SURFACE MICROMACHINED FABRY-PEROT TUNABLE FILTER

We report the fabrication of a wavelength tunable optical filter using surface micromachining technology. The center wavelength is 1.517 mu m and the transmission bandwidth is 5 nm. The device with a 50-mu m di ameter aperture has an optical loss of about 5 dB. A continuous wavele ngth tuning of 60 nm has been demonstrated. This device may find appli cations in optical sensing and wavelength division multiplexing system s, and can be readily integrated with surface emitting lasers, modulat ors, and detectors.