Dynamic optical filter using Opto-VLSI technology

Reconfigurable multi-channel optical filters are presented in this paper. The operation principle of the reconfigurable filter is based on the dynamic beam steering capacity of Opto-VLSI processor in conjunction with a high dispersion free space grating. The dispersion grating separates the input signal spectrum while the Opto-VLSI processor is driven by optimised phase holograms to dynamically select the wavelengths to be coupled into the output port. Experimental results show that up to 8 bands can be synthesised, with a wavelength tuning span of 10 nm and a 3dB bandwidth less than 0.5nm.