Measurement and control of sidelobes in acousto-optic tunable filters

To summarize, we have examined the problems of high sidelobes in acousto optical tunable filters (AOTFs) and various possible solutions. While numerous apodization techniques to reduce sidelobes have been investigated, the experimental results are much worse than predicted due to waveguide nonuniformity. We point out that very little effort has gone into measuring these nonuniformities, eliminating them through better fabrication, or building devices which correct or better tolerate non-uniform waveguides. Finally, a number of techniques were discussed to address these issues