Programmable spectral filter in C-band based on digital micromirror device

Abstract

Optical filters have been adopted in many applications such as reconfigurable telecommunication switches, tunable lasers and spectral imaging. However, most of commercialized filters based on a micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) only provide a minimum bandwidth of 25 GHz in telecom so far. In this work, the programmable filter based on a digital micromirror device (DMD) experimentally demonstrated a minimum bandwidth of 12.5 GHz in C-band that matched the grid width of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) G.694.1 standard. It was capable of filtering multiple wavebands simultaneously and flexibly by remotely uploading binary holograms onto the DMD. The number of channels and the center wavelength could be adjusted independently, as well as the channel bandwidth and the output power. The center wavelength tuning resolution of this filter achieved 0.033 nm and the insertion loss was about 10 dB across the entire C-band. Since the DMD had a high power handling capability (25 KW/cm2) of around 200 times that of the liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) chip, the DMD-based filters are expected to be applied in high power situations.