公开(公告)号：CA2336492A1

公开(公告)日：2001-09-15

申请号：CA2336492

申请日：2001-03-01

Applicant: LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INC

Inventor： SCHNEEMEYER LYNN FRANCES ,  HARTMAN ROBERT LOUIS ,  BYLSMA RICHARD BENDICKS ,  ACKERMAN DAVID ALAN ,  LINES MALCOLM ELLIS ,  KOCH THOMAS LAWSON ,  KOWACH GLEN ROBERT

IPC: G02B6/12 ,  G02B1/02 ,  G02B5/28 ,  G02B6/34 ,  G02B6/42 ,  G02B7/00 ,  G02B26/00 ,  G02F1/01 ,  G02F1/21 ,  H01S5/068 ,  H01S5/125 ,  G02F1/00 ,  H04J14/02 ,  G02F1/29

Abstract: The thermo-optic behavior of an optical path over a range of temperatures .DELTA.T is controlled by determining a figure-of merit (FOM) for the optical path and including in the path a body of crystalline material that enables the conditions specified by the FO M to be satisfied. The crystalline material is highly transparent at a wavelength .lambda. of radiation propagating in the path, and it has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and a refractive index n such that the CTE and dn/dT are mutually adapted to satisfy the FOM over the range .DELTA.T. In on e embodiment, the CTE and dn/dT of an etalon compensate one another so as to perform frequency discrimination that is essentially temperature insensitive over the range .DELTA.T. In a preferred embodiment of the optical etalon the crystalline material comprises LiCaAlF6.