Granted Patent B2

US 12,305,988 · App. 18/166,665 · Granted May 20, 2025

Inventors: Matthew Wade Puckett (Phoenix, AZ); Jianfeng Wu (Tucson, AZ); Steven Tin (Edina, MN); Tiequn Qiu (Glendale, AZ)

Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.

G01C19/661G01C19/722G02B6/02076G02B6/12007G02B6/124G02B6/29341

Abstract

Claims (62)

1. A resonator configured to be mounted over a surface of a substrate, comprising:

a planar optical waveguide comprising:

a core having a core index of refraction and a thickness which is at least ten percent of a free space wavelength of an optical signal configured to be propagated by such planar optical waveguide, wherein the thickness means a dimension along an axis perpendicular to the surface, of the substrate, under the resonator; and

a cladding having a cladding index of refraction and surrounding the core and over the surface of the substrate;

wherein the cladding index of refraction is smaller than the core index of refraction;

at least one sidewall of the cladding, wherein a sidewall means a surface, of the cladding, perpendicular to the surface of the substrate; and

at least one Bragg grating, wherein each Bragg grating is in a unique sidewall of the cladding;

wherein a Bragg grating period is greater than the free space wavelength of the optical signal configured to propagate in the planar optical waveguide divided by two times an index of refraction of a transverse electric zero (TE0) mode;

wherein the Bragg grating period is less than the free space wavelength of the optical signal configured to propagate in the planar optical waveguide divided by two times an index of refraction of a transverse magnetic zero (TM0) mode;

wherein the resonator is a travelling wave resonator configured to propagate electromagnetic energy in only one direction.

2. The resonator of claim 1 , wherein the core comprises silicon nitride and the cladding comprises silicon dioxide.

3. The resonator of claim 1 , wherein the travelling wave resonator is one of a ring resonator, a disc resonator, and a racetrack resonator.

4. The resonator of claim 1 , wherein the core has a width that is less than seven free space wavelengths of the optical signal configured to be propagated in the planar optical waveguide, wherein the width means a dimension along another axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of the thickness and parallel with the surface of the substrate.

5. The resonator of claim 4 , wherein the width is a diameter of the core when the resonator is a disc resonator.

6. A resonator optical gyroscope, comprising:

a travelling wave resonator configured to be mounted over a surface of a substrate, wherein the travelling wave resonator is configured to propagate electromagnetic energy in only one direction;

the travelling wave resonator comprising:

a planar optical waveguide comprising:

a core having a core index of refraction and a thickness which is at least ten percent of a free space wavelength of an optical signal configured to be propagated in such planar optical waveguide, wherein the thickness means a dimension along an axis perpendicular to the surface of the substrate; and

a cladding having a cladding index of refraction and surrounding the core and over the surface of the substrate;

wherein the cladding index of refraction is smaller than the core index of refraction;

at least one sidewall of the cladding, wherein a sidewall means a surface, of the cladding, perpendicular to the surface of the substrate;

at least one Bragg grating, wherein each Bragg grating is in a unique sidewall of the cladding; and

a rotation axis around which the resonator optical gyroscope is configured to be rotated;

wherein a Bragg grating period is greater than the free space wavelength of the optical signal configured to propagate in the planar optical waveguide divided by two times an index of refraction of a transverse electric zero (TE0) mode;

wherein the Bragg grating period is less than the free space wavelength of the optical signal configured to propagate in the planar optical waveguide divided by two times an index of refraction of a transverse magnetic zero (TM0) mode;

an optical source, comprising at least one laser, configured to emit a clockwise (CW) optical signal and a counterclockwise (CCW) optical signal;

at least one optical coupler configured to (a) optically couple, to the travelling wave resonator, (i) a portion of the CW optical signal configured to propagate CW around the travelling wave resonator and (ii) a portion of the CCW optical signal configured to propagate CW around the travelling wave resonator, (b) optically couple, (p) to a CW detector circuit, a first portion of the portion of the CW optical signal and (q) to a CCW detector circuit, a first portion of the portion of the CCW optical signal, and (c) optically couple, to a beat detector circuit, a second portion of the portion of the CW optical signal and a second portion of the portion of the CCW optical signal;

the CW detector circuit configured to provide a CW control signal to the optical source;

the CCW detector circuit configured to provide a CCW control signal to the optical source;

wherein the optical source is further configured to use the CW control signal to adjust a carrier frequency of the CW optical signal to equal a resonant frequency of the travelling wave resonator in a CW direction and use the CCW control signal to adjust a carrier frequency of the CCW optical signal to equal a resonant frequency of the travelling wave resonator in a CCW direction; and

the beat detector circuit is configured to determine a rate of rotation of the resonator optical gyroscope around the rotation axis based upon a difference of a carrier frequency of the second portion of the CW optical signal and a carrier frequency of the second portion of the CCW optical signal.

