Fiber-coupled microsphere Raman laser

• US 6,891,864 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2002
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Vahala, Kerry J., Spillane, Sean M., Kippenberg, Tobias J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, Minsun
• Assistant Examiner(s): MENEFEE, JAMES A
• Application Number:
  US10/193,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20030021301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 372/3, 372/6, 372/92, 372/9, 372/94, 372/108, 385/43
• US Class Current: 372/3
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/08 Construction or shape of optical resonators or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/083 Ring lasers fibre ring lasers H01S3/06791
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/094053 Fibre coupled pump, e.g. delivering pump light using a fibre or a fibre bundle
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/30 using scattering effects, e.g. stimulated Brillouin or Raman effects

Abstract

The present invention is a Raman laser and methods related thereto. In the preferred embodiments, the Raman laser comprises a laser pump signal in a fiber waveguide which is optically coupled to a micro-resonator through a fiber taper. The micro-resonator is constructed from a material that has a high Q when it is formed into a micro-resonator and is phase matched to the waveguide. The lasing frequency can be determined based upon the pump input or the micro-resonator material. In the preferred embodiments, the micro-resonator is constructed from a fused silica material. The present invention provides a compact laser with improved emissions and coupling efficiencies and the ability to use stimulated Raman scattering effects to create lasers having frequencies that are otherwise difficult to obtain. Alternative configurations include multiple micro-resonators on a single fiber waveguide and/or utilizing multiple waveguides attached to one or more micro-resonators. The Raman laser can be made to operate in a continuous-wave as opposed to self-pulsing mode.

Claims

1. A Raman Laser comprising:

a waveguide, the waveguide having a transverse optical coupling region positioned between a first portion and a second portion of the waveguide;

a dielectric micro-resonator, the micro-resonator and the waveguide being substantially optically phase matched; and

a laser pump, the output of the laser pump being optically connected to the first portion of the waveguide;

the waveguide and the micro-resonator being arranged so as to permit the output of the laser pump to excite stimulated Raman emissions in the micro-resonator such that laser output power is optically coupled to the waveguide through the transverse optical coupling region of the waveguide.

2. A Raman Laser of claim 1 wherein the laser output at the second portion of the waveguide is at a frequency different from the frequency of output of the laser pump.

3. A Raman Laser of claim 1 wherein the waveguide is a fiber waveguide.

4. A Raman Laser of claim 3 wherein the transverse optical coupling region is a fiber taper.

5. The Raman Laser of claim 3, the waveguide being a cylindrical, an elliptical, an etched, a “

D”

shape or a “

panda”

waveguide.

6. The Raman Laser of claim 1, the micro-resonator supporting a whispering gallery resonant mode.

7. The Raman Laser of claim 1, the micro-resonator comprising a spherical micro-resonator.

8. The Raxnan Laser of claim 7, the spherical micro-resonator being produced by heating the dielectric micro-resonator material, whereby the surface tension of the dielectric material creates a spherical volume.

9. The Raman Laser of claim 1, the micro-resonator comprising a disk, a ring, or a racetrack.

10. The Raman Laser of claim 1, the dielectric comprising fused silica.

11. The Raman Laser of claim 1, the waveguide comprising a silica waveguide.

12. The Raman Laser of claim 1, the stimulated Raman emissions including a peak centered around about 1670 nm.

13. The Raman Laser of claim 1, the waveguide and the micro-resonator being arranged to excite stimulated Brillouin scattering.

14. The Raman Laser of claim 1, the micro-resonator including a coating.

15. A method of producing stimulated Raman scattering emissions for a Raman laser, comprising:

providing a dielectric micro-resonator, a waveguide, and a laser pump;

coupling the micro-resonator between a first section and a second section of a transverse optical coupling region of the waveguide, the micro-resonator and the waveguide being substantially optically phase matched;

launching a pump laser signal from the laser pump into the waveguide;

arranging the waveguide and the micro-resonator, thereby

exciting stimulated Raman emissions in the micro-resonator,

such that laser output power from the micro-resonator is optically coupled to the waveguide through the transverse optical coupling region of the waveguide.

16. The method of claim 15, providing the micro-resonator further comprising providing a micro-resonator that supports a whispering gallery resonant mode.

17. The method of claim 15, providing the micro-resonator further comprising providing a spherical micro-resonator.

18. The method of claim 17, the spherical micro-resonator being produced by heating a micro-resonator material, whereby the surface tension of the dielectric material creates a spherical volume.

19. The method of claim 15, providing the micro-resonator further comprising providing a disk, a ring, or a racetrack.

20. The method of claim 15, providing the dielectric micro-resonator further comprising providing a fused silica micro-resonator.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the laser output at the second portion of the waveguide is at a frequency different from a frequency of an output of the laser pump.

22. The method of claim 15, providing the waveguide further comprising providing a fiber waveguide.

23. The method of claim 22, providing the waveguide further comprising providing a fiber waveguide having a fiber taper as the transverse optical coupling region.

24. The method of claim 22, providing the fiber waveguide further comprising providing a cylindrical, an elliptica, an etched, a “

D”

shape or a “

panda”

waveguide.

25. The method of claim 15, providing the waveguide further comprising providing a silica waveguide.

26. The method of claim 15, exciting stimulated Raman emissions further comprising exciting stimulated Raman emissions including a peak centered around about 1670 nm.

27. The method of claim 15, further comprising arranging the waveguide and the micro-resonator to excite stimulated Brillouin scattering.

28. The method of claim 15, further comprising operating the micro-resonator in a continuous wave mode.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising tuning the micro-resonator or the pump laser.

30. A Raman Laser comprising:

a fiber waveguide, the fiber waveguide having a transverse optical coupling region positioned between a first portion and a second portion of the fiber waveguide;

a spherical micro-resonator, the spherical micro-resonator and the fiber waveguide being substantially optically phase matched; and

a laser pump, an output of the laser pump being optically connected to the first portion of the fiber waveguide;

the fiber waveguide and the spherical micro-resonator being arranged to permit the output of the laser pump to excite Raman emissions in the spherical micro-resonator, the laser output power being optically coupled to the fiber waveguide through the transverse optical coupling region.

31. The Raman Laser of claim 30, the spherical micro-resonator being produced by heating a micro-resonator material, whereby the surface tension of the micro-resonator material creates a spherical volume.

32. The Raman Laser of claim 30, the spherical micro-resonator supporting a whispering gallery resonant mode.

33. The Raman Laser of claim 30, the spherical micro-resonator comprising a dielectric spherical micro-resonator.

34. The Raman Laser of claim 33, the dielectric spherical micro-resonator comprising a fused silica spherical micro-resonator.

35. The Raman Laser of claim 30, the fiber waveguide comprising a silica fiber waveguide.

36. The Raman Laser of claim 30, the fiber waveguide being a cylindrical, an elliptical, an etched, a “

D”

shape or a “

panda”

waveguide.

37. The Raman Laser of claim 30, the stimulated Raman emissions including a peak centered around about 1670 nm.

38. The Raman Laser of claim 30, the fiber waveguide and the spherical micro-resonator being arranged to excite stimulated Brillouin scattering.

39. The Raman Laser of claim 30, the spherical micro-resonator including a coating.