We report on a scheme to improve the pointing stability of the first order beam diffracted by an acousto-optic modulator (AOM). Due to thermal effects inside the crystal, the angular position of the beam can change by as much as 1 mrad when the radio-frequency power in the AOM is reduced to decrease the first order beam intensity. This is done for example to perform forced evaporative cooling in ultracold atom experiments using far-off-resonant optical traps. We solve this problem by driving the AOM with two radio-frequencies $f_1$ and $f_2$. The power of $f_2$ is adjusted relative to the power of $f_1$ to keep the total power constant. Using this, the beam displacement is decreased by a factor of twenty. The method is simple to implement in existing experimental setups, without any modification of the optics.
We report the design and characterization of high frequency, resonant acousto-optic modulators (AOM) in a MEMS foundry process. The doubly-resonant cavity design, with short ($L{\sim}10.5\, μm$) acoustic and optical cavity lengths, allows us to measure acousto-optic modulation at GHz frequencies with high modulation efficiency. In contrast to traditional AOMs, these devices rely on the perturbation induced by the displacement of cavity boundaries, which can be significantly enhanced in a suspended geometry. This platform can serve as the building block for fast 2D spatial light modulators (SLM…
High-speed spatial light modulators (SLM) are crucial components for free-space communication and structured illumination imaging. Current approaches for dynamical spatial mode generation, such as liquid crystal SLMs or digital micromirror devices, are limited to a maximum pattern refresh rate of 10 kHz and have a low damage threshold. We demonstrate that arbitrary spatial profiles in a laser pulse can be generated by mapping the temporal radio-frequency (RF) waveform sent to an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) onto the optical field. We find that the fidelity of the SLM performance can be improv…
Frequency modulation of a continuous wave laser source enables generation of photons at multiple frequencies from a single pump laser. Such multiple closely spaced laser lines are important for high data rate QAM in dense-WDM networks. In this paper we present a monolithic silicon acousto-optic frequency modulator (AOFM) operating at 1.09GHz. We demonstrate frequency modulation of a 1564nm wavelength pump laser, resulting in generation of sideband laser lines spaced by 0.009nm.
To achieve a distributed reflectivity measurement along an optical fiber, we develop a simplified cost-effective configuration of optical correlation- (or coherence-) domain reflectometry based on a synthesized optical coherence function by sinusoidal modulation. By excluding conventional optical heterodyne detection (practically, without using an acousto-optic modulator) and by exploiting the foot of the Fresnel reflection spectrum, the electrical bandwidth required for signal processing is lowered down to several megahertz. We evaluate the basic system performance and demonstrate its high-sp…
Diffraction beams generated by an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) are widely used in various optical experiments, some of which require high angular stability with the temporal modulation of optical power. Usually, it is difficult to realize both angular stability and high-power modulation in a passive setup without a servo system of radio-frequency compensation. Here, we present a method to suppress the angular drift and pointing noise only with the thermal management of the AOM crystal. We analyze the dependence of the angular drift on the refractive index variation, and find that the angular …
Non-reciprocal components are essential in photonic systems for protecting light sources and for signal routing functions. Acousto-optic methods to produce non-reciprocal devices offer a foundry-compatible alternative to magneto-optic solutions and are especially important for photonic integration. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate a dynamically reconfigurable non-reciprocal acousto-optic modulator at telecom wavelength. The modulator can be arranged in a multitude of reciprocal and non-reciprocal configurations by means of an external RF input. The dynamic reconfigurability of the …
Emerging technologies based on tailorable interactions between photons and phonons promise new capabilities ranging from high-fidelity microwave signal processing to non-reciprocal optics and quantum state control. While such light-sound couplings have been studied in a variety of physical systems, many implementations rely on non-standard materials and fabrication schemes that are challenging to co-implement with standard integrated photonic circuitry. Notably, despite significant advances in integrated electro-optic modulators, related acousto-optic modulator concepts have remained relativel…
Spatial modes of light provide a high-dimensional space that can be used to encode both classical and quantum information. Current approaches for dynamically generating and measuring these modes are slow, due to the need to reconfigure a high-resolution phase mask such as a spatial light modulator or digital micromirror device. The process of updating the spatial mode of light can be greatly accelerated by multiplexing a set of static phase masks with a fast, image-preserving optical switch, such as an acousto-optic modulator (AOM). We experimentally realize this approach, using a double-pass …
We demonstrate a collinear acousto-optic modulator in a suspended film of lithium niobate employing a high-confinement, wavelength-scale waveguide. By strongly confining the optical and mechanical waves, this modulator improves by orders of magnitude a figure-of-merit that accounts for both acousto-optic and electro-mechanical efficiency. Our device demonstration marks a significant technological advance in acousto-optics that promises a novel class of compact and low-power frequency shifters, tunable filters, non-magnetic isolators, and beam deflectors.
