Radio frequency oscillator and associated source and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10917047-B2
Application number	US-201816652326-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2018
Priority date	Oct 2, 2017
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to a radiofrequency oscillator comprising an optical resonator being a ring waveguide allowing the propagation of a first wave in a first direction and of a second wave in a second direction, the second direction being opposite to the first direction, and the resonator comprising an active optical medium generating a first optical line from the first wave and a second optical line from the second wave, the resonator being in contact with a part made of a material featuring a magneto-optic effect, an applier of external magnetic field of adjustable intensity on the resonator generating a frequency offset between the first wave and the second wave, and a processing circuit converting the beat between the two optical lines in a radiofrequency signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Radiofrequency oscillator comprising:
an optical resonator being a ring waveguide allowing propagation of a first wave in a first direction and of a second wave in a second direction, the second direction being opposite to the first direction, and the resonator comprising an active optical medium generating a first optical line from the first wave and a second optical line from the second wave,
the resonator being in contact with a part made of a material featuring a magneto-optic effect,
an external magnetic field applier of adjustable intensity on the resonator generating a frequency offset between the first wave and the second wave, and
a processing circuit converting the beat between the two optical lines into a radiofrequency signal.

2. An oscillator according to claim 1 , in which the material featuring a magneto-optic effect is yttrium and iron garnet or yttrium and iron garnet doped with a ferromagnetic, paramagnetic, ferrimagnetic or metallic element.

3. Oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is made using silicon technology.

4. Oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein the applier is adapted to apply a magnetic field perpendicular to the ring waveguide when the two waves propagate in electrical transverse polarization.

5. Oscillator according to claim 1 , in which a center is defined for the resonator, the applier being adapted to apply a radial magnetic field relative to the center of the resonator when the two waves propagate in transverse magnetic polarization.

6. Oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein the part made of a material featuring a magneto-optic effect is part of the resonator and is in contact with the active optical medium.

7. Oscillator according to claim 1 , wherein the oscillator further comprises stabilization in amplitude, in frequency and in phase.

8. Oscillator according to claim 1 , in which the active optical medium is positioned so that the resonator is an extended cavity.

9. Radiofrequency source comprising a radiofrequency oscillator according to claim 1 .

10. Device comprising a radiofrequency source according to claim 9 .

Assignees

• Thales Sa
• Univ Paris Saclay
• Centre Nat Rech Scient

Inventors

• Combrie Sylvain
• De Rossi Alfredo
• Anane Abdelmadjid
• Bortolotti Paolo

Classifications

• G02F2/002 Primary

  using optical mixing · CPC title

• H03B2200/0016

  including a ring, disk or loop shaped resonator · CPC title

• H03B21/01

  by beating unmodulated signals of different frequencies · CPC title

• H03B2200/0044

  including optical elements, e.g. optical injection locking · CPC title

• H03B17/00 Primary

  Generation of oscillations using radiation source and detector, e.g. with interposed variable obturator · CPC title