Apparatus and method for optical angle modulation measurement by a delayed self-heterodyne method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11098998-B2
Application number	US-201716340164-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2017
Priority date	Oct 12, 2016
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus and a method which enable, in optical angle modulation, measurement of laser light, to measure by a delayed self-heterodyne method, accurate measurement of a temporal waveform of optical angle modulation, without any influence by light intensity modulation, without necessity of for calibration, and without necessity for stabilizing an interferometer. In an optical angle modulation measurement apparatus using a delayed self-heterodyne method, a heterodyne interferometer that is fed with laser light to be measured; a photodetector that receives output light of the heterodyne interferometer and performs heterodyne detection of the output light to output a beat signal; using a phase demodulator that is configured to demodulate a phase of a beat signal; and a temporal waveform analyzer that is configured to obtain a temporal waveform of optical angle modulation, from the phase of the beat signal. In an optical angle modulation measurement method by a delayed self-heterodyne method, laser light to be measured, which is optical-angle modulated is input to a heterodyne interferometer, heterodyne detection of the output light is performed by a photodetector, and a temporal waveform of optical angle modulation is obtained by demodulating a phase of the beat signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical angle modulation measurement apparatus for measuring by a delayed self-heterodyne method, the apparatus comprising:
a heterodyne interferometer that is fed with laser light to be measured wherein the light is optical-angle modulated by a signal generator;
a photodetector which is configured to receive output light of the heterodyne interferometer to perform heterodyne detection;
a phase demodulator that is configured to demodulate a phase of a beat signal output from the photodetector; and
a temporal waveform analyzer that is configured to obtain a temporal waveform of optical angle modulation, from the phase of the beat signal,
wherein the heterodyne interferometer is a Mach-Zehnder interferometer including a first optical directional coupler that branches input laser light to be measured into two, a first optical path in which an optical frequency shifter of frequency shift f S is disposed, a second optical path having an optical delay medium with a delay time τ d , and a second optical directional coupler that combines an output of the first optical path and an output of the second optical path,
wherein the output light of the heterodyne interferometer is output light of the second optical directional coupler,
wherein the temporal waveform analyzer is a computer, and
wherein when the optical angle modulation is optical frequency modulation, the temporal waveform analyzer is configured to obtain the temporal waveform of the optical frequency modulation of the laser light to be measured by multiplying the phase of the beat signal by [2πτ d ] −1 (where, τ d is a delay time in the heterodyne interferometer).

2. The optical angle modulation measurement apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the temporal waveform of the optical angle modulation is a temporal waveform of at least one of optical frequency modulation and optical phase modulation.

3. The optical angle modulation measurement apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the optical angle modulation is optical phase modulation, the temporal waveform analyzer is configured to obtain the temporal waveform of the optical phase modulation of the laser light to be measured, by multiplying the phase of the beat signal by [2πτ d ] −1 (where, τ d is a delay time in the heterodyne interferometer) and integrating the value with respect to time.

4. The optical angle modulation measurement apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heterodyne interferometer is configured to have a delay time set to a value below a time taken for an optical frequency or an optical phase change of the laser light to be measured.

5. The optical angle modulation measurement apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heterodyne interferometer is configured for inputting zeroth order diffracted light of the optical frequency shifter to the optical delay medium, and configured for multiplexing and outputting first order diffracted light of the optical frequency shifter and output light of the optical delay medium by the optical directional coupler.

6. An optical angle modulation measurement method by a delayed self-heterodyne method, comprising:
inputting laser light to be measured, wherein the laser light is optical-angle modulated, to a heterodyne interferometer;
receiving output light of the heterodyne interferometer to perform heterodyne detection, by a photodetector; and
obtaining a time waveform of optical angle modulation by demodulating a phase of the beat signal output from the photodetector;
wherein the heterodyne interferometer is a Mach-Zehnder interferometer including a first optical directional coupler that branches input laser light to be measured into two, a first optical path in which an optical frequency shifter of frequency shift f S is disposed, a second optical path having an optical delay medium with a delay time τ d , and a second optical directional coupler that combines an output of the first optical path and an output of the second optical path,
wherein the output light of the heterodyne interferometer is output light of the second optical directional coupler, and
wherein when the optical angle modulation is optical phase modulation, the temporal waveform of the optical phase modulation of the laser light to be measured is obtained by multiplying the phase of the beat signal by [2πτ d ] −1 (where, τ d is a delay time in the heterodyne interferometer) and integrating the value with respect to time.

7. The optical angle modulation measurement method according to claim 6 ,
wherein when the optical angle modulation is optical frequency modulation, the temporal waveform of the optical frequency modulation of the laser light to be measured is obtained by multiplying the phase of the beat signal by [2πτ d ] −1 (where, τ d is a delay time in the heterodyne interferometer).

8. The optical angle modulation measurement method according to claim 7 ,
wherein the delay time in the heterodyne interferometer is set to a value below a time taken for an optical frequency or an optical phase change of the laser light to be measured.

9. The optical angle modulation measurement method according to claim 6 ,
wherein the delay time in the heterodyne interferometer is set to a value below a time taken for an optical frequency or an optical phase change of the laser light to be measured.

Assignees

• Aist

Inventors

• Tsuchida Hidemi

Classifications

• G01S17/34 Primary

  using transmission of continuous, frequency-modulated waves while heterodyning the received signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a locally-generated signal related to the contemporaneously transmitted signal · CPC title

• G01J9/04

  by beating two waves of a same source but of different frequency and measuring the phase shift of the lower frequency obtained · CPC title

• G01B9/02

  Interferometers · CPC title

• G01S7/481

  Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements · CPC title

• G01S7/4917

  superposing optical signals in a photodetector, e.g. optical heterodyne detection · CPC title