Vibration transducer using an ultrashort Fabry-Perot cavity

We report here on the development of an optical transducer for mechanical vibration, making use of an ultrashort Fabry-Perot cavity. The noise level measured by a cavity 150 μm long is ~1.3 × 10(-16) m/√Hz at ~1 kHz, which was obtained without a frequency-stabilization system. It was, however, large compared with the shot noise.     

Field trial of an electrically passive optical-fiber magnetometer

A field trial of an electrically passive optical-fiber magnetometer incorporated into the transient electromagnetic method of geomagnetic surveying is described. The transducer of the magnetometer consisted of metallic glass wire cocoated with a length of optical fiber. The magnetometer was capable of measuring the decay rate of the surface magnetic field produced by the surveying technique. The sensor's minimum detectable field was 2.5 × 10(-8) G/√Hz at 2 kHz.     

Characterization of a submillimeter high-angular-resolution camera with a monolithic silicon bolometer array for the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory

We constructed a 24-pixel bolometer camera operating in the 350- and 450-μm atmospheric windows for the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO). This instrument uses a monolithic silicon bolometer array that is cooled to approximately 300 mK by a single-shot (3)He refrigerator. First-stage amplification is provided by field-effect transistors at approximately 130 K. The sky is imaged onto the bolometer array by means of several mirrors outside the Dewar and a cold off-axis elliptical mirror inside the cryostat. The beam is defined by cold aperture and field stops, which eliminates the need for any condensing horns. We describe the instrument, present measurements of the physical properties of the bolometer array, describe the performance of the electronics and the data-acquisition system, and demonstrate the sensitivity of the instrument operating at the observatory. Approximate detector noise at 350 μm is 5 × 10(-15) W/√Hz, referenced to the entrance of the Dewar, and the CSO system noise-equivalent flux density is approximately 4 Jy/√Hz. These values are within a factor of 2.5 of the background limit.     

Sensitivity and optimization of a high-Q sapphire dielectric motion-sensing transducer

A high-Q sapphire dielectric motion sensing transducer that operates at microwave frequencies has been developed. The device uses cylindrical whispering gallery modes of quality factor greater than 10 (5) at room temperature and greater than 10(8) at 4 K. The tuning coefficient of the transducer resonance frequency with respect to displacement was measured to be of the order of a few MHz/mum. An electromagnetic model that predicts the resonant frequency and tuning coefficient has been developed and was verified by experiment. We implemented the model to determine what aspect ratio and what dielectric mode is necessary to maximize the sensitivity. We found that the optimum mode type was a TM whispering gallery mode with azimuthal mode number of about 7 for a resonator of 3 cm in diameter. Also, we determined that the tuning coefficients were maximized by choosing an aspect ratio that has a large diameter with respect to the height. By implementing a microwave pump oscillator of SSB phase noise -125 dBc/Hz at 1 kHz; offset, we have measured a sensitivity of order 10 (-16) m/ radicalHz. We show that this can be improved with existing technology to 10(-18) m/ radicalHz, and that in the near future this may be further improved to 10(-19) m/ radicalHz.     

Front-end receiver electronics for high-frequency monolithic CMUT-on-CMOS imaging arrays

This paper describes the design of CMOS receiver electronics for monolithic integration with capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) arrays for highfrequency intravascular ultrasound imaging. A custom 8-inch (20-cm) wafer is fabricated in a 0.35-μm two-poly, four-metal CMOS process and then CMUT arrays are built on top of the application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) on the wafer. We discuss advantages of the single-chip CMUT-on-CMOS approach in terms of receive sensitivity and SNR. Low-noise and high-gain design of a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) optimized for a forward-looking volumetric-imaging CMUT array element is discussed as a challenging design example. Amplifier gain, bandwidth, dynamic range, and power consumption trade-offs are discussed in detail. With minimized parasitics provided by the CMUT-on-CMOS approach, the optimized TIA design achieves a 90 fA/√Hz input-referred current noise, which is less than the thermal-mechanical noise of the CMUT element. We show successful system operation with a pulseecho measurement. Transducer-noise-dominated detection in immersion is also demonstrated through output noise spectrum measurement of the integrated system at different CMUT bias voltages. A noise figure of 1.8 dB is obtained in the designed CMUT bandwidth of 10 to 20 MHz.     