Push-Pull acousto-optic modulator based on non-suspended thin-film lithium niobate on silicon substrate
Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University（普渡大学埃尔莫电气与计算机工程学院）；Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Michigan（密歇根大学电气与计算机工程系）
A highly efficient on-chip acousto-optic modulator, as a key component, occupies an exceptional position in microwave-to-optical conversion. Homogeneous thin-film lithium niobate is preferentially employed to build the suspended configuration forming the acoustic resonant cavity to improve the modulation efficiency of the device. However, the limited cavity length and complex fabrication recipe of the suspended prototype restrain further breakthrough in the modulation efficiency and impose challenges for waveguide fabrication. In this work, based on a nonsuspended thin-film lithium niobate-cha…
The stabilization of lasers to absolute frequency references is a fundamental requirement in several areas of atomic, molecular and optical physics. A range of techniques are available to produce a suitable reference onto which one can 'lock' the laser, many of which depend on the specific internal structure of the reference or are sensitive to laser intensity noise. We present a novel method using the frequency modulation of an acousto-optic modulator's carrier (drive) signal to generate two spatially separated beams, with a frequency difference of only a few MHz. These beams are used to prob…
We use a waveguide-based electro-optic phase modulator, driven by a nanosecond-timescale arbitrary waveform generator, to produce an optical spectrum with an arbitrary pattern of sidebands. A programmed sequence of linear voltage ramps, with various slopes, is applied to the modulator. The resulting phase ramps give rise to sidebands whose frequency offsets relative to the carrier are equal to the slopes of the corresponding linear phase ramps. This extension of the serrodyne technique provides multi-line spectra with sideband spacings in the 100 MHz range.
We demonstrate acousto-optic phase modulators in X-cut lithium niobate films on sapphire, detailing the dependence of the piezoelectric and optomechanical coupling coefficients on the crystal orientation. This new platform supports highly confined, strongly piezoelectric mechanical waves without suspensions, making it a promising candidate for broadband and efficient integrated acousto-optic devices, circuits, and systems.