7. The resonator optical gyroscope of claim 6 , wherein the core comprises silicon nitride and the cladding comprises silicon dioxide.

8. The resonator optical gyroscope of claim 6 , wherein the travelling wave resonator is one of a ring resonator, a disc resonator, and a racetrack resonator.

9. The resonator optical gyroscope of claim 6 , wherein the core has a width that is less than seven free space wavelengths of the optical signal configured to be propagated in the planar optical waveguide, wherein the width means a dimension along another axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of the thickness and parallel with the surface of the substrate.

10. The resonator optical gyroscope of claim 9 , wherein the width is a diameter of the travelling wave resonator which is a disc resonator.

11. The resonator optical gyroscope of claim 6 , wherein the rate of rotation is:

Ω=(Δ f*n *λ)/ D,

where Δf is a difference of a carrier frequency of the CW optical signal and a carrier frequency of the CCW optical signal, D is a diameter of the travelling wave resonator, λ is an average wavelength of the CW optical signal and the CCW optical signal, and n is a refractive index of the cladding;

wherein the travelling wave resonator is one of a disc resonator and a ring resonator.

12. A method of operation of a resonant optical gyroscope comprising travelling wave resonator configured to be mounted over a surface of a substrate, the method comprising:

receiving a clockwise (CW) optical signal at the travelling wave resonator and propagating the CW optical signal in a transverse magnetic mode clockwise around the travelling wave resonator, wherein the travelling wave resonator is configured to propagates electromagnetic energy in only one direction, and wherein the travelling wave resonator comprises:

a planar optical waveguide comprising:

a core having a core index of refraction and a thickness which is at least ten percent of a free space wavelength of an optical signal configured to be propagated by such planar optical waveguide, wherein the thickness means a dimension along an axis perpendicular to the surface of the substrate; and

a cladding having a cladding index of refraction and surrounding the core and over the substrate;

wherein the cladding index of refraction is smaller than the core index of refraction;

at least one sidewall of the cladding, wherein a sidewall means a surface, of the cladding, perpendicular to the substrate;

at least one Bragg grating, wherein each Bragg grating is in a unique sidewall; and

a rotation axis around which the resonant optical gyroscope is configured to be rotated;

wherein a period of a Bragg grating period is greater than the free space wavelength of the optical signal configured to propagate in the travelling wave resonator divided by two times an index of refraction of a transverse electric zero (TE0) mode;

wherein the period of a Bragg grating period is less than the free space wavelength of the optical signal configured to propagate in the travelling wave resonator divided by two times an index of refraction of a transverse magnetic zero (TM0) mode;

receiving a counterclockwise (CCW) optical signal at the travelling wave resonator and propagating the CCW optical signal in the TM mode counterclockwise around the travelling wave resonator;

extracting, from the travelling wave resonator, at least one portion of the CW optical signal propagating clockwise around the travelling wave resonator;

extracting, from the travelling wave resonator, at least one portion of the CCW optical signal propagating counterclockwise around the travelling wave resonator;

using the at least one portion of the CW optical signal, adjusting a carrier frequency of the CW optical signal, received at the travelling wave resonator, to equal a CW resonant frequency of the travelling wave resonator;

using the at least one portion of the CCW optical signal, adjusting a carrier frequency of the CCW optical signal, received at the travelling wave resonator, to equal a CCW resonant frequency of the travelling wave resonator; and

using a carrier frequency of the at least one portion of the CW optical signal and a carrier frequency of the at least one portion of the CCW optical signal, determining a rate of rotation around the rotation axis of the travelling wave resonator.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the rate of rotation is:

Ω=(Δ f*n *λ)/ D,

where Δf is a difference of a carrier frequency of the CW optical signal and a carrier frequency of the CCW optical signal, D is a diameter of the travelling wave resonator, λ is an average wavelength of the CW optical signal and the CCW optical signal, and n is a refractive index of the cladding;

wherein the travelling wave resonator is one of a disc resonator and a ring resonator.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the core has a width that is less than seven free space wavelengths of the optical signal configured to be propagated in the travelling wave resonator, wherein the width means a dimension along another axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of the thickness and parallel with the surface of the substrate.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (13)