Thin film interference filters for 25 GHz channel spacing

Summary form only given. Thin film interference filters using five and six cavity designs are shown to be a suitable and practical method for optical multiplexing and demultiplexing 25 GHz spaced DWDM data signals for up to OC192 data rates. Filters were grown in vacuum deposition chambers using physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques. Experimental results show good agreement with theoretical values and low overall loss and square filter functions. Chromatic dispersion and group delay of the filters are shown to be manageable at OC192.