PRESS RELEASE
04 March 2019
Contact:
MEDIA CONTACT:
Susan Wey
General Photonics Corp.
1.909.590.5473 ext. 131
swey@generalphotonics.com
COMPANY CONTACT:
Wajih Daab
General Photonics Corp.
1.909.590.5473 ext. 102
wdaab@generalphotonics.com
General Photonics announces its family of ChirpRite™ Optical Frequency Encoder products for instantaneous optical frequency measurement of tunable lasers
ChirpRite™ achieves optical frequency resolution down to MHz scale with a theoretically Infinite frequency range.
San Diego (OFC), California. – March 5, 2019 – General Photonics Corp. (now a part of Luna Innovations www.lunainc.com), a world leader in polarization related fiber optic test and measurement technologies, today announced the launch of the OFE-001 (Optical Incremental Frequency Encoder– ChirpRite™) and OFE-DSP (Optical Absolute Frequency Encoder– ChirpRite™) modules. Both modules are based on a novel frequency measurement technique that uses polarization analysis, enabling uniformly high resolution, high accuracy frequency measurement over the entire measured range. This is in marked contrast to most interferometric schemes such as Mach–Zehnder interferometers (MZI), which provide frequency readings only at zero crossings.
The basic module (OFE-001) outputs analog signals proportional to the sine and cosine of the frequency, as well as a power monitor signal. These can be combined with commonly available interpretation algorithms to obtain the instantaneous frequency change and sweep direction. It is suitable for applications that require real-time measurement of frequency change.
The OFE-DSP module combines the OFE-001 technology with additional components and circuitry to give users the absolute instantaneous frequency of an input signal in both digital and analog formats, as well as a user-configurable k-clock. It is suitable for applications that require real-time absolute frequency information.
The measurement speed, frequency resolution, and temperature stability of these devices enable their use not only as k-clock sources for laser sweep synchronization, but also as feedback sources for precision laser frequency control to stabilize laser frequency or to linearize the rate of laser frequency tuning, or as interrogators for fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based sensor systems to obtain temperature, strain, or acoustic information.
"High resolution real time frequency information is necessary for obtaining precise distance or depth information in applications such as coherence LIDAR for autonomous vehicles, OFDR based distributed measurement and sensing, and optical coherence tomography (OCT)." said Steve Yao, the founder of General Photonics and the inventor of the technology. "ChirpRite™ is a breakthrough in dynamic optical frequency monitoring and analysis."
Summary of Technical Specifications
Operating Wavelengths: 1060, 1310, and 1550 ± 60 nm, Free Spectral Range (OFE-001): 350 GHz, Optical Frequency Resolution: 5 MHz (OFE-001), 80 MHz standard (OFE-DSP), Max. Detectable Frequency Variation Rate: 70×109 GHz/s (5.6×108nm/s) @ BW=200 MHz (OFE-001).
Pricing and Availability
The OFE-001 and OFE-DSP are available immediately. Interested parties may contact General Photonics direct or a General Photonics channel partner near them.
About General Photonics
Founded in 1995, General Photonics is an award-winning world leader in the design and development of advanced optical polarization and timing management instruments, modules and components. Its products are used worldwide in applications such as fiber optic communications networks; test and measurement applications such as for coherent detection systems; fiber optic sensor systems; medical imaging equipment and other applications. General Photonics, a privately-held company, maintains its headquarters and a manufacturing facility in Chino, Calif. The company also uses a worldwide network of sales distributors and representatives. More information can be found at http://www.generalphotonics.com.