TUNABLE PHOTONIC MICROWAVE OR RADIO FREQUENCY RECEIVERS BASED ON ELECTRO-OPTIC OPTICAL WHISPERING GALLERY MODE RESONATORS

• US 20120194893A1
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oewaves Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Oewaves Incorporated
• Inventors: Maleki, Lute, Seidel, David, Liang, Wei, Savchenkov, Anatoliy, Matsko, Andrey B., Ilchenko, Vladimir S., Koonath, Prakash
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/246
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0123 Circuits for the control or stabilisation of the bias voltage, e.g. automatic bias control [ABC] feedback loops
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2/002 using optical mixing
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2/02 Frequency-changing of light, e.g. by quantum counters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/15 involving resonance effects, e.g. resonantly enhanced interaction
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0078 for frequency filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0085 for modulating the output, i.e. the laser beam is modulated outside the laser cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0687 Stabilising the frequency of the laser

Abstract

Photonic devices and techniques based on tunable single sideband (SSB) modulation in whispering gallery mode resonators formed of electro-optic materials to construct RF or microwave receivers.

Claims

1. A microwave or RF photonic receiver, comprising:

a single sideband modulator comprising an optical resonator made of an electro-optic crystal and structured to support optical whispering gallery modes in a first polarization mode and a second polarization mode orthogonal to the first polarization mode, both of which circulate near a rim of the optical resonator, and electrodes formed on the optical resonator to receive an RF or microwave signal to the optical resonator in an electric field polarization oriented relative to a crystal axis of the electro-optic crystal to effectuate coupling between an optical whispering gallery mode in the first polarization mode and another optical whispering gallery mode in the second polarization mode to produce an optical single sideband by modulation of continuous wave light at an optical carrier frequency at a sideband frequency different from the optical carrier frequency;

a frequency control mechanism coupled to the optical resonator to tune a frequency spacing between the optical single sideband and the optical carrier frequency;

an optical beam splitter that receives optical output from the single sideband modulator and splits the optical output into a first optical signal along a first optical path and a second optical signal along a second optical path;

an optical beam combiner that combines light of the first and second optical paths to produce a combined output;

an optical detector that receive the combined output;

an optical modulator in the second optical path to modulate light in response to an RF or microwave input signal; and

an optical filter downstream from the optical modulator in the second optical path to selectively transmit light at a signal band while rejecting light at other frequencies.

2. A microwave or RF photonic receiver, comprising:

a laser to produce a laser beam;

an optical beam splitter that receives laser beam from the and splits laser beam into a first optical signal along a first optical path and a second optical signal along a second optical path;

an optical beam combiner that combines light of the first and second optical paths to produce a combined output;

an optical detector that receive the combined output;

a single sideband modulator located in the second optical path and comprising an optical resonator made of an electro-optic crystal and structured to support optical whispering gallery modes in a first polarization mode and a second polarization mode orthogonal to the first polarization mode, both of which circulate near a rim of the optical resonator, and electrodes formed on the optical resonator to receive an RF or microwave signal to the optical resonator in an electric field polarization oriented relative to a crystal axis of the electro-optic crystal to effectuate coupling between an optical whispering gallery mode in the first polarization mode and another optical whispering gallery mode in the second polarization mode to produce an optical single sideband by modulation of continuous wave light at an optical carrier frequency at a sideband frequency different from the optical carrier frequency;

a frequency control mechanism coupled to the optical resonator to tune a frequency spacing between the optical single sideband and the optical carrier frequency;

an optical modulator in the second optical path to modulate light in response to an RF or microwave input signal; and

an optical filter downstream from the optical modulator in the second optical path to selectively transmit light at a signal band while rejecting light at other frequencies.