SBIR Phase I: Compact Wavelength Sensor for Digital Control and Stabilization of Tunable Lasers

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将开发一种紧凑、坚固耐用的波长传感器，用于可调谐激光器的数字控制。在这个项目中，该公司将设计和制造一种波长传感器，该传感器可以提供误差信号，反馈给脉冲或连续可调激光器，以锁定其波长。该传感器基于一种新型的波导电路，不包含任何移动部件或整体光学元件。在制造传感器硬件并开发必要的软件算法以分析传感器数据以确定激光波长之后，将对传感器进行测试，以确定其测量稳定性和分辨率。根据理论分析和之前的研究，该公司预计将展示1ppm或更高的分辨率和精度。如果成功，这一结果将导致波长稳定、数字可调的二极管激光器的商业引入。该公司相信，这些产品将在许多领域具有巨大的市场潜力，包括工业计量和痕量气体的大气传感。例如，来自高功率、波长稳定的激光二极管的光耦合到多个单模光纤，可以在整个制造厂分布到每台机床和坐标测量机的每个轴上。波长稳定的激光二极管的问世将为制造业提供一种极具吸引力的替代方案，取代通常使用的HeNe激光器，后者体积庞大，不太结实，而且由于其光功率较低，通常需要为每台机床或三坐标测量机的每个测量轴配备单独的激光器。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a compact, robust wavelength sensor for digital control of tunable lasers. During this project the company will design and build a wavelength sensor that can provide an error signal for feedback to a pulsed or cw tunable laser to lock its wavelength. The sensor is based on a novel waveguide circuit, and incorporates no moving parts or bulk optics. After fabrication of the sensor hardware and development of the necessary software algorithms that analyze the sensor data to determine the laser wavelength, the sensor will be tested to determine its measurement stability and resolution. Based on theoretical analysis and previous research, the company expects to demonstrate resolution and accuracy of 1ppm or better.If successful the results will lead to the commercial introduction of wavelength-stabilized, digitally tunable diode lasers. The company believes that these products will have significant market potential in a number of areas, including industrial metrology and atmospheric sensing of trace gases. For example, light from a high-powered, wavelength-stabilized laser diode, coupled to multiple single-mode optical fibers, could be distributed throughout a manufacturing plant to every axis of every machine tool and coordinate measuring machine. The availability of wavelength-stabilized laser diodes will provide the manufacturing industry with an extremely attractive alternative to the commonly used HeNe laser, which is bulky, not very robust, and, because of its low optical power, generally requires a separate laser for each measured axis of every machine tool or CMM.