Laser frequency stabilization
US5068864A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 4, 1990 |
| Grant date | Nov 26, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 4, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/1392
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
In one aspect, frequency fluctuations are stabilized in a laser beam using a frequency stabilization stage that includes a modulator for dithering (i.e., periodically scanning) the frequency of the laser beam, and absorption resonance cell that has a resonance at a predetermined linewidth to which the dithered beam is applied. The output of the cell is synchronously demodulated with respect to the dithering to produce a correction signal that represents the frequency fluctuations with respect to a reference frequency within the absorption linewidth, and the correction signal is used in a configuration which corrects for the frequency fluctuations and produces from the stage a non-dithered, frequency stabilized output. In another aspect, the frequency of the laser beam is controlled using the molecular or atomic resonances of a plurality of successive frequency stabilization stages. Each stage includes an independent control servo loop incorporating a respective absorption resonance cell and constructed to produce frequency correction referenced upon a predetermined resonance of the absorption cell, and the predetermined reference resonances of successive absorption cells have succe…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.