Direct optical injection locked fet oscillator

• US 5,373,261 A
• Filed: 01/21/1993
• Issued: 12/13/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Paolella, Arthur, Higgins, Thomas P., Sturzebecher, Dana J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MIS, DAVID C
• Application Number:
  US07/981,658
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 331/66, 331/55, 331/172, 385/33, 385/39, 385/40, 385/49, 385/51, 385/31, 257/225, 257/257, 257/290, 257/294, 257/432, 257/436, 257/437, 257/466, 257/687, 257/433, 257/434
• US Class Current: 331/66
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4212 the intermediate optical element being a coupling medium interposed therebetween, e.g. epoxy resin, refractive index matching material, index grease, matching liquid or gel
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4295 coupling with semiconductor devices activated by light through the light guide, e.g. thyristors, phototransistors
• CPC Class Codes: H03L 7/24 using a reference signal directly applied to the generator

Abstract

The coupling of optical signals to the active region of a FET having a wide source to drain spacing via an optical fiber and material having an index of refraction matching that of the fiber or the FET so as to increase the locking range when the FET is part of an oscillator circuit or to increase the change in the electrical gain of the FET caused by a change in the optical energy if the FET is an amplifier.

Claims

1. An optically responsive device comprising:

a body containing a photo-semiconductor device having an active,light sensitive area;

an optical fiber having first and second ends; and

an index matching material between said first end of said optical fiber and said body so as to optically communicate with the active region thereof, said index matching material being interposed between said optical fiber and said body such as to eliminate air between said optical fiber and said body, the index matching material having an index of refraction matching that of one of said optical fiber and said body.

2. An optically responsive device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the index matching material is a liquid.

3. An optically responsive device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said index matching material is an adhesive.

4. An optically responsive device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the index of refraction of said index matching material matches the index of refraction of said fiber.

5. An optically responsive device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the index of refraction of said index matching material matches the index of refraction of the body.

6. An optically responsive device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the photo-semiconductor device is a field effect transistor having a gate electrode and spaced source and drain electrodes and wherein the spacing between said source and drain electrodes is greater than 7 μ

m.

7. An optically responsive device as set forth in claim 6 further comprising:

means for coupling an electrical signal to be amplified to said gate electrode of said field effect transistor;

electrical matching means for coupling said drain electrode to an output; and

means for connecting said source electrode to a point of reference potential;

whereby, a change in the optical intensity introduced into said second end of said optical fiber varies the electrical gain of said device.

8. An optically responsive device as set forth in claim 6 further comprising:

a source of reference potential;

means for connecting said source electrode to said source of reference potential;

termination means connected between said gate electrode and said source of reference potential;

electrical matching means coupled to said drain electrode; and

a source of a radio frequency modulated optical signal coupled to said second end of said optical fiber;

whereby said device detects said optical signal and produces an amplified RF electrical signal.

9. An optically responsive device as set forth in claim 6 further comprising:

means coupled to said source drain and gate electrodes of said field effect transistor so as to form an oscillator;

whereby, said oscillator is locked to a modulation frequency of an optical signal when such is coupled to the second end of said optical fiber.

10. An optically responsive device as set forth in claim 9 wherein said means coupled to said source, drain and gate electrodes forms a parallel feedback oscillator.