G01C19/721

INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTALLY INSENSITIVE MODULATOR FOR INTERFEROMETRIC GYROSCOPES

In an example, an integrated optical circuit (IOC) includes a first substrate formed of a first material and a first waveguide formed of a second material and positioned on the first substrate. The first waveguide includes a plurality of branches and is configured to polarize light beams that propagate through the first waveguide. The IOC further includes a second substrate formed of a third material, the second substrate coupled to or positioned on the first substrate. The IOC further includes a plurality of straight waveguides formed in the second substrate, each of the plurality of straight waveguides optically coupled to a respective branch of the plurality of branches of the first waveguide. The IOC further includes a plurality of electrodes positioned proximate to the plurality of straight waveguides, the plurality of electrodes configured to modulate the phase of light beams that propagate through the plurality of straight waveguides.

INTEGRATION OF PHOTONICS OPTICAL GYROSCOPES WITH MICRO-ELECTRO-MECHANICAL SENSORS
20220003551 · 2022-01-06 ·

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to monolithically integrating an optical gyroscope fabricated on a planar silicon platform as a photonic integrated circuit with a MEMS accelerometer on the same die. The accelerometer can be controlled by electronic circuitry that controls the optical gyroscope. Gaps may be introduced between adjacent waveguide turns to reduce cross-talk and improve sensitivity and packing density of the optical gyroscope.

INTERFEROMETRIC OPTICAL FIBER GYROSCOPE AND SENSING COIL MECHANISM

[Object] To provide an interferometric optical fiber gyroscope that can perform higher-accuracy measurement and can be produced at a low cost.

[Solving Means] An interferometric optical fiber gyroscope is an interferometric optical fiber gyroscope that detects angular velocity by optical interference between counterclockwise light and clockwise light. In such an interferometric optical fiber gyroscope that detects angular velocity by optical interference between counterclockwise light and clockwise light, the interferometric optical fiber gyroscope includes: a sensing coil mechanism including a multicore fiber that includes a plurality of transmission cores, and a multicore fiber optical path junction that optically couples at least a first transmission core and a second transmission core, of the plurality of transmission cores.

RING WAVEGUIDE BASED INTEGRATED PHOTONICS OPTICAL GYROSCOPE WITH GAIN TUNING FOR ENHANCED PERFORMANCE
20210341289 · 2021-11-04 ·

An integrated photonics optical gyroscope fabricated on a silicon nitride (SiN) waveguide platform comprises a first straight waveguide to receive incoming light and to output outgoing light to be coupled to a photodetector to provide an optical signal for rotational sensing. The gyroscope comprises a first microresonator ring proximate to the first straight waveguide. Light evanescently couples from the first straight waveguide to the first microresonator ring and experiences propagation loss while circulating as a guided beam within the first microresonator ring. The guided beam evanescently couples back from the first microresonator ring to the first straight waveguide to provide the optical signal for rotational sensing after optical gain is imparted to guided beam to counter the propagation loss. In a coupled-ring configurations, the first microresonator ring acts as a loss ring, and optical gain is imparted to a second microresonator ring which acts as a gain ring.

INERTIAL SENSOR, ATOMIC INTERFEROMETER, METHOD FOR ADJUSTING SPEED AND COURSE OF ATOMIC BEAM, AND APPARATUS FOR ADJUSTING SPEED AND COURSE OF ATOMIC BEAM

An adjuster 500 performs simultaneous irradiation of M laser beams to an atomic beam 131, where M is a predetermined integer satisfying 3≤M. The course of each of the M laser beams intersects with an approach path of the atomic beam 131. A component, in a direction perpendicular to the approach path of the atomic beam, of the sum of radiation pressure vectors that the M laser beams respectively have is non-zero. A component, in a direction of the approach path of the atomic beam, of the sum of the radiation pressure vectors that the M laser beams respectively have is negative for atoms having speeds greater than the predetermined speed, and positive for the atoms having speeds smaller than the predetermined speed.

Sensor thermal management and stabilization utilizing variable conductance

A system for sensor thermal management and stabilization comprises a sensor block, one or more sensors mounted on the sensor block, one or more heaters mounted on the sensor block, a chassis coupled to the sensor block, a thermal conductor moveably coupled between the sensor block and the chassis, and a thermal control actuation mechanism operatively connected to the thermal conductor. The thermal control actuation mechanism is operative to cause the thermal conductor to vary a total thermal conductance from the sensor block to the chassis by moving the thermal conductor toward the chassis or away from the chassis. The total thermal conductance is varied to provide an optimized thermal stability and optimized environmental range of applicability for the one or more sensors.

Silicon nitride waveguide based integrated photonics front-end chip for optical gyroscope
11656080 · 2023-05-23 · ·

An integrated photonics optical gyroscope fabricated on a silicon nitride (SiN) waveguide platform comprises (SiN) waveguide-based optical components that constitute a front-end chip to launch light into and receive light from the rotation sensing element, that can be a fiber spool. The SiN waveguide-based components can be distributed between multiple layers that are stacked together to have a multi-layer configuration vertically and evanescently coupled with each other. External elements (e.g., laser, detectors, phase shifter) may be made of different material platform than SiN and can be hybridly integrated or otherwise coupled to the SiN waveguide platform. The phase shifters can be made of electro-optic material, or piezo-electric material or can be thermal phase shifters.

Compact optical-fibre Sagnac interferometer
11549812 · 2023-01-10 · ·

Disclosed is a Sagnac interferometer with a looped or an in-line optical fiber. The interferometer includes an hybrid integrated optical circuit having at least a first, electro-optic, substrate and a second, transparent, substrate with a common interface, the first substrate including a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide being connected to at least one end of the fiber-optic coil, and an input-output optical waveguide connected to a light source and to a detection system, the second substrate including at least one U-shaped optical waveguide and the hybrid integrated optical circuit including a planar waveguide Y-junction with a common branch and two secondary branches.

Atomic gyroscope and atomic interferometer

An atomic interferometer includes: an optical system including an optical modulating device that includes: an optical fiber for a first laser beam to propagate therein; and a frequency shifter connected to the optical fiber and configured to shift the frequency of the first laser beam, the optical system being configured to generate a moving standing light wave from counter-propagation of the first laser beam from the optical modulating device and a second laser beam; and an interference system for making an atomic beam interact with three or more moving standing light waves including the moving standing light wave.

INTEGRATION OF PHOTONICS OPTICAL GYROSCOPES WITH MICRO-ELECTRO-MECHANICAL SENSORS
20220326014 · 2022-10-13 ·

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to monolithically integrating an optical gyroscope fabricated on a planar silicon platform as a photonic integrated circuit with a MEMS accelerometer on the same die. The accelerometer can be controlled by electronic circuitry that controls the optical gyroscope. The optical gyroscope may have a microresonator ring or a multi-turn waveguide coil. Gaps may be introduced between adjacent waveguide turns to reduce cross-talk and improve sensitivity and packing density of the optical gyroscope.