Coupled opto-electronic oscillators with low noise
First Claim
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1. A device, comprising:
- a laser cavity comprising a first semiconductor optical amplifier forming a first end of the laser cavity, a second semiconductor optical amplifier, and an electro-absorption modulator which forms a second end of the laser cavity and is integrated to the second semiconductor optical amplifier, wherein the electro-absorption modulator modulates light in the laser cavity in response to a modulation signal;
an optical whispering gallery mode resonator located inside the laser cavity between the first and the second semiconductor amplifiers to filter light in the laser cavity;
a beam splitter inside the laser cavity to split a portion of the light in the laser cavity to produce an optical output;
a photodetector to receive the optical output and to convert the optical output into a detector output; and
a circuit to receive the detector output and to produce the modulation signal from the detector output,wherein the beam splitter, the photodetector, the circuit, and the laser cavity forms an opto-electronic loop to support an oscillation at a frequency of the modulation of light.
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Abstract
Coupled opto-electronic oscillators with a whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) optical resonator inside the laser cavity to produce oscillation signals out of the optical spectral range, e.g., RF or microwave frequencies.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A device, comprising:
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a laser cavity comprising a first semiconductor optical amplifier forming a first end of the laser cavity, a second semiconductor optical amplifier, and an electro-absorption modulator which forms a second end of the laser cavity and is integrated to the second semiconductor optical amplifier, wherein the electro-absorption modulator modulates light in the laser cavity in response to a modulation signal; an optical whispering gallery mode resonator located inside the laser cavity between the first and the second semiconductor amplifiers to filter light in the laser cavity; a beam splitter inside the laser cavity to split a portion of the light in the laser cavity to produce an optical output; a photodetector to receive the optical output and to convert the optical output into a detector output; and a circuit to receive the detector output and to produce the modulation signal from the detector output, wherein the beam splitter, the photodetector, the circuit, and the laser cavity forms an opto-electronic loop to support an oscillation at a frequency of the modulation of light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A device, comprising:
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a first optical gain medium, an optical whispering gallery mode resonator, a second optical gain medium, and an optical modulator sequentially arranged relative to one another to define an optical path and to form a laser which produces laser light that is confined between the first optical gain medium and the optical modulator, wherein the optical modulator modulates the laser light in response to a modulation signal; a beam splitter located between the optical whispering gallery mode resonator and the second optical gain medium to split a portion of the laser light propagating from the optical whispering gallery mode resonator to the second optical gain medium; a photodetector outside the laser to receive light from the beam splitter and to produce a detector output; and a circuit to receive the detector output and to produce the modulation signal from the detector output, wherein the laser, the beam splitter, the photodetector, and the circuit form a closed opto-electronic loop which oscillates at a frequency at which the optical modulator modulates the laser light. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification