Patent · US Expired

Optically stable, large time bandwidth acousto-optic heterodyne spectrum analyzer with fixed non-zero heterodyne output

US5028864A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
3References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 14, 1990
Grant dateJul 2, 1991
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 14, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R23/17
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A common-path interferometric acoustic-optic heterodyne spectrum analyzer ving high immunity to ambient vibration uses two, counter-propagating beams, two Bragg cells for beam diffraction, a series of waveplates and a birefringent quartz wedge. Proper light polarization with the waveplates and Bragg cell geometry allows one Bragg cell to diffract primarily the clockwise beam and the other Bragg cell to diffract the counterclockwise beam. The birefringent quartz wedge shifts the diffracted beams to provide a heterodyne signal with a non-zero IF carrier frequency. The analyzer is highly angle compensated and alignment stable when components are disturbed in position or orientation.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.