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

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将使用新型的巨型电光效应将机械外腔二极管激光器减少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），将具有环境鲁棒性、紧凑性、完全电光性，并能够在不到5毫秒的时间内连续、无模式跳变地调谐超过100 nm。 激光器还将表现出40 dB的边模抑制比和~200 kHz的（快）线宽。 在第二阶段，我们将展示先进的原型WECSL，开发关键的制造工艺，并进行基本的环境认证。 我们还将进行研究，使激光以5 kHz的速率扫描50 nm的波段。 WECSL的低成本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重要作用。 在生物光子学中，可调谐激光器可以取代宽带光源，并增强测量人类视网膜和血管系统中组织层的光学相干断层扫描仪的性能。 分布式光纤传感阵列极大地受益于可调谐激光器，其探测沿光纤沿着间隔的布拉格传感器。 正在开发需要低成本可调谐激光器的分布式光纤传感器，用于化学和生物传感、压力传感以及振动、应变和温度传感，用于各种各样的监测应用，例如国土安全;民用结构，例如建筑物、桥梁和水坝;油井威尔斯和管道;电力线;飞机和航天器;以及全光学船上传感。

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.