Absolute frequency stability of a diode-laser-pumped Nd:YAG laser stabilized to a high-finesse optical cavity

We report the frequency stabilization of a diode-laser-pumped monolithic ring Nd:YAG laser locked to a high-finesse optical cavity. With an independent cavity as a frequency discriminator, the absolute frequency noise was measured to be as low as 2 × 10(-2) Hz/Hz(1/2) at the Fourier frequency of approximately 3 kHz. We also measured the heterodyne beat note between two lasers locked to the independent cavities. The beat linewidth is narrower than 30 Hz and the minimum root Allan variance is approximately 6 × 10(-14).     

Near shot-noise-level relative frequency stabilization of a laser-diode-pumped Nd:YVO(4) microchip laser

A laser-diode-pumped Nd:YVO(4) microchip laser was built and actively frequency stabilized relative to a Fabry-Perot cavity with the frequency-modulated sideband technique. The error signal reaches the shot-noise level of 7.4 mHz/√Hz around 1 kHz. Excess intensity noise sets a lower limit of16.5 mHz/√Hz for the relative frequency noise, corresponding to a spectral linewidth of 860 μHz. We discuss the method for reconstructing the actual frequency deviation from the observed error signal.     

HBAR-Based 3.6 GHz oscillator with low power consumption and low phase noise

We have designed and built 2 oscillators at 1.2 and 3.6 GHz based on high-overtone bulk acoustic resonators (HBARs) for application in chip-scale atomic clocks (CSACs). The measured phase noise of the 3.6 GHz oscillator is -67 dBc/Hz at 300 Hz offset and -100 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset. The Allan deviation of the free-running oscillator is 1.5 × 10^-9 at one second integration time and the power consumption is 3.2 mW. The low phase noise allows the oscillator to be locked to a CSAC physics package without significantly degrading the clock performance.     

Electronic subtracter for trace-gas detection with InGaAsP diode lasers

An electronic noise-cancellation scheme has been developed and tested for second-harmonic (2f) detection with short-external-cavity and distributed-feedback InGaAsP diode lasers and wavelength modulation. The 2f background signal and noise from, e.g., optical feedback, optical fringes, and power-supply pickup are effectively reduced by subtraction of a measure of the signal-beam photocurrent from a measure of the reference-beam photocurrent. The dynamic range required for the lock-in amplifier is also reduced because the signal owing to modulation of the laser output at the first harmonic is canceled. Reduction of the 2f background and dynamic range are important for atmospheric-pressure detection where a large wavelength modulation is necessary. The detector noise was minimized by the use of zero-biased detectors in the subtraction circuit. A beam-noise level (defined as 2× the rms value) equivalent to a line-center absorption of 1.6 × 10(-6) was achieved with an equivalent-noise bandwidth of 1.25 Hz for 2f detection at 10 kHz. The electronic circuit is easy to construct and low cost.     

On the flicker noise of ferrite circulators for ultra-stable oscillators

The flicker noise of the ferrite circulator is a critical element in ultra-stable microwave oscillators, in which the signal reflected from the input of the reference cavity is exploited to stabilize the frequency. This paper explains why the circulator noise must be measured in isolation mode, proposes a measurement scheme, and provides experimental results. The observed flicker spans from -162 to -170 dB[rad2]/Hz at 1 Hz off the 9.2 GHz carrier, and at +19 dBm of input power. In the same conditions, the instrument limit is below -180 dB[rad2]/Hz. Experiments also give information on the mechanical stability of the microwave assembly, which is in the range of 10(-11) m. The measurement method can be used as the phase detector of a corrected oscillator; and, in the field of solid-state physics, it can be used for the measurement of random fluctuations in magnetic materials.     

An ultralow noise microwave oscillator based on a high-Q liquidnitrogen cooled sapphire resonator

Two liquid nitrogen-cooled sapphire loaded cavities (SLC's) operating at about 80 K have been successfully constructed, Both cavities were designed to operate on the whispering gallery (WG) E_{12, 1, δ} mode at a resonant frequency of 8.95 GHz. The first SLC was used as the frequency-determining element in a loop oscillator, while the second was used as a frequency discriminator to measure oscillator phase noise. The single sideband phase noise of a free running loop oscillator incorporating the first SLC was measured as -133 dBc/Hz at an offset frequency of 1 kHz, and was limited by the SLC Q-factor and the amplifier flicker phase noise. By using specially designed feedback electronics the oscillator phase noise was reduced to -156 dBc/Hz and -162 dBc/Hz at 1 and 10 kHz offset, respectively. This measurement was shown to be limited by the electronic flicker noise imposed by the phase detector in the feedback electronics, To our knowledge the phase noise and resonator Q-factor of 6×10⁷ represent the best results ever measured at liquid nitrogen temperatures or above     

