Continuously tunable coupled opto-electronic oscillators having balanced opto-electronic filters

• US 7,184,451 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oewaves Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Oewaves Incorporated
• Inventors: Ilchenko, Vladimir, Eliyahu, Danny
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUNG T
• Application Number:
  US11/002,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20050185681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 372/20, 372/29.011, 372/50.123
• US Class Current: 372/20
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/005 Optical devices external to the laser cavity, specially adapted for lasers, e.g. for homogenisation of the beam or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping shaping laser beam for working metal or other materials B23K26/06; optical elements, systems or apparatus in general G02B
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0085 for modulating the output, i.e. the laser beam is modulated outside the laser cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0656 Seeding, i.e. an additional light input is provided for controlling the laser modes, for example by back-reflecting light from an external optical component H01S5/14, H01S5/4062 and H01S5/4006 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/068 Stabilisation of laser output parameters H01S5/0625 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/1071 Ring-lasers
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/146 using a fiber as external cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H03B 17/00 Generation of oscillations using radiation source and detector, e.g. with interposed variable obturator

Abstract

Devices and techniques for achieving continuous tuning of coupled opto-electronic oscillators with signal filtering in RF or microwave frequencies by optical filtering via two optical resonators in two separate optical paths.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a closed optical loop to produce laser light, the closed optical loop comprising an optical gain medium to amplify light and to modulate an optical gain of the laser light in response to a control signal applied to the optical gain medium;

an opto-electronic path comprising an optical section coupled to receive a portion of the laser light from the closed optical loop, an electronic section to produce the control signal, and an optical detector coupled between and interconnecting the optical section and the electronic section to covert light in the optical section into an electrical signal in the electronic section, wherein the electronic section produces the control signal from the electrical signal and wherein the opto-electronic path and at least a portion of the closed optical loop form a closed opto-electronic loop to produce an oscillation at a signal frequency;

a tunable optical filter optically coupled in the closed optical loop to filter the laser light circulating in the closed optical loop, the tunable optical filter comprising;

an input port to receive the laser light,

a first optical path coupled to the input port to receive a first portion of the received laser light and comprising a first tunable optical resonator to transmit light at a first resonator resonance frequency,

a second optical path coupled to the input port to receive a second portion of the laser light and comprising a second tunable optical resonator to transmit light at a second resonator resonance frequency different from the first resonator resonance frequency by the signal frequency, and

an output port coupled to the first and second optical paths to combine transmitted light from the first and second optical paths to produce an output optical beam into the closed optical loop; and

a mechanism to adjust a relative optical phase between the first and the second optical paths in response to a change in the signal frequency.

2. The device as in claim 1, further comprising a tuning controller to tune the first and the second resonators to change the signal frequency, wherein the tuning controller further control the mechanism to adjust the relative optical phase between the first and the second optical paths in the tunable optical filter when changing the signal frequency.

3. The device as in claim 2, wherein the opto-electronic path further comprises a second mechanism to control a phase of the control signal to maintain the oscillation at the signal frequency in response to a control by the tuning controller.

4. The device as in claim 3, wherein the tuning controller derives analog control voltages for controlling the first and second optical resonators, the relative optical phase, and the phase of the control signal for continuously tuning the signal frequency from a common analog voltage source.

5. The device as in claim 3, wherein the tuning controller derives analog control voltages for controlling the first and second optical resonators, the relative optical phase, and the phase of the control signal for continuously tuning the signal frequency from a digital tuning source, and the device further comprising digital-to-analog converters to respectively produce the analog control voltages from the digital tuning source.

6. The device as in claim 2, wherein the first and second optical resonators are tunable via an electro-optic effect.

7. The device as in claim 6, wherein the first and second optical resonators comprise a lithium niobate material.

8. The device as in claim 6, the first and second optical resonators are whispering gallery mode resonators.

9. The device as in claim 1, wherein the mechanism to adjust the relative optical phase between the first and the second optical paths comprises an optical phase shifter in one of the first and the second optical paths.

