STTR Phase I: Manufacturing Technology for Fiber Lasers Using MicroOpto Electro Mechanical Systems (MOEMS)

这是一个小型企业技术转移第一阶段项目，旨在解决光纤激光器的新材料和制造技术。光纤激光器已经成为迄今为止能效最高的二极管泵浦固态激光器。随之而来的是光纤激光光谱相干性和功率调节方面的进展。然而，开发用于波长调谐和光谱相干性控制的集成制造工艺的努力较少，这两种工艺对激光光谱学、坚固耐用的工业光学传感器和光通信等应用都至关重要。Coherent Technologies，Inc.和康奈尔大学提议联合开发创新的微光机电系统(MOEMS)设备，以在光纤激光器中提供这些功能。与竞争对手的光学技术相比，这些器件实现了前所未有的宽带调谐、可变输出耦合、纵向模式选择和100 kKhz伺服带宽的光学相位控制。严格的波长要求阻碍了传统技术的大规模制造。MOEMS调谐器缓解了工艺产生的问题。第一阶段理论和原理证明将为第二阶段计划建立技术可行性。第二阶段的目标是建造第一个适合商业化的频率捷变锁相光纤激光器振荡器/放大器。利用这项技术开发的设备将在恶劣的环境中运行，就像在工业加工厂和电信、可编程波分复用和可重新配置的光分/插开关中可能遇到的那样。

This is a Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I Project that addresses new materials and manufacturing techniques for fiber lasers. Fiber lasers have emerged as the most energy efficient, diode-pumped, solid-state lasers demonstrated to date. There have been concomitant advances in fiber laser spectral coherence and power scaling. However, less effort has been directed towards developing an integrated manufacturing process for wavelength tuning and spectral coherence control, both of which are crucial to applications such as laser spectroscopy, rugged industrial optical sensors and optical communications. Coherent Technologies, Inc. and Cornell University propose to jointly develop innovative Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MOEMS) devices to provide these capabilities in fiber lasers. When compared to competing optical technologies, these devices achieve unprecedented wide-band tuning, variable outcoupling, longitudinal mode selection and optical phase control with servo bandwidths 100 kKhz. Stringent wavelength requirements inhibit large scale manufacturing with conventional technology. The MOEMS tuners relieve the issues of process yield.The Phase I theory and proof-of-principle demonstrator will establish technical viability for the Phase II program. The Phase II goal is to build a first-of-kind frequency-agile phase-locked fiber laser oscillator/amplifier that is suitable for commercialization. The devices developed with this technology will operate in hostile environments, as might be encountered in industrial process plants and telecommunications, in programmable wavelength division multiplexing and in reconfigurable optical drop/add switches.