An AOTF Spectral Bandwidth Control Method Based on Joint Multi-Frequency Driving and Delayed Integration

We present a programmable spectral-bandwidth control method for an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) that combines multi-frequency RF driving with detector delayed integration. A multi-tone composite RF drive simultaneously produces several spectrally separated diffracted passbands. By time-multiplexing a small set of composite waveforms within a single exposure and tuning the integration delay, diffracted signals generated in successive intervals are accumulated into one image frame, synthesizing an effective passband with a user-defined bandwidth. We further provide parameter-selection guidelines for RF frequency, amplitude, phase, and segment dwell time to balance bandwidth coverage and spectral fidelity. The approach suppresses intermodulation-related distortions while reducing waveform switching complexity, enabling efficient bandwidth reconfiguration for multispectral imaging and rapid spectral acquisition.