Optical computing with integrated photonics brings a pivotal paradigm shift to data-intensive computing technologies. However, the scaling of on-chip photonic architectures using spatially distributed schemes faces the challenge imposed by the fundamental limit of integration density. Synthetic dimensions of light offer the opportunity to extend the length of operand vectors within a single photonic component. Here, we show that large-scale, complex-valued matrix-vector multiplications on synthetic frequency lattices can be performed using an ultra-efficient, silicon-based nanophotonic cavity …
We exercise rapid and fine control over the phase of light by transferring digitally gen- erated phase jumps from radio frequency (rf) electrical signals onto light by means of acousto-optic interaction. By tailoring the statistics of phase jumps in the electrical signal and thereby engineering the optical phase noise, we manipulate the visibil- ity of interference fringes in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer that incorporates two acousto-optic modulators. Such controlled dephasing finds applications in modern experiments involving the spread or diffusion of light in an optical network. Further, w…
Electrically driven acousto-optic devices that provide beam deflection and optical frequency shifting have broad applications from pulse synthesis to heterodyne detection. Commercially available acousto-optic modulators are based on bulk materials and consume Watts of radio frequency power. Here, we demonstrate an integrated 3-GHz acousto-optic frequency shifter on thin-film lithium niobate, featuring a carrier suppression over 30 dB. Further, we demonstrate a gigahertz-spaced optical frequency comb featuring more than 200 lines over a 0.6-THz optical bandwidth by recirculating the light in an…
Many optical systems use acousto-optics for fast steering of light. However, acousto-optic (AO) light diffraction permits manipulation and shaping of light fields in a much broader sense including holography. While acousto-optic devices operate at incontestable speed, they are one dimensional (1D) diffraction devices depending on analog serial data transfer and as such have a mode of use distinguished from common 2D spatial light modulators. Combination with an amplified laser source allows to clock the serial buildup of AO diffraction patterns for avoidance of phase aberration in the output b…
Acousto-optic interactions involving propagating phonons can break the time-reversal and frequency-modulation symmetry of light. However, conventional acousto-optic modulators based on bulk materials have frequency bandwidth limited to hundreds of megahertz due to their large structural sizes. Here, we experimentally demonstrate gigahertz single-sideband acousto-optic modulation on an etchless lithium niobate integrated platform by using photonic bound states in the continuum. The upper- or lower-sideband modulation of light can be obtained conveniently by choosing specific combinations of inp…
The capability to modulate the intensity of an optical beam has scientific and practical significance. In this work, we demonstrate Y-Z cut lithium niobate acousto-optic modulators with record-high modulation efficiency, requiring only $1.5~\text{W}/\text{cm}^2$ for 100% modulation at 7 MHz. These modulators use a simple fabrication process; coating the top and bottom surfaces of a thin lithium niobate wafer with transparent electrodes. The fundamental shear acoustic mode of the wafer is excited through the transparent electrodes by applying voltage with frequency corresponding to the resonant…
Dissipative Kerr-microresonator soliton combs (hereafter called soliton combs) has been rapidly progressing as compact frequency combs. Comb mode scanning of the soliton combs with a large range and fast speed is of paramount importance for applications such as LiDAR and spectroscopy, requiring large and rapid frequency scanning of a pump continuous-wave (CW) laser as well as resonance frequency of a microresonator. Here, we demonstrate the generation of a soliton comb by a distributed feedback (DFB) laser toward the comb mode scanning with a large range and fast speed. Compared with conventio…
Light modulation is an essential operation in photonics and optoelectronics. With existing and emerging technologies increasingly demanding compact, efficient, fast and broadband optical modulators, high-performance light modulation solutions are becoming indispensable. The recent realization that two-dimensional layered materials could modulate light with superior performance has prompted intense research and significant advances, paving the way for realistic applications. In this review, we cover the state-of-the-art of optical modulators based on two-dimensional layered materials including …
We report high-energy mid-infrared pulse generation by Q-switching of dysprosium-doped fiber lasers for the first time. Two different modulation techniques are demonstrated. Firstly, using active acousto-optic modulation, pulses are produced with up to 12 μJ energy and durations as short as 270 ns, with variable repetition rates from 100 Hz to 20 kHz and central wavelengths tunable from 2.97 to 3.23 μm. Experiments are supported by numerical modeling, identifying routes for improved pulse energies and to avoid multi-pulsing by careful choice of modulator parameters. Secondly, we demonstrate pa…
Acousto-optical devices, such as modulators, filters or deflectors, implement a simple and effective way of light modulation and signal processing techniques. However, their operation wavelengths are restricted to visible and near-infrared frequency region due to a quadratic decrease of the efficiency of acousto-optical interaction with the wavelength increase. At the same time, almost all materials with high value of acousto-optic figure of merit are non-transparent at wavelengths larger than 5 μm, while the transparent materials possess significantly lower acousto-optic figure of merit. Here…
Candidate overtone shear horizontal SAW resonators in thin-film lithium niobate for intermodal acousto-optic modulation
Wangzhijiang Innovation Center for Laser, Aerospace Laser Technology and System Department, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院上海光学精密机械研究所）；Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学物质科学与光电技术研究院）；School of Information Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University（上海科技大学信息科学与技术学院）
We present a monolithic silicon acousto-optic frequency modulator (AOFM) operating at 1.09GHz. Direct spectroscopy of the modulated laser power shows asymmetric sidebands which indicate coincident amplitude modulation and frequency modulation. Employing mechanical levers to enhance displacement of the optical resonator resulted in greater than 67X improvement in the opto-mechanical frequency modulation factor over earlier reported numbers for silicon nanobeams.
