SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS OF NONCOLLINEAR ACOUSTOOPTIC TUNABLE FILTERS

The bandpass width and the diffraction efficiency of a non-collinear a cousto-optic tunable filter are considered as functions of the optical wavelength for fixed values of the direction of propagation of the op tic wave, the length of the acousto-optic interaction and the power de nsity of the controlling RF-signal. A comparison between the calculate d and the experimentally measured spectral dependencies is discussed a nd illustrated from the viewpoint of practical application for a TeO2 filter. It is shown that in the approximation used, satisfactory agree ment can be achieved between the experimental and calculated dependenc ies. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.