OEwaves Achieves Breakthrough Ultra-Narrow Laser Linewidth

OEwaves announces ultra-low semiconductor laser phase noise based on its proprietary Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) micro-resonator. A significant improvement to the previously announced SPIE Prism Award winning Ultra-Narrow Linewidth Laser Source, the new laser technology achieves frequency noise of 15 Hz/√Hz at 10 Hz offset, and 0.5 Hz/√Hz at 10 kHz offset from the optical carrier.

OEwaves’ proprietary scheme is derived from the patented chip scale Opto-Electronic Oscillator technology that was successfully flight tested in the Lockheed Martin EAPS interceptor announced earlier. It is based on self-injection locking of a semiconductor laser diode to a high-Q WGM micro-resonator. The laser operates near 1550 nm exhibits low relative intensity noise (RIN) of -150 dBc/Hz at 10 MHz offset, without any undesirable peaks characteristic of fiber laser technology, and is capable of high frequency modulation. Furthermore, the laser maintains its wide mode-hop free tuning range and low vibration sensitivity critical to various fiber optic sensing systems operating under harsh environments.

This breakthrough performance along with a compact form factor, (comparable to the current generation of OEwaves butterfly laser modules), significantly enhances industrial and military fiber optic systems for a variety of applications where high performance is required in a small form factor. These applications include acoustic and seismic sensing and monitoring, LIDAR, spectroscopy, and metrology, where high resolution, high precision, long coherence length, and absolute accuracy are required.

“We are pleased to provide this unprecedented capability in support of our customers’ needs,” said Lute Maleki, President and CEO of OEwaves. “OEwaves will continue to push beyond the state of the art in laser technology to meet the emerging needs of the market place.”

OEwaves proprietary high-Q WGM crystalline micro-resonators are capable of phase noise and linewidth reduction for a wide range of laser wavelengths in the UV, visible, and near and mid-IR regions.

OEwaves next generation Ultra-Narrow Linewidth Laser will be available in any wavelength within 1530-1565nm in the first quarter of the upcoming year.  This product will be a highly anticipated addition to the OEwaves Ultra-Narrow Linewidth Laser family of C-Band and 2 Micron laser sources.

About OEwaves

OEwaves, Inc., founded in 2000, is headquartered in Pasadena, California, USA. The company develops and offers state-of-the-art technologies and products in support of radar, communications, fiber-optic sensors, and test and measurement systems for military and commercial markets. OEwaves maintains an Intellectual Property Portfolio of 80 cases, 26 of which were licensed via an exclusive agreement with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), to establish a secure path in which to develop its initial core technologies, the whispering gallery-mode (WGM) resonator and the opto-electronic oscillator (OEO). For additional information, please visit www.oewaves.com.