We reduce the intensity noise of laser light by using an electro-optic modulator and a cousto-optic modulator in series. The electro-optic modulator reduces noise at high frequency(10 kHz to 1 MHz), while the acousto-optic modulator sets the average power of the light and reduces noise at low frequency (up to 10 kHz). The light is then used to trap single sodium atoms in an optical tweezer, where the lifetime of the atoms is limited by parametric heating due to laser noise at twice the trapping frequency. With our noise eater, the noise is reduced by up to 15 dB at these frequencies, and the l…
We present full phase stabilization of an amplified Yb:fiber femtosecond frequency comb using an intra-cavity electro-optic modulator and an acousto-optic modulator. These transducers provide high servo bandwidths of 580 kHz and 250 kHz for frep and fceo, producing a robust and low phase noise fiber frequency comb. The comb was self-referenced with an f - 2f interferometer and phase locked to an ultra-stable optical reference used for the JILA Sr optical clock at 698 nm, exhibiting 0.21 rad and 0.47 rad of integrated phase errors (over 1 mHz - 1 MHz) respectively. Alternatively, the comb was l…
We demonstrate a Raman laser system based on phase modulation technology and phase feedback control. The two laser beams with frequency difference of 6.835 GHz are modulated using electro-optic and acousto-optic modulators, respectively. Parasitic frequency components produced by the electro-optic modulator are filtered using a Fabry-Perot Etalon. A straightforward phase feedback system restrains the phase noise induced by environmental perturbations. The phase noise of the laser system stays below -125 rad2/Hz at frequency offset higher than 500 kHz. Overall phase noise of the laser system is…
We report on the development, implementation, and characterization of digital controllers for laser frequency stabilization as well as intensity stabilization and control. Our design is based on the STEMlab (originally Red Pitaya) platform. The presented analog hardware interfaces provide all necessary functionalities for the designated applications and can be integrated in standard 19-inch rack mount units. Printed circuit board layouts are made available as an open-source project.\cite{APQGit_Lockbox,APQGit_IntStab} A detailed characterization shows that the bandwidth 1.25 MHz and the noise …
We report on a design of a compact laser system composed of an extended cavity diode laser with high passive stability and a pre-filter Fabri-Perot cavity. The laser is frequency stabilized relative to the cavity using a serrodyne technique with a correction bandwidth of $\geq 6$ MHz and a dynamic range of $\geq 700$ MHz. The free running laser system has a power spectral density (PSD) $\leq 100$ Hz$^{2}$/Hz centered mainly in the acoustic frequency range. A highly tunable, $0.5-1.3$ GHz copy of the spectrally pure output beam is provided, which can be used for further stabilization of the las…
Future quantum networks in which superconducting quantum processors are connected via optical links, will require microwave-to-optical photon converters that preserve entanglement. A doubly-resonant electro-optic modulator (EOM) is a promising platform to realize this conversion. Here, we present our progress towards building such a modulator by demonstrating the optically-resonant half of the device. We demonstrate high quality factor ring, disk and photonic crystal resonators using a hybrid silicon-on-lithium-niobate material system. Optical quality factors up to 730,000 are achieved, corres…
We theoretically investigate the use of Rayleigh surface acoustic waves (SAWs) for refractive index modulation in optical waveguides consisting of amorphous dielectrics. Considering low-loss Si$_3$N$_4$ waveguides with a standard core cross section of 4.4$\times$0.03 $μ$m$^2$ size, buried 8 $μ$m deep in a SiO$_2$ cladding we compare surface acoustic wave generation in various different geometries via a piezo-active, lead zirconate titanate film placed on top of the surface and driven via an interdigitized transducer (IDT). Using numerical solutions of the acoustic and optical wave equations, w…
