US 11,988,871 B2
Photonic integrated circuit (PIC) radio frequency oscillator
Moe D. Soltani, Belmont, MA (US); Ken Dinndorf, Belford, NH (US); Jack W. Holloway, Arlington, VA (US); and Gerhard Sollner, Lincoln, MA (US)
Assigned to Raytheon BBN Technologies, Corp., Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed by Raytheon BBN Technologies, Corp., Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed on Jun. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/845,900.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/213,137, filed on Jun. 21, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0404550 A1, Dec. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 6/125 (2006.01); G02B 6/12 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/125 (2013.01) [G02B 6/12004 (2013.01); G02B 2006/12104 (2013.01); G02B 2006/12152 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A photonic dual resonance Radio Frequency (RF) oscillator, comprising:
an optical gain media coupled to a first mirror, the gain media configured to be coupled to a photonic integrated circuit (PIC);
the PIC, comprising:
a first optical cavity located within the PIC;
a first tunable mirror to form a first optical cavity between the first mirror in the gain media and the first tunable mirror;
a frequency tunable intra-cavity dual tone resonator positioned within the first optical cavity to constrain the first optical cavity to produce two primary laser tones with a tunable frequency spacing, the two primary laser tones having a common optical path within the first optical cavity; and
one or more phase adjusters to provide the tunable frequency spacing;
a photo detector optically coupled to the PIC and configured to receive the two primary laser tones from the first tunable mirror and mix the two primary laser tones to form an RF output signal with a frequency selected by the tunable frequency spacing of the two primary laser tones.