发明名称 |
Optical frequency sweep control and readout by using a phase lock |
摘要 |
The invention allows for the accurate, real-time readout of the optical frequency of a swept-wavelength laser device by counting the number of fringes of a calibrated etalon that occur as the laser is swept. The distinguishing feature of the present invention is that the etalon fringe signal is phase-locked to a slave signal of a higher multiple frequency. The higher frequency of the slave signal divides the frequency interval of the etalon fringe spacing by the additional frequency multiple. The slave signal therefore generates a scale for optical frequency that is of higher resolution than possible with the etalon alone. The phase-lock also insures that the slave signal tracks monotonic scans of the optical frequency regardless of scan profile.The invention also allows for the precise, real-time control of the optical frequency of a laser during the sweep of the laser. By comparing a signal proportional to the transmission of light through a calibrated Fabry-Perot etalon to a reference control signal, the phase difference between etalon transmission signal and the reference signal may be fed back to the laser to drive the phase difference to zero (phase-lock). The phase-lock ensures that the optical frequency profile of the sweep follows exactly the frequency profile of the reference signal. Tailoring the input reference signal controls the velocity of the optical-frequency sweep.
|
申请公布号 |
US6870629(B1) |
申请公布日期 |
2005.03.22 |
申请号 |
US20020283649 |
申请日期 |
2002.10.29 |
申请人 |
PRECISION PHOTONICS CORPORATION |
发明人 |
VOGEL KURT R.;DINNEEN TIMOTHY P.;DEEDS MICHAEL E.;ENSHER JASON R.;MYATT CHRISTOPHER J. |
分类号 |
G01B9/02;G01J9/02;G01M11/00;(IPC1-7):G01B9/02 |
主分类号 |
G01B9/02 |
代理机构 |
|
代理人 |
|
主权项 |
|
地址 |
|