Noise of piezoelectric accelerometer with integral FET amplifier

Since significant progress has been achieved in the development of low-noise piezoelectric (PE) accelerometers with integral FET amplifiers, detailed noise analysis of the system PE transducer-FET amplifier, and obtaining the engineering formula for its noise floor has become vital. As a result of this analysis, the formula for the noise floor of PE accelerometers in terms of acceleration spectral density is obtained at wide frequency band. Noise floor of the low-noise PE accelerometer comprising low-noise JFET charge amplifiers with some particular parameters of the PE transducer and the JFET amplifier was measured. The theoretical and experimental curves of the PE accelerometer's noise floor have a good correlation with each other at frequencies from 1 Hz to 10 kHz. The contribution of the different noise sources to the overall noise floor is shown. Those noise sources include the mechanical-thermal noise and electrical-thermal noise of the PE transducer and all main noise sources of FET amplifiers: the thermal noise voltage of the FET biasing resistor, the thermal noise of the series resistor between the PE transducer and the gate of the FET, the channel thermal noise voltage, the 1/f noise voltage, and the shot noise current in the gate circuit. At low frequencies, the f/spl les/50 Hz noise floor is determined mainly by the FET biasing resistor's thermal noise and the PE transducer's electrical-thermal noise. At frequencies from about 50 Hz to about 1 kHz, the contribution of the PE transducer's electrical-thermal noise dominates over the amplifier's noise sources by a factor of less than 2. At frequencies above 1 kHz, noise floor is determined mainly by the JFET channel thermal noise and the PE transducer's electrical-thermal noise.     

A ZnO-nanowire phototransistor prepared on glass substrates

The fabrication of a phototransistor via the bridging of two prefabricated electrodes with a laterally grown ZnO nanowire is reported. It was found that the fabricated device is an n-channel enhancement-mode phototransistor with a dark carrier concentration of 6.34 × 10(17) cm(-3) when the gate voltage is biased at 5 V. With an incident-light wavelength of 360 nm and a zero gate bias, it was found that the noise equivalent power and normalized detectivity (D*) of the fabricated ZnO phototransistor were 6.67 × 10(-17) W and 1.27 × 10(13) cm Hz(0.5) W(-1), respectively. It was also found that the current in the device can be modulated efficiently by tuning the wavelength of the excitation source.     

Integrated fiber optic incoherent broadband cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy detector for near-IR absorption measurements of nanoliter samples

An integrated fiber-optic sensor is described that uses incoherent broadband cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy for sensitive detection of aqueous samples in nanoliter volumes. Absorption was measured in a 100 μm gap between the ends of two short segments of multimode graded-index fiber that were integrated into a capillary using a precision machined V-grooved fixture that allowed for passive fiber alignment. The other ends of the fibers were coated with dielectric mirrors to form a 9.5 cm optical resonator. Light from a fiber-coupled superluminescent diode was directly coupled into one end of the cavity, and transmission was measured using a fiber-coupled silicon photodiode. Dilute aqueous solutions of near infrared dye were used to determine the minimum detectable absorption change of 2.4×10(-4) under experimental conditions in which pressure fluctuations limited performance. We also determined that the absolute minimum detectable absorption change would be 1.6×10(-5) for conditions of constant pressure in which absorption measurement is limited by electronic and optical noise. Tolerance requirements for alignment are also presented.     

Frequency-Domain Measurement of the Frequency Stability of a Maser Oscillator

In this paper we present a direct measurement of the spectral density of both the fractional frequency fluctuations and the phase fluctuations for a rubidium (Rb) maser oscillator. A truncated polynomial is fitted to each independent set of data obtained over a Fourier frequency range between 0.1 Hz and 100 Hz. They are Sy(f) = 1.9 ×10-25f-2 + 3.4 × 10-27f2 and S? = 1.2 × 10-5f-4 + 1.9 × 10-7f0, respectively. A random walk of frequency noise is dominent for frequency below 2.8 Hz while a white phase noise is dominent for the higher frequency range. These results are used to predict time-domain measurements which are then compared to experimental values.     

An upper limit to the frequency noise associated with the relaxation oscillation of a monolithic Nd:YAG ring laser

Abstract

A measurement of the frequency noise at the relaxation oscillation frequency of a Nd:YAG monolithic non-planar ring laser is presented. By careful monitoring of various applied calibration signals, a limit to the frequency noise level of ～ 6.3 × 10^?2 Hz/√Hz is set over the relaxation oscillation bandwidth and it is shown that this is approximately at the level to be expected, based on the relaxation oscillation induced time varying refractive index.     

