Comparison of the Frequency Response and Voltage Tuning Characteristics of a FFP and a MEMS Fiber Optic Tunable Filter

摘要

Tunable optical filters based on a Fabry-Perot element are a critical component in many wavelength based fiber optic sensor systems. This report compares the performance of two fiber-pigtailed tunable optical filters, the fiber Fabry-Perot (FFP) filter from Micron Optics and a recently developed type of tunable filter based on Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) technology from Nortel. The findings indicate that while both filters have similar bandpass characteristics, the FFP scans one free spectral range with a linear 0-10 volt signal while the MEMS system displays a voltage squared response and requires up to 35 volts to scan one free spectral range. The small signal response of both filters suggests that they can operate at frequencies up to 20kHz and possibly as high as 100kHz.