Optical gyroscope with weak measurement amplification readout
AssigneeDRS Network & Imaging Systems, LLC
InventorsMarco A. Lopez, Andrew Jordan, Kevin Lyons, John Steinmetz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A photonic device for detecting rotation and a corresponding method for operation thereof are disclosed. The photonic device includes a readout structure coupled to a ring resonator at one or more coupling points. Light is split between a lower waveguide and an upper waveguide of the readout structure in a forward direction at a beam splitter. The light in the waveguides traveling in the forward direction is coupled into the ring resonator and subsequently back into the waveguides in a reverse direction. The light is spatially phase tilted and is combined at the beam splitter. The combined light is detected by a split detector.
Claims16
A method of detecting a rotation of a photonic device, the method comprising:
- inputting light at an input port formed by one or more waveguides of a readout structure;
- splitting, at a beam splitter, the light between a lower path and an upper path of the one or more waveguides in a forward direction;
- coupling the light in the lower path traveling in the forward direction into a ring resonator at a lower coupling point and the light in the upper path traveling in the forward direction into the ring resonator at an upper coupling point, wherein the lower path at least partially extends
- past the lower coupling point in the forward direction and the upper path at least partially extends past the upper coupling point in the forward direction;
- coupling the light in the ring resonator into the lower path in a reverse direction at the lower coupling point and the light in the ring resonator into the upper path in the reverse direction at the upper coupling point;
- combining, at the beam splitter, the light in the lower path traveling in the reverse direction and the light in the upper path traveling in the reverse direction to form output light;
- and
- detecting the output light at an output port formed by the one or more waveguides, wherein the rotation is calculated based on the output light.
A photonic device comprising:
- a ring resonator;
- and
- a readout structure coupled to the ring resonator at one or more coupling points, the readout structure comprising:
- one or more waveguides forming:
- a lower path and an upper path;
- an input port coupled to the lower path or the upper path, the input port configured to receive light;
- and
- an output port coupled to the lower path or the upper path, the output port configured to output the light;
- a beam splitter for splitting the light between the lower path and the upper path in a forward direction and for combining the light in the lower path traveling in a reverse direction and the light in the upper path traveling in the reverse direction to form output light;
- and
- a detector for detecting the output light at the output port;
- wherein the photonic device is configured to:
- couple the light in the lower path traveling in the forward direction into the ring resonator at a lower coupling point and the light in the upper path traveling in the forward direction into the ring resonator at an upper coupling point, wherein the lower path at least partially extends past the lower coupling point in the forward direction and the upper path at least partially extends past the upper coupling point in the forward direction;
- and
- couple the light in the ring resonator into the lower path in a reverse direction at the lower coupling point and the light in the ring resonator into the upper path in the reverse direction at the upper coupling point.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.