Widely and continuously tunable micromachined resonant cavity detector with wavelength tracking

Abstract

We demonstrate a resonant cavity wavelength tunable detector with a record 30-nm continuous tuning range, 17-dB extinction ratio, and a low 7-V tuning voltage. The detector map be biased to operate in one of two modes. In the first, the detector is tuned to a specific wavelength. In the second, the detector can be tuned to a nominal wavelength and remain locked to the wavelength of the incident light despite wavelength variations. Consequently, this detector is ideal for operation as a cost-effective and robust receiver for WDM communication systems, spectroscopic applications, and wavelength measurement.