SBIR Phase II: Liquid-Crystal Waveguides for Optical Integrated Circuits

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目将利用一种新型的巨大电光效应，将机械外腔二极管激光器缩小到厘米大小的波导芯片。该器件是一种波导外腔半导体激光器（WECSL），环境坚固，结构紧凑，完全是电光器件，能够在不到5毫秒的时间内连续，无模式跳变调谐超过100 nm。该激光器还将具有40 dB的侧模抑制比和~200 kHz的（快速）线宽。在第二阶段，我们将展示先进的WECSLs原型，开发关键的制造工艺，并执行基本的环境资格。我们还将进行研究，允许激光以5千赫的速率扫过50纳米的波段。低成本的WECSLs技术平台及其精确的性能规格可以使基于激光的传感器在商业应用中发挥突出作用。在生物光子学中，可调谐激光器可以取代宽带光源，提高光学相干断层扫描仪器的性能，用于测量人体视网膜和血管系统中的组织层。分布式光纤传感阵列极大地受益于可调谐激光器探测沿光纤分布的布拉格传感器。需要低成本可调谐激光器的分布式光纤传感器正在开发中，用于化学和生物传感、压力传感、振动、应变和温度传感，用于各种监测应用，如国土安全；土木结构，如建筑物、桥梁和水坝；油井和管道；电力线路；飞机和宇宙飞船；以及全光舰载传感。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will reduce mechanical external-cavity diode lasers to a centimeter-sized waveguide chip using a novel giant electro-optic effect. The device, a waveguide external-cavity semiconductor laser (WECSL), will be environmentally robust, compact, entirely electro-optic and capable of continuous, mode-hop-free tuning over 100 nm in fewer than 5 milliseconds. The laser will also exhibit a side-mode-suppression ratio of 40 dB and a (fast) linewidth of ~200 kHz. In Phase II we will demonstrate advanced prototype WECSLs, develop critical manufacturing processes, and perform basic environmental qualifications. We will also conduct research allowing the laser to sweep over a 50 nm band at a rate of 5 kHz. The low-cost technology platform of WECSLs, and their precision performance specifications could enable laser-based sensors to assume a prominent role in commercial applications. In biophotonics, tunable lasers can replace broadband light sources and enhance the performance of optical coherence tomography instruments that measure the tissue layers in the human retina and the vascular system. Distributed fiber sensing arrays greatly benefit from tunable lasers that probe Bragg sensors spaced along the fiber. Distributed fiber sensors needing low-cost tunable lasers are being developed for chemical and biological sensing, pressure sensing, and vibration, strain and temperature sensing for a wide variety of monitoring applications such as homeland security; civil structures such as buildings, bridges, and dams; oil wells and pipelines; electrical power lines; aircraft and spacecraft; and all-optical shipboard sensing.