Package for optical components

1. An optoelectronic device comprising:

a header having an upper surface and including a plurality of conducting pins extending up through the upper surface;

an optical device;

a tunable optical filter, wherein said optical device and said tunable optical filter are arranged in a vertical stack affixed to the upper surface of the header and wherein said tunable optical filter is electrically connected to a set of said plurality of conducting pins; and

a cap affixed to the header and along with the header defining a sealed interior containing the optical device and the tunable optical filter, wherein said cap has a top surface with a window formed therein, said window aligned with the tunable optical filter and the optical device.

2. The optoelectronic device of claim 1 wherein the header and cap are a Transistor Outline (TO) package.

3. The optoelectronic device of claim 1 wherein the tunable optical filter is a thermo-optically tunable thin-film optical filter.

4. The optoelectronic device of claim 3 wherein the optical device is an emitter (LED).

5. The optoelectronic device of claim 3 wherein the optical device is a detector.

6. The optoelectronic device of claim 3 further comprising a standoff structure mounted on the top surface of the header, wherein the standoff structure defines a first surface on which the optical device is mounted and a second surface on which the tunable optical filter is mounted.

7. The optoelectronic device of claim 3 wherein the cap on the header forms a hermetically sealed interior.

8. The optoelectronic device of claim 3 wherein the cap includes a collar holding fiber coupling optics.

9. The optoelectronic device of claim 3 further comprising a substrate with the tunable optical filter formed on one surface thereof and the optical device mounted on an opposite surface thereof.

10. The optoelectronic device of claim 3 wherein the cap and the header define an internal cavity in which the optical filter is present, said optoelectronic device further comprising:

a first optical fiber external to the internal cavity and aligned with the first window; and

a second optical fiber external to the internal cavity, aligned with the second window, and next to the first optical fiber.

11. The optoelectronic device of claim 3 in which there is an optical path extending from the window to the optical device, and wherein the optical filter lies along the optical path between the window and the optical device.

12. The optoelectronic device of claim 3 wherein the optical device is a broadband light emitter.

13. The optoelectronic device of claim 3 optical device is a narrowband light emitter.

14. An optoelectronic device comprising:

a header having an upper surface and including a plurality of conducting pins extending up through the upper surface;

a thermally tunable optical filter supported on the top surface of the header, wherein said optical device is electrically connected to a set of said plurality of conducting pins; and

a cap affixed to the header and along with the header defining a sealed interior containing the thermally tunable optical filter, wherein said cap has a top surface with a first window formed therein and the header has a second window formed therein and wherein the thermally tunable optical filter lies along an optical path extending between the first and second windows.

15. The optoelectronic device of claim 14 wherein the header and cap are a Transistor Outline (TO) package.

16. The optoelectronic device of claim 14 wherein the thermally tunable optical filter is a thermo-optically tunable thin-film optical filter.

17. The optoelectronic device of claim 16 wherein the cap on the header forms a hermetically sealed interior.

18. The optoelectronic device of claim 16 wherein the cap includes a collar holding a fiber collimator wherein the window is a lens.

19. The optoelectronic device of claim 16 wherein the cap includes a ferrule extending upward from its top surface and providing a bore for holding an optical feed.

20. The optoelectronic device of claim 16 wherein the cap and the header define an internal cavity in which the optical filter is present, said optoelectronic device further comprising:

a first optical fiber external to the internal cavity and aligned with the first window; and

a second optical fiber external to the internal cavity and aligned with the second window.

21. The optoelectronic device of claim 20 wherein the cap has a ferrule extending therefrom and aligned with the first window, said ferrule holding the first optical fiber.

22. The optoelectronic device of claim 21 wherein the header has a ferrule extending therefore and aligned with the second window, said ferrule holding the second optical fiber.

23. The optoelectronic device of claim 20 further comprising a third optical fiber external to the internal cavity, aligned with the first window, and next to the first optical fiber.

24. The optoelectronic device of claim 23 further comprising a collimator aligned between the first window on one side and the first and third optical fibers in another side.

25. The optoelectronic device of claim 24 wherein said collimator is a dual fiber collimator.

26. The optoelectronic device of claim 23 wherein the combination of the optical filter optoelectronic device functions as an optical add/drop multiplexer.

27. The optoelectronic device of claim 16 further comprising an optoelectronic circuit in the internal cavity, said optoelectronic circuit including said tunable optical filter.

28. The optoelectronic device of claim 27 wherein the tunable optical filter has a major surface with a normal that is inclined slightly relative to said optical path.