Signal processing and calibration of continuous-wave focused CO(2) Doppler lidars for atmospheric backscatter measurement

Two continuous-wave (CW) focused CO(2) Doppler lidars (9.1 and 10.6 μm) were developed for airborne in situ aerosol backscatter measurements. The complex path of reliably calibrating these systems, with different signal processors, for accurate derivation of atmospheric backscatter coefficients is documented. Lidar calibration for absolute backscatter measurement for both lidars is based on range response over the lidar sample volume, not solely at focus. Both lidars were calibrated with a new technique using well-characterized aerosols as radiometric standard targets and related to conventional hard-target calibration. A digital signal processor (DSP), a surface acoustic wave spectrum analyzer, and manually tuned spectrum analyzer signal analyzers were used. The DSP signals were analyzed with an innovative method of correcting for systematic noise fluctuation; the noise statistics exhibit the chi-square distribution predicted by theory. System parametric studies and detailed calibration improved the accuracy of conversion from the measured signal-to-noise ratio to absolute backscatter. The minimum backscatter sensitivity is ~3 × 10(-12) m(-1) sr(-1) at 9.1 μm and ~9 × 10(-12) m(-1) sr(-1) at 10.6 μm. Sample measurements are shown for a flight over the remote Pacific Ocean in 1990 as part of the NASA Global Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE) survey missions, the first time to our knowledge that 9.1-10.6-μm lidar intercomparisons were made. Measurements at 9.1 μm, a potential wavelength for space-based lidar remote-sensing applications, are to our knowledge the first based on the rare isotope (12)C (18)O(2) gas.     

Magnetoelectric bending-mode structure based on Metglas/Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ fiber laminates

A magnetoelectric (ME) bending-mode structure based on Metglas/Pb(Zr,Ti)O(3) fiber laminates has been studied. This bending mode had a fundamental resonance (FBR) of about 210 Hz, which was much lower than that of the longitudinal mode. Near the FBR, the ME voltage coefficient was about 400 V/cm·Oe. Magnetic sensors based on this bending mode had an equivalent magnetic noise floor of ≤ 0.3 pT/√Hz at f = 210 Hz.     

Thermal boundary resistance between the end of an individual carbon nanotube and a Au surface

The thermal boundary resistance between an individual carbon nanotube and a Au surface was measured using a microfabricated hot-film sensor. We used both closed and open-ended multi-walled carbon nanotubes and obtained thermal boundary resistance values of 0.947-1.22 × 10(7) K W(-1) and 1.43-1.76 × 10(7) K W(-1), respectively. Considering all uncertainties, including the contact area, the thermal boundary conductances per unit area were calculated to be 8.6 × 10(7)-2.2 × 10(8) W m(-2) K(-1) for c-axis orientation and 4.2 × 10(8)-1.2 × 10(9) W m(-2) K(-1) for the a-axis. The trend in these values agrees with the predicted conductance dependence on the interface orientation of anisotropic carbon-based materials. However, the measured thermal boundary conductances are found to be much larger than the reported results.     

Thermo-optic coefficients and thermal lensing in Nd-doped KGd(WO4)2 laser crystals

We measured the thermo-optic coefficients dn/dT of anisotropic Nd:KGd(WO(4))(2) crystals at the wavelengths of 1.064 μm and 532 nm (300 K) by a beam deflection method. The values of dn/dT are determined to be dn(p)/dT = -16.0 × 10(-6) K(-1), dn(m)/dT = -11.8 × 10(-6) K(-1), and dn(g)/dT = -19.5 × 10(-6) K(-1) (at 1.064 μm) and dn(p)/dT = -14.3 × 10(-6) K(-1), dn(m)/dT = -10.0 × 10(-6) K(-1), and dn(g)/dT = -15.0 × 10(-6) K(-1) (at 532 nm). Thermal lensing in the flashlamp-pumped N(p)- and N(g)-cut Nd:KGd(WO(4))(2) laser rods was studied at 1.064 μm by a probe beam technique in the nonlasing conditions, and the contribution of the photoelastic term to the thermal lens optical power was estimated. Athermal propagation directions with the definitions dn/dT + (n-1)α(T) = 0 and dn/dT + nα(T) = 0 were found in Nd:KGd(WO(4))(2).