We propose and experimentally demonstrate a single-mode fiber length and dispersion measurement system based on a novel frequency-shifted asymmetric Sagnac interferometer incorporating an acousto-optic modulator (AOM). By sweeping the driving frequency of the AOM, which is asymmetrically placed in the Sagnac loop, the optical length of the fiber can be determined by measuring the corresponding variation in the phase delay between the two counter-propagating light beams. Combined with a high-resolution data processing algorithm, this system yields a dynamic range from a few centimeters to 60km …
Two cw single-mode violet (397nm) diode lasers are locked to a single external-cavity master diode laser by optical injection locking. A double-pass 1.6GHz acousto-optic modulator is used to provide a 3.2GHz offset frequency between the two slave lasers. We achieve up to 20mW usable output in each slave beam, with as little as 25 μW of injection power at room temperature. An optical heterodyne measurement of the beat note between the two slave beams gives a linewidth of <=10Hz at 3.2GHz. We also estimate the free-running linewidth of the master laser to be approximately 3MHz, by optical hetero…
Transmission of high power laser beams through partially absorbing materials modifies the light propagation via a thermally-induced effect known as thermal lensing. This may cause changes in the beam waist position and degrade the beam quality. Here we characterize the effect of thermal lensing associated with the different elements typically employed in an optical trapping setup for cold atoms experiments. We find that the only relevant thermal lens is represented by the $TeO_2$ crystal of the acousto-optic modulator exploited to adjust the laser power on the atomic sample. We then devise a s…
We present a method of phase-locking any number of continuous-wave lasers to an optical frequency comb (OFC) that enables independent frequency positioning and control of each laser while still maintaining lock to the OFC. The scheme employs an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) in a double pass configuration added to each laser before its light is compared by optical heterodyne with the comb. The only requirement is that the tuning bandwidth of the double pass AOM setup be larger than half the OFC repetition rate. We demonstrate this scheme and achieve an arbitrary frequency tuning precision, a tu…
In this paper we propose a novel strategy to control optomechanical parametric instability (PI) in gravitational wave (GW) detectors, based on radiation pressure. The fast deflection of a high power beam is the key element of our approach. We built a 2D deflection system based on a pair of acousto-optic modulators (AOMs) that combines high rapidity and large scan range. As fast frequency switching configurable AOM driver we used an Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) combined with a high performance personal computer (PC). In this way we demonstrate a 2D beam steering system with flat e…
We report the measurement of the hyperfine splitting in the $7D_{5/2}$ state of $^{133}$Cs using high resolution Doppler-free two-photon spectroscopy enabled by precise frequency scans using an acousto-optic modulator. All the six hyperfine levels are resolved in our spectra. We determine the hyperfine coupling constants A = -1.70867(62) MHz and B = 0.050(14) MHz which represent over 20-times improvement in the precision of both A and B. Moreover, our measurement is sufficiently precise to put bounds on the value of the magnetic octupole coupling constant C = 0.4(1.4) kHz for the $7D_{5/2}$ st…
AOM-based ultra-low noise laser intensity control up to the MHz range
Physikalisches Institut, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen（蒂宾根大学物理研究所）；Center for Integrated Quantum Science and Technology, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen（蒂宾根大学集成量子科学与技术中心）
