tunable optical filters in which operating characteristics such as initial cavity length and mirror tilt, affecting passband wavelength position and filter finesse, respectively, can be controlled independently of membrane tuning bias. An illustrative embodiment incorporates a surface-micromachined plate with an opening in which a moveable frame is supported by, e. g. , flexure bars or support arms. A moveable membrane with a high reflective (HR) coated mirror is supported in an opening in the moveable frame. The mirror defines one side of a Fabry-Perot (FP) filter cavity and is movable in a direction along an axis of the filter cavity. The other side of the filter cavity is defined by a second HR-coated mirror. The moveable frame has a number of electrodes arranged on a surface thereof, such that an operating characteristic of the filter, e. g. , the cavity length affecting the passband wavelength position or the mirror tilt affecting the filter finesse, can be adjusted by applying signals to at least a subset of the electrodes.