High stability fiber light source

• US 6,144,788 A
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 11/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Spicer, Timothy L., Ang, Dick
• Primary Examiner(s): Healy, Brian
• Application Number:
  US09/107,677
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 385/15, 385/12, 385/31-37, 385/38, 385/39, 385/24, 372/6, 359/115, 359/124, 359/134, 359/333, 359/341, 359/345, 356/345
• US Class Current: 385/31
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/721 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/067 Fibre lasers

Abstract

A fiber light source having, for instance, a 980 nm pump laser for pumping an erbium-doped optical fiber via a 980/1550 nm WDM coupler. The pumped fiber emits 1550 nm light. A portion of the 1550 nm light goes to a filter via the WDM coupler. The filter shapes the spectrum of the 1550 nm light. The filter is a passive device that may be made from erbium-doped fiber. From the filter the 1550 nm light goes through an isolator or a circulator on to an optical device for which the light is specially made. Such device may be an fiber optic gyroscope. By adding a narrowband optical fiber grating at the output of the pump laser to tune its output, the fiber light source is further improved in stability under variations of ambient temperature and light source drive current.

Claims

1. A high stability fiber light source comprising:

a pump laser;

a fiber grating coupled to said pump laser;

a WDM coupler coupled to said fiber grating;

a rare-earth-doped fiber coupled to said WDM coupler, wherein said rare-earth-doped fiber has an absorption band, and wherein said fiber grating is matched to said absorption band such that light from said fiber grating generates light;

a filter coupled to said WDM coupler, said filter being configured to shape light generated by said rare-earth-doped fiber to a desired waveform; and

an optical isolator coupled to said filter.

2. The fiber light source of claim 1, wherein an optical circulator is connected in lieu of said optical isolator.

3. The fiber light source of claim 1, wherein:

said pump laser is configured to emit light having a first wavelength;

said rare-earth-doped fiber is configured to emit light having a second wavelength; and

said WDM coupler is configured to pass light from said pump laser to said rare-earth-doped fiber, to pass light from said rare-earth-doped fiber to said filter, and to block light having the second wavelength to said pump laser.

4. The fiber light source of claim 3, further comprising an optical absorber coupled to said rare-earth-doped fiber.

5. The fiber light source of claim 4, wherein said optical isolator is configured to pass light in a first direction and block light in a second direction.

6. The fiber light source of claim 5, wherein said filter is configured to shape a spectrum of light from said WDM coupler.

7. The fiber light source of claim 6, wherein said fiber grating is tuned to the first wavelength.

8. The fiber light source of claim 7, wherein said filter is a rare-earth-doped optical fiber.

9. The fiber light source of claim 7, wherein said filter is a second fiber grating.

10. The fiber light source of claim 7, wherein:

the first wavelength is about 980 nm; and

the second wavelength is about 1550 nm.

11. The fiber light source of claim 4, wherein said rare-earth-doped fiber is an erbium-doped fiber.

12. The fiber light source of claim 4, wherein the rare earth of said rare-earth-doped fiber, is an element of a lanthanide series.

13. The fiber light source of claim 8, wherein said filter is an erbium-doped optical fiber.

14. The fiber light source of claim 12, further comprising a thermoelectric cooler associated with said pump laser.

15. The fiber light source of claim 12, further comprising a heater associated with said pump laser.

16. A method for attaining high stability light output from a fiber light source, comprising:

obtaining a first wavelength light from a pump laser;

conveying the first wavelength light into a first wavelength grating that reflects a first portion of the first wavelength light back to the pump laser to stabilize the wavelength of the light from the pump laser;

passing a second portion of the first wavelength light through the grating into a rare-earth-doped fiber to pump the rare earth in the doped fiber, which then emits light of a second wavelength light;

conveying the second wavelength light through a filter to shape a spectrum of the second wavelength light; and

conveying the second wavelength light from the filter as an output.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

absorbing first wavelength light in the rare-earth-doped fiber;

preventing second wavelength light from going to the grating; and

preventing second wavelength light from being reflected from the output to the filter.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:

the first wavelength is approximately 980 nm; and

the second wavelength is approximately 1550 nm.

19. A high stability fiber light source comprising:

means for generating light at a first wavelength;

grating means for reflecting a first portion of said light at the first wavelength to said means for generating light, proximate to said means for generating light;

coupling means, proximate to said grating means, having first, second and third ports, for passing a second portion of said light at the first wavelength from the first port to the second port, blocking light at a second wavelength from the second port to the first port, and passing light at the first wavelength from the second port to the third port;

means, proximate to said coupling means, for absorbing light of the first wavelength and emitting light of the second wavelength; and

means, proximate to said coupling means, for filtering light of the second wavelength from the third port of said coupling means.

20. The light source of claim 19 further comprising a means, proximate to said means for filtering light, for passing light of the second wavelength to an output and for blocking light of the second wavelength from the output.

21. The light source of claim 20, wherein said means for absorbing light of the first wavelength and emitting light of the second wavelength comprises a rare earth which absorbs light of the first wavelength and emits light of the second wavelength.

22. The light source of claim 21, wherein the output is connected to an optical device.

23. The light source of claim 22, wherein the optical device is a fiber optic rotation sensor.

24. The light source of claim 22, wherein the optical device is a current sensor.

25. The light source of claim 22, wherein the optical device is an optical testing instrument.

26. A light source comprising:

a pump laser providing pump light to a doped fiber;

a grating optically situated between said pump laser and said doped fiber, wherein said grating is matched to an absorption band of said doped fiber such that said pump light corresponds to said absorption band, and wherein said doped fiber generates light in response to said pump light; and

an optical filter configured to shape the light generated by said doped fiber to produce a desired output waveform.

27. The light source of claim 26 wherein said grating, said filter and said doped fiber are coupled by a wavelength-division multiplexer.

28. The light source of claim 26 wherein said light source is coupled to said optical coil by an optical circulator.

29. A fiber optic gyroscope comprising a light source providing a light that forms counter-rotating light beams in an optical coil such that a phase difference between said counter-rotating light beams is indicative of a rotation rate, wherein said light source comprises:

a pump laser providing pump light to a doped fiber;

a grating optically situated between said pump laser and said doped fiber, wherein said grating is matched to an absorption band of said doped fiber such that said pump light corresponds to said absorption band, and wherein said doped fiber generates light in response to said pump light; and

an optical filter configured to shape the light generated by said doped fiber to produce a desired output waveform.

30. The fiber optic gyroscope of claim 29 wherein said grating, said filter and said doped fiber are coupled by a wavelength-division multiplexer.

31. The light source of claim 29 wherein said light source is coupled to said optical coil by an optical circulator.