Double ring resonator angular rate sensor by using broad band laser sources

M.R. TEJERINA; G.A. TORCHIA

Workshop; 19th International Laser Physics Workshop (LPHYS’10); 2010

The advantage of ring resonator rate sensor fabricated in electro-optic crystals compared with fiber optics based sensor (e. .g. IFOG Interferometric Fiber Optical Gyroscope) mainly deals with  those that can reach smaller sizes and higher integration capacity ( 3D waveguides within the same substrate ). Otherwise, first type of sensors has the disadvantage that they need narrow spectral laser source (100 Khz to 1Mhz). The laser spectrum must have a wide range included in the ring resonator (the sensing key) transfer function (FT), for obtaining a intensity change at the output of the optical system, due to frequency shift caused by angular velocity (Sagnac effect). In this work an alternative configuration for ring resonator rate sensor is implemented, which allows angular velocity sensing using standard laser spectral band (e.g. 10000 MHz) than conventional configuration. Also this configuration has the capability of reject  idler distortions produced by temperature changes in the crystal.