Mode-locked laser stabilizing apparatus and method thereof

• US 6,560,251 B1
• Filed: 11/02/2000
• Issued: 05/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Lim, Dong Sung, Chang, Do Il, Lee, Hak Kyu, Ahn, Joon Tae, Kim, Kyong Hon, Jeon, Min Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Ip, Paul
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN M
• Application Number:
  US09/705,582
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 372/31, 372/6, 385/27, 250/205, 359/241
• US Class Current: 372/31
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/06712 Polarising fibre; Polariser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/06791 Fibre ring lasers fibre laser gyrometers G01C19/72
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/08059 Constructional details of the reflector, e.g. shape mirrors in general G02B5/08; mountings for mirrors G02B7/18
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/108 using non-linear optical devices, e.g. exhibiting Brillouin or Raman scattering mode locking using a non-linear element H01S3/1112
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1109 Active mode locking
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/139 by controlling the mutual position or the reflecting properties of the reflectors of the cavity , e.g. by controlling the cavity length

Abstract

There is disclosed a mode-locked optical fiber laser stabilizing apparatus for stabilizing the length of the optical fiber laser resonator by feedbacking the optical signals to the laser resonator, in the direction where the signal reflected by the optical fiber loop mirror is detected as an error signal to minimize the signal, and method thereof. According to the present invention, a resonator stabilizing apparatus in an optical fiber laser includes a non-linear optical amplitude loop mirror (NALM) for non-linearly amplifying a laser pumped laser light, a linear loop mirror of a closed loop shape for confining the laser light sufficiently amplified by the non-linear optical amplitude loop mirror; a light isolator for proceeding the light confined by said linear loop mirror only in one direction, an optical coupler for detecting the light proceeding in the direction opposite to the light isolator by the linear loop mirror, the phase of which is varied in the non-linear optical amplitude loop mirror, and a piezo-electric transducer (PZT) for performing a signal processing for minimizing the amount of light proceeding in an opposite direction when the light detector detects the light proceeding in the opposite direction and feedbacking again the light to stabilize the light, the light detector is coupled by the linear loop mirror and the optical coupler.

Claims

1. A light resonator stabilizing apparatus in an optical fiber laser, comprising:

a non-linear optical amplitude loop mirror (NALM) for non-linearly amplifying a laser light provided by a pump laser; and

a linear loop mirror coupled to said NALM by an optical coupler and constituting a closed loop for confining the laser light amplified by said NALM,

wherein the linear loop mirror comprises

a light isolator for proceeding the laser light confined by said linear loop mirror only in one direction;

a light modulator for mode-locking the light within said linear loop mirror;

an optical detector coupled to said linear loop mirror by an optical coupler for detecting the light proceeding in the direction opposite to the light proceeding direction regulated by said light isolator;

a control circuit for generating an electrical control signal depending on the intensity of the light detected by the optical detector;

a piezo-electric transducer (PZT) for receiving and processing the control signal from said control circuit and compensating for the length of said laser resonator so that the intensity of the light proceeding in the opposite direction is minimized.

2. The resonator stabilizing apparatus in an optical fiber laser according to claim 1, wherein the pump laser pumps a gain medium of the light passing through said non-linear optical fiber loop mirror.

3. The resonator stabilizing apparatus in an optical fiber laser according to claim 2 further comprising an optical fiber including erbium (Er) installed between said pump laser and said non-linear optical amplitude loop mirror, for obtaining the gain medium of the light and for waveguiding said laser light pumped by said pump laser to said non-linear optical amplitude loop mirror.

4. The resonator stabilizing apparatus in an optical fiber laser according to claim 1, further comprising a polarized maintenance single mode optical fiber (PM—

SM Fiber) for maintaining the polarized light passing through said non-linear optical amplitude loop mirror.

5. The resonator stabilizing apparatus in an optical fiber laser according to claim 1, wherein the optical coupler connecting said NALM and said linear loop mirror is a 10:

90 optical coupler.

6. The resonator stabilizing apparatus in an optical fiber laser according to claim 1, wherein the optical coupler installed between said NALM and said liner loop mirror is a 50:

50 optical coupler for waveguiding the light from said NALM to said linear loop mirror.