Tunable balanced opto-electronic filters and applications in opto-electronic oscillators
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A device, comprising:
- an input port to receive an input optical beam at an optical carrier frequency;
a first optical path coupled to the input port to receive a first portion of the input optical signal and comprising a first optical resonator locked in frequency to be resonant at the optical carrier frequency to transmit light at the optical carrier frequency through the first optical path;
a second optical path coupled to the input port to receive a second portion of the input optical signal and comprising a second optical resonator, which is tunable to be in resonance with light at a selected optical frequency different from the optical carrier frequency, to transmit light at the selected optical frequency through the second optical path;
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; and
an optical detector to convert the output optical beam into a detector output carrying a signal at a frequency that is a difference between the optical carrier frequency and the selected optical frequency.
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Abstract
Devices and techniques for achieving signal filtering in RF or microwave frequencies by optical filtering via two optical resonators in two separate optical paths. One optical resonator is tunable to tune the filtering in RF or microwave frequencies. Tunable opto-electronic oscillators may be constructed based on described filters.
104 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A device, comprising:
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an input port to receive an input optical beam at an optical carrier frequency; a first optical path coupled to the input port to receive a first portion of the input optical signal and comprising a first optical resonator locked in frequency to be resonant at the optical carrier frequency to transmit light at the optical carrier frequency through the first optical path; a second optical path coupled to the input port to receive a second portion of the input optical signal and comprising a second optical resonator, which is tunable to be in resonance with light at a selected optical frequency different from the optical carrier frequency, to transmit light at the selected optical frequency through the second optical path; 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; and an optical detector to convert the output optical beam into a detector output carrying a signal at a frequency that is a difference between the optical carrier frequency and the selected optical frequency. - 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, 31)
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26. A device, comprising:
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first and second optical paths to split an input optical beam into a first optical beam into the first optical path and a second optical beam into the second optical path, and to combine light from the first and second optical paths as an optical output; a first optical resonator coupled in the first optical path and locked to an optical carrier frequency of the input optical beam; a second optical resonator coupled in the second optical path and configured to exhibit an electro-optic effect and tunable in response to an electrical, tuning signal to change a spectral difference of a resonance in the second optical resonator closest to the optical carrier frequency; and an optical detector to receive the optical output from the first and second optical paths and to convert the optical output into a detector signal carrying a signal at a frequency equal to a difference between the optical carrier frequency and the resonance where the second optical resonator is tuned. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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28. A device, comprising:
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first and second optical paths to split an input optical beam into a first optical beam into the first optical path and a second optical beam into the second optical path, and to combine light from the first and second optical paths as an optical output; a first optical resonator coupled in the first optical path and locked to an optical carrier frequency of the input optical beam; a second optical resonator coupled in the second optical path and configured to exhibit an electro-optic effect and tunable in response to an electrical tuning signal to change a spectral difference of a resonance in the second optical resonator closest to the optical carrier frequency; a first optical detector to receive a portion of light transmitting through the first optical resonator in the first optical path and to convert the portion of light into a first detector signal; and a locking circuit to receive and process the first detector signal to produce a first control signal and operable to apply the first control signal to lock the first optical resonator at the optical carrier frequency. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. A device, comprising:
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an input port to receive an input optical beam at an optical carrier frequency; a first optical path coupled to the input, port to receive a first portion of the input optical signal and comprising a first optical resonator at a first resonance frequency to transmit light at the first resonance frequency through the first optical path; a second optical path coupled to the input port to receive a second portion of the input optical signal and comprising a second optical resonator, which is tunable to be in resonance with light at a second resonance frequency different from the first resonance frequency, to transmit light at the second resonance frequency through the second optical path; 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; and an optical detector to convert the output optical beam into a detector output carrying a signal at a frequency that is a difference between the first and second resonance frequencies.
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Specification