10. The device as in claim 1, wherein the mechanism to adjust the relative optical phase between the first and the second optical paths comprises two separate controls of the first and the second optical resonators to tune the first and second resonator resonance frequency, respectively.

11. The device as in claim 1, wherein the optical section comprises an optical delay element.

12. The device as in claim 11, wherein the optical delay element is a fiber loop.

13. A device, comprising:

a laser to lase at first and second laser frequencies that differ by a signal frequency, the laser comprising a closed optical loop which comprises;

an optical gain medium to produce an optical gain and to amplify light and to modulate the optical gain in response to a control signal applied to the optical gain medium,

a common optical path having a first end and a second end,

a first optical path coupled between the first end and second ends to receive a first portion of light in the closed optical loop and comprising a first optical resonator to transmit light at the first laser frequency, wherein the first optical resonator is tunable to change the first laser frequency, and

a second optical path, parallel to the first optical path, coupled between the first end and second ends to receive a second portion of light in the closed optical loop and comprising a second optical resonator to transmit light at the second laser frequency, wherein the second optical resonator is tunable to change the second laser frequency;

an opto-electronic feedback path comprising an optical section coupled to the laser to receive a portion of light from the closed optical loop, an electronic section to produce the control signal and coupled to the optical gain medium to apply the control signal, and an optical detector coupled between the optical section and the electronic section to covert light in the optical section into an electrical signal in the electronic section, wherein the electronic section produces the control signal from the electrical signal and sustains an oscillation at the signal frequency in the opto-electronic path and at least a portion of the closed optical loop; and

a tuning control mechanism to simultaneously control a relative optical phase between the first and the second optical paths, the first and the second optical resonators, and a phase of the control signal to continuously tune the signal frequency.

14. The device as in claim 13, wherein the tuning control mechanism comprises:

a tuning controller to tune at least one of the first and the second optical resonators to change the difference between the first and second laser frequencies and thus to tune the signal frequency;

an optical phase shifter in at least one of the first and second optical paths to change the relative optical phase; and

a phase shifter in the electrical section of the opto-electronic feedback path to change the phase of the control signal, wherein the tuning of at least one of the first and the second optical resonators, the change in the relative optical phase, and the change in the phase of the control signal are correlated to provide a continuous tuning in the signal frequency without optical mode hopping in the laser.

15. The device as in claim 14, further comprising a common analog voltage source to produce an analog voltage source, and wherein the tuning controller derives analog control voltages for controlling the first and second optical resonators, the optical phase shifter, and the phase shifter from the common analog voltage source.

16. The device as in claim 14, wherein the tuning controller comprises:

a digital tuning source to produce digital signals for controlling the controlling the first and second optical resonators, the optical phase shifter, and the phase shifter, respectively; and

digital-to-analog converters to respectively produce analog control voltages for controlling the first and second optical resonators, the optical phase shifter, and the phase shifter, respectively.

17. The device as in claim 13, wherein the tuning control mechanism comprises:

a tuning controller to tune at least one of the first and the second optical resonators to change the difference between the first and second laser frequencies to tune the signal frequency and a relative optical phase between the first and the second optical paths; and

a phase shifter in the electrical section of the opto-electronic feedback path to change the phase of the control signal when applied to the optical gain medium,

wherein the tuning of at least one of the first and the second optical resonators, the associated change in the relative optical phase, and the change in the phase of the control signal are correlated to provide a continuous tuning in the signal frequency without optical mode hopping in the laser.

18. The device as in claim 13, wherein the optical section comprises an optical delay element.

19. The device as in claim 18, wherein the optical delay element is a fiber loop.

20. The device as in claim 13, wherein the first and second optical resonators are tunable via an electro-optic effect.

21. The device as in claim 20, wherein the first and second optical resonators comprise a lithium niobate material.

22. The device as in claim 13, the first and second optical resonators are whispering gallery mode resonators.