Method and device for reducing laser phase noise

1. A device for reducing a phase noise of a laser signal from a laser source, the device comprising:

a first current generator for supplying a main driving current to the laser source for producing the laser signal;

a phase noise detector responsive to the laser signal for generating a phase error signal; and

a second current generator responsive to the phase error signal for generating a compensation current added to the main driving current supplied to the laser source for generating a phase-adjusted laser signal;

wherein:

the phase noise detector and the second current generator form a phase stabilization loop for reducing the phase noise of the laser signal;

the phase noise detector comprises a wavelength drifting detector including (a) a wavelength discrimination filter supplied with the laser signal; the wavelength discrimination filter being so configured as to reflect a portion of the laser signal and to transmit a portion of the laser signal; (b) a first photodetector so connected to the wavelength discrimination filter as to measure the transmitted portion of the laser signal; and (c) a second photodetector so connected to the wavelength discrimination filter as to measure the reflected portion of the laser signal; wherein the ratio of the measured transmitted and reflected laser signal portions is laser wavelength dependent and is usable for detecting wavelength drifting of the laser signal; and the wavelength discrimination filter comprises a Fabry-Perot filter housed in a groove made in a solid metal body and the groove comprises means for preventing tension from being exerted on the Fabry-Perot filter; the size of the body being such that low frequency vibrations are not effectively transferred to the filter.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the laser source has front and rear outputs and wherein the phase noise detector is connected to the rear output of the laser source.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the laser source comprises a laser signal output and wherein the phase noise detector is supplied with a portion of the laser signal from the laser signal output.

4. A device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the laser source comprises a fiber Bragg grating based external cavity laser for generating the laser signal.

5. A device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the measurements of the transmitted and reflected laser signal wavelength portions are intensity variation measurements.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 , further comprising a comparator of the intensity variation measurements of the transmitted and reflected laser signal portions in order to generate the phase error signal.

7. A device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the wavelength discrimination filter is a periodic high slope wavelength discrimination filter.

8. A device as defined in claim 7 , wherein the periodic high slope wavelength discrimination filter comprises a fiber coupler based asymmetric Michelson interferometer.

9. A device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the Fabry-Perot filter is made of two Bragg gratings spaced apart by a gap and formed inside an optical fiber.

10. A device as defined in claim 9 , wherein the Fabry-Perot filter has a free spectral range and a contrast.

11. A device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the second current generator is a laser wavelength locking current generator.

12. A method for reducing a phase noise of a laser signal from a laser source, the method comprising:

generating through a first current generator a main driving current to be supplied to the laser source for producing the laser signal;

detecting a phase noise in the laser signal;

generating a phase error signal in response to the detected phase noise; and

generating, in response to the phase error signal and through a second current generator, a compensation current to be added to the main driving current supplied to the laser source in view of producing a phase-adjusted laser signal;

wherein:

the operations of detecting the phase noise in the laser signal, generating the phase error signal in response to the detected phase noise and generating the compensation current in response to the error signal define a phase stabilization loop for reducing the phase noise of the laser signal;

detecting a phase noise in the laser signal comprises detecting a wavelength drifting of the laser signal; detecting the wavelength drifting of the laser signal includes (a) supplying the laser signal to a wavelength discrimination filter so configured as to reflect a portion of the laser signal and to transmit a portion of the laser signal; (b) measuring through a first photodetector connected to the wavelength discrimination filter the transmitted portion of the laser signal; and (c) measuring through a second photodetector connected to the wavelength discrimination filter the reflected portion of the laser signal; wherein the ratio of the measured transmitted and reflected laser signal portions is laser wavelength dependent and is usable for detecting wavelength drifting of the laser signal; and

using as the wavelength discrimination filter a Fabry-Perot filter housed in a groove made in a solid metal body and, in the groove, preventing tension from being exerted on the Fabry-Perot filter; the size of the body being such that low frequency vibrations are not effectively transferred to the filter.

13. A method as defined in claim 12 , wherein the measurements of the transmitted and reflected laser signal wavelength portions are intensity variation measurements, and wherein the method comprises comparing the intensity variation measurements with a laser signal reference intensity.

14. A detector for detecting wavelength drifting of a laser signal, comprising:

a wavelength discrimination filter supplied with the laser signal; the wavelength discrimination filter being so configured as to reflect a portion of the laser signal and to transmit a portion of the laser signal;

a first photodetector connected to the wavelength discrimination filter for measuring the transmitted portion of the laser signal; and

a second photodetector connected to the wavelength discrimination filter for measuring the reflected portion of the laser signal;

wherein the wavelength discrimination filter is a periodic high slope wavelength discrimination filter, the periodic high slope wavelength discrimination filter is a Fabry-Perot filter and the Fabry-Perot filter is made of two Bragg gratings spaced apart by a gap and formed inside an optical fiber; and

wherein measurements of the transmitted and the reflected laser signal portions are usable for detecting the wavelength drifting of the laser signal.

15. A detector as defined in claim 14 , wherein the wavelength discrimination filter comprises a Fabry-Perot cavity.

16. A detector as defined in claim 14 , wherein the Fabry-Perot filter has a free spectral range and a contrast.