System and method for generating high energy optical pulses with arbitrary waveform

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016164240-A1
Application number	US-201414251512-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 11, 2014
Priority date	Apr 11, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system for generating an optical signal having a preselected waveform includes: a laser source; a first waveform generator configured to apply a first signal to the laser source to create a laser output; an intensity modulator configured to receive the laser output; a second waveform generator configured to apply a second signal to the intensity modulator, the intensity modulator being configured to generate a pre-distorted laser signal based on the second signal and the laser output.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for generating an optical signal having a pre-selected waveform, the system comprising:
a laser source; a first waveform generator configured to apply a first signal to the laser source to create a laser output; an intensity modulator configured to receive the laser output; and a second waveform generator configured to apply a second signal to the intensity modulator, the intensity modulator being configured to generate a pre-distorted laser signal based on the second signal and the laser output.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an amplifier coupled to the intensity modulator and configured to amplify the pre-distorted laser signal for generating the optical signal having the pre-selected waveform.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the pre-distorted laser signal compensates for distortion caused by the amplifier and frequency converter.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the amplifier comprises a plurality of stages including at least one broadband laser amplifier followed by at least one narrowband laser amplifier to reduce gain clamping.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the amplifier comprises an optical gate between the stages to reduce gain clamping.

6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a frequency converter coupled to the intensity modulator and configured to convert a frequency of the pre-distorted laser signal for generating the optical signal having the pre-selected waveform.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first waveform generator is configured to apply the first signal to the laser source through a laser source driver configured to directly modulate a current applied to the laser source.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the laser source driver is configured to directly modulate the current applied to the laser source by ramping the current applied to the laser source to generate a frequency chirp in the pre-selected waveform to mitigate stimulated Brillouin scattering.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein ramping the current applied to the laser source operates to improve a pulse contrast ratio at an output of the intensity modulator.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the second waveform generator is configured to apply the second signal to the intensity modulator through a radio frequency amplifier configured to amplify the second signal.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the intensity modulator is configured to generate the pre-distorted laser signal as a product of the laser signal and the second signal.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the intensity modulator is an electro-optical intensity modulator.

13 . A method of generating an optical signal having a pre-selected waveform, the method comprising:
applying a first signal from a first waveform generator to a laser source to create a laser output; transmitting the laser output to an intensity modulator, applying a second signal from a second waveform generator to the intensity modulator to generate a pre-distorted laser signal based on the second signal and the laser output; and amplifying and converting a frequency of the pre-distorted laser signal to generate the optical signal having the pre-selected waveform.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein pre-distorted laser signal compensates for distortion caused by amplification and frequency conversion.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein amplifying the pre-distorted laser signal comprises transmitting the pre-distorted laser signal through a plurality of stages including at least one broadband laser amplifier followed by at least one narrowband laser amplifier to reduce gain clamping.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein amplifying the pre-distorted laser signal comprises transmitting the pre-distorted laser signal through an optical gate between the stages to reduce gain clamping.

17 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising directly modulating a current applied to the laser source by applying the first signal from the first waveform generator through a laser source driver to the laser source.

18 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising ramping a current applied to the laser source to create a frequency chirp in the pre-selected waveform.

19 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising applying the second signal to the intensity modulator through a radio frequency amplifier configured to amplify the second signal.

20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising creating the laser output as a product of the laser signal and the amplified second signal.

Assignees

• Raytheon Co

Inventors

• Boland Brian F
• Stultz Robert D
• Filgas David M
• Bulot Jean-Paul

Classifications

• G02F1/37

  for second-harmonic generation {(G02F1/3532 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H01S5/0622

  Controlling the frequency of the radiation · CPC title

• H01S2301/03

  Suppression of nonlinear conversion, e.g. specific design to suppress for example stimulated brillouin scattering [SBS], mainly in optical fibres in combination with multimode pumping · CPC title

• H01S3/0064

  Anti-reflection devices, e.g. optical isolaters (absorbing layers for marking or protecting purposes in laser working B23K26/50; magneto-optical non-reciprocal devices G02F1/093, G02F1/0955) · CPC title

• H01S3/2316

  Cascaded amplifiers · CPC title