High accuracy, high precision, low drift, and concurrent wavelength measurement of a sweeping tunable laser
US9766131B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 20, 2009 |
| Grant date | Sep 19, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 13, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S5/0064
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A tunable laser wavelength measurement system includes an interferometric wavelength tracking system that uses a combination of interferometric and wavelength reference measurements to directly measure the laser output wavelength, The measurement exhibits the following desirable error signal characteristics: directional information, continuity, low latency, absolute information, high accuracy, high precision, and little or no drift, A tunable laser wavelength control system additionally incorporates electronics to compare the measured laser wavelength to a desired wavelength or wavelength function, and to generate a feedback control signal to control the wavelength of the laser output based on the comparison. In one non-limiting example implementation, the desired wavelength function is repetitive. The difference between the desired wavelength function and the interferometrically-measured wavelength function is taken, and a successive approximation technique is employed to calculate and adjust a repetitive controlling signal to obtain the desired wavelength function.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.