Chip-Scale Frequency Combs

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Summary: UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical Engineering have developed an optical frequency comb technology using small, cheap components for high precision time, frequency, distance, and energy measurements. Background: Optical frequency comb (OFC) technology can measure frequency of light in high precision compared with conventional atomic clocks. However, the mode locked lasers used in traditional OFCs are very expensive and limited to research labs. One solution is to use microresonator-based OFCs which promise small size, weight and power consumption (SWaP). But one major challenge for this micro-resonator-based OFCs is that the precision of the frequency comb positions is limited without sacrificing the SWaP advantages. Innovation: UCLA researchers proposed and demonstrated a method to achieve precise optical frequency comb measurement using a microresonator. More specifically, the new method proposes a new method for stable self-referencing by taking advantage of the intrinsic offset frequency of the microresonator. The demonstrated prototype provides good frequency stability close to the reference microwave oscillator used in the experiment. Applications:   Precision frequency metrology, more precise atomic clocks Chip-scale optical circuit or systemsSynchronization of advanced telecommunication systemsRemote detection and range measurements for manufacturing or defense applicationsUltrasensitive chemical detectors, control of chemical reactions using lasersPrecision navigation systems, such as next-generation global positioning systemsApplications that requires comb spacing of 10-100GHz: coherent Raman spectroscopy, high bandwidth telecommunication, optical arbitrary waveform generation, and astrospectrograph calibration     Advantages: Cheap and industrial-standard components: microresonator, CW laser, and low noise microwave oscillatorNo need to use expensive pulsed lasersRelative easy experimental setup, no need for multiple stages of power amplifier, or nonlinear optical setupSmall size, weight and power consumption (SWaP)Comb spacing of 10-100GHz is advantageous for many applicationsPotential for chip-scale electronic and photonic integration - See more at: https://techtransfer.universityofcalifornia.edu/NCD/27232.html#sthash.8F4uO9nH.dpuf