Continuously tunable coupled opto-electronic oscillators having balanced opto-electronic filters
First Claim
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1. A device, comprising:
- a closed optical loop to produce laser light, the closed optical loop comprising an optical gain medium to amplify light and to modulate an optical gain of the laser light in response to a control signal applied to the optical gain medium;
an opto-electronic path comprising an optical section coupled to receive a portion of the laser light from the closed optical loop, an electronic section to produce the control signal, and an optical detector coupled between and interconnecting the optical section and the electronic section to covert light in the optical section into an electrical signal in the electronic section, wherein the electronic section produces the control signal from the electrical signal and wherein the opto-electronic path and at least a portion of the closed optical loop form a closed opto-electronic loop to produce an oscillation at a signal frequency;
a tunable optical filter optically coupled in the closed optical loop to filter the laser light circulating in the closed optical loop, the tunable optical filter comprising;
an input port to receive the laser light, a first optical path coupled to the input port to receive a first portion of the received laser light and comprising a first tunable optical resonator to transmit light at a first resonator resonance frequency, a second optical path coupled to the input port to receive a second portion of the laser light and comprising a second tunable optical resonator to transmit light at a second resonator resonance frequency different from the first resonator resonance frequency by the signal frequency, and an output port coupled to the first and second optical paths to combine transmitted light from the first and second optical paths to produce an output optical beam into the closed optical loop; and
a mechanism to adjust a relative optical phase between the first and the second optical paths in response to a change in the signal frequency.
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Abstract
Devices and techniques for achieving continuous tuning of coupled opto-electronic oscillators with signal filtering in RF or microwave frequencies by optical filtering via two optical resonators in two separate optical paths.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A device, comprising:
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a closed optical loop to produce laser light, the closed optical loop comprising an optical gain medium to amplify light and to modulate an optical gain of the laser light in response to a control signal applied to the optical gain medium;
an opto-electronic path comprising an optical section coupled to receive a portion of the laser light from the closed optical loop, an electronic section to produce the control signal, and an optical detector coupled between and interconnecting the optical section and the electronic section to covert light in the optical section into an electrical signal in the electronic section, wherein the electronic section produces the control signal from the electrical signal and wherein the opto-electronic path and at least a portion of the closed optical loop form a closed opto-electronic loop to produce an oscillation at a signal frequency;
a tunable optical filter optically coupled in the closed optical loop to filter the laser light circulating in the closed optical loop, the tunable optical filter comprising;
an input port to receive the laser light, a first optical path coupled to the input port to receive a first portion of the received laser light and comprising a first tunable optical resonator to transmit light at a first resonator resonance frequency, a second optical path coupled to the input port to receive a second portion of the laser light and comprising a second tunable optical resonator to transmit light at a second resonator resonance frequency different from the first resonator resonance frequency by the signal frequency, and an output port coupled to the first and second optical paths to combine transmitted light from the first and second optical paths to produce an output optical beam into the closed optical loop; and
a mechanism to adjust a relative optical phase between the first and the second optical paths in response to a change in the signal frequency. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A device, comprising:
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a laser to lase at first and second laser frequencies that differ by a signal frequency, the laser comprising a closed optical loop which comprises;
an optical gain medium to produce an optical gain and to amplify light and to modulate the optical gain in response to a control signal applied to the optical gain medium, a common optical path having a first end and a second end, a first optical path coupled between the first end and second ends to receive a first portion of light in the closed optical loop and comprising a first optical resonator to transmit light at the first laser frequency, wherein the first optical resonator is tunable to change the first laser frequency, and a second optical path, parallel to the first optical path, coupled between the first end and second ends to receive a second portion of light in the closed optical loop and comprising a second optical resonator to transmit light at the second laser frequency, wherein the second optical resonator is tunable to change the second laser frequency;
an opto-electronic feedback path comprising an optical section coupled to the laser to receive a portion of light from the closed optical loop, an electronic section to produce the control signal and coupled to the optical gain medium to apply the control signal, and an optical detector coupled between the optical section and the electronic section to covert light in the optical section into an electrical signal in the electronic section, wherein the electronic section produces the control signal from the electrical signal and sustains an oscillation at the signal frequency in the opto-electronic path and at least a portion of the closed optical loop; and
a tuning control mechanism to simultaneously control a relative optical phase between the first and the second optical paths, the first and the second optical resonators, and a phase of the control signal to continuously tune the signal frequency. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification