Opto-electronic oscillators having optical resonators
First Claim
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1. An opto-electronic device, comprising:
- an optical modulator, having an electrical input port to accept an electrical modulation signal and an optical input port to receive an input optical carrier signal at an optical carrier frequency, to generate an output optical carrier signal which is modulated at an oscillation frequency related to said electrical modulation signal;
an opto-electronic loop, having an optical section coupled to receive at least a portion of said output optical carrier signal and an electrical section coupled to said electrical input port to produce said electrical modulation signal, said opto-electronic loop causing a delay in said electrical modulation signal to provide a positive feedback to said optical modulator; and
an optical resonator, coupled in said optical section of said opto-electronic loop, wherein said optical resonator has a free spectral range that is greater than a mode spacing of said opto-electronic loop by a first integer factor, less than said optical carrier frequency by a second integer factor, and less than said oscillation frequency by a third integer factor.
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Abstract
Systems and techniques of incorporating an optical resonator in an optical part of a feedback loop in opto-electronic oscillators. This optical resonator provides a sufficiently long energy storage time and hence to produce an oscillation of a narrow linewidth and low phase noise. Certain mode matching conditions are required. For example, the mode spacing of the optical resonator is equal to one mode spacing, or a multiplicity of the mode spacing, of an opto-electronic feedback loop that receives a modulated optical signal and to produce an electrical oscillating signal.
181 Citations
37 Claims
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1. An opto-electronic device, comprising:
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an optical modulator, having an electrical input port to accept an electrical modulation signal and an optical input port to receive an input optical carrier signal at an optical carrier frequency, to generate an output optical carrier signal which is modulated at an oscillation frequency related to said electrical modulation signal;
an opto-electronic loop, having an optical section coupled to receive at least a portion of said output optical carrier signal and an electrical section coupled to said electrical input port to produce said electrical modulation signal, said opto-electronic loop causing a delay in said electrical modulation signal to provide a positive feedback to said optical modulator; and
an optical resonator, coupled in said optical section of said opto-electronic loop, wherein said optical resonator has a free spectral range that is greater than a mode spacing of said opto-electronic loop by a first integer factor, less than said optical carrier frequency by a second integer factor, and less than said oscillation frequency by a third integer factor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An opto-electronic device, comprising:
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a laser, having an active optical feedback loop with a first loop gain greater than unity which changes in response to an electrical modulation signal; and
an opto-electronic feedback loop coupled to said active optical feedback loop to produce said electrical modulation signal in response to a laser output from said laser, wherein said opto-electronic feedback loop comprises;
an optical resonator coupled to receive a portion of said laser output from said-laser, and a photodetector coupled to covert an optical output from said optical resonator into an electrical signal. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37)
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Specification