Microwave Frequency Synthesizer Research Articles

Ultra-narrow-linewidth hybrid-integrated self-injection locked laser at 780 nm

Narrow-linewidth lasers are essential across a wide range of applications, including classical and quantum sensing, trapped ion systems, position/navigation/timing systems, optical clocks, and microwave frequency synthesizers. In the visible and near-visible spectrum, low-noise lasers are particularly important for laser trapping and cooling techniques, which are vital for trapped ion quantum computing, sensing, and atomic clocks. In this context, our work showcases a hybrid-integrated narrow-linewidth laser that operates at 780 nm, achieving a self-heterodyne linewidth of 105 Hz. To validate the experimental results, we performed a numerical analysis that combines insights from a many-body theory applied to the gain region with a travelling-wave model to capture the laser dynamics. Our investigation further delves into how the linewidth of the self-injection locked lasers is influenced by the parameters of micro-ring resonators, aiming to assess the potential for achieving Hz-level integrated laser linewidths at 780 nm. This work not only demonstrates the technical feasibility of Hz-level narrow-linewidth lasers but also lays the groundwork for future explorations in the field.

Ultralow noise microwave synthesis via difference frequency division of a Brillouin resonator

Low phase noise microwave oscillators are at the center of a multitude of applications that span the gamut of photonics and electronics. Within this space, optically derived approaches to microwave frequency synthesis are particularly compelling owing to their unique combination of ultrawideband frequency access and the potential for resiliency to temperature and environmental perturbation via common-mode noise rejection. We demonstrate here an optical frequency divider that uses the 30 terahertz frequency gap between two stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) lasers as the basis for frequency division. The resulting microwave signal, centered at 10 GHz frequency, exhibits exceptionally low phase noise levels of −95dBc/Hz and −110dBc/Hz at 10 Hz and 100 Hz frequency offset, respectively. Moreover, the two SBS lasers, generated from a common fiber resonator, exhibit a high degree of correlated noise cancellation in their frequency difference. We measure 16.1 dB of noise rejection against intentionally applied vibrations, thus showcasing a promising pathway towards portable and robust ultralow noise photonic-microwave synthesis.

Analysis and Implementation of a Frequency Synthesizer Based on Dual Phase-Locked Loops in Cesium Atomic Clock

The frequency synthesizer plays a crucial role in atomic clock technology. In this study, we demonstrate a direct microwave frequency synthesizer for a cesium atomic clock, employing frequency multiplication and a dual-phase-locked loop mode. A mathematical model of the frequency synthesis chain is established to estimate its performance. The phase-settling time and system stability are analyzed and studied in detail, and the obtained results are verified by experiments. An optimized realization of the frequency synthesizer shows that the phase-settling time can be adjusted within the range of 644.5 µs to 1.5 ms. Additionally, we measure the absolute phase noise values to be −63.7 dBc/Hz, −75.7 dBc/Hz, −107.1 dBc/Hz, and −122.5 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz, 10 Hz, 1 kHz, and 10 kHz offset frequencies, respectively.

Microwave Frequency Synthesizers: A Tutorial

Microwave Frequency Synthesizers: A Tutorial

Large regenerative parametric amplification on chip at ultra-low pump powers

Chip-based optical amplifiers can significantly expand the functionalities of photonic devices. In particular, optical-parametric amplifiers (OPAs), with engineerable gain spectra, are well suited for nonlinear-photonic applications. Chip-based OPAs typically require long waveguides that occupy a large footprint, and high pump powers that cannot be easily produced with chip-scale lasers. We theoretically and experimentally demonstrate a microresonator-assisted regenerative OPA that benefits from the large nonlinearity enhancement of microresonators and yields a high gain in a small footprint. We achieve 30-dB parametric gain with only 9 mW of cw pump power and show that the gain spectrum can be engineered to cover telecom channels inaccessible with Er-based amplifiers. We further demonstrate the amplification of Kerr-soliton comb lines and the preservation of their phase properties. Additionally, we demonstrate amplification by injection locking of optical parametric oscillators (OPOs), which corresponds to a regenerative amplifier pumped above the oscillation threshold. Dispersion engineering techniques such as coupled cavities and higher-order-dispersion phase matching can further extend the tunability and spectral coverage of our amplification schemes. The combination of high gain, small footprint, low pump power, and flexible gain-spectrum engineering of our regenerative OPA is ideal for amplifying signals from the nanowatt to microwatt regimes for portable or space-based devices where ultralow electrical power levels are required and can lead to important applications in on-chip optical-, and microwave-frequency synthesis and precise timekeeping.

A low phase and amplitude noise microwave source for vapor cell atomic clocks.

A low-noise microwave source plays a key role in high-performance passive atomic clocks. Here, we propose and implement a microwave frequency synthesizer featuring a low phase and amplitude noise. With the help of a high-Q factor surface acoustic wave band-pass filter, we generate a microwave with targeted frequency by frequency multiplication of a low noise local oscillator at a radio frequency with the closest integer. At the frequency offset of 1Hz, 10Hz, 100Hz, 1kHz, and 10kHz, the absolute phase noise of the output 3.417GHz signal is -53.0, -83.3, -107.7, -119.2, and -124.0 dBc/Hz, respectively. After the microwave-to-optical conversion, the expected intermodulation effect contribution to the frequency stability of the coherent population trapping (CPT) atomic clock is 5.95 × 10-14 at an averaging time of 1s. Meanwhile, with a feature of low fluctuation of this chain's output microwave power at the level of 1.19 × 10-5W at 1s, its contribution to the frequency stability of the CPT atomic clock is 7.85 × 10-14 at the 1s integration time. Our simple and low noise microwave chain is an ideal microwave source for high-performance, compact CPT clocks and could also be applied to cold atom or ion based microwave clocks.

Enhancement of Accuracy of mm-Wave Vital Sign Radar Using Polar Cross Correlation and Low-Noise mm-Wave Frequency Synthesizer

The accuracy of a radar for sensing vital signs is generally affected by system noise, including the phase noise of the frequency synthesizer and the intermodulation of the vital sign signals. System noise becomes particularly serious when vital sign radars operate in the millimeter wave (mm-wave) band because the phase noise performance of mm-wave frequency synthesizers is generally inferior to that of microwave frequency synthesizers. To address the problem of system noise, a polar cross-correlation function (CCF) and a low-noise mm-wave frequency synthesizer were developed. The polar CCF can suppress both the intermodulation of vital sign signals and the phase noise of the radar system. The low-noise mm-wave frequency synthesizer further reduces the system phase noise by injection- and frequency-locked loop (IFLL) and loop bandwidth (BW) optimization. Experiments demonstrated that the proposed IFLL and loop BW optimization reduce the phase noise of a 24 GHz vital sign radar by more than 28 dB within the loop BW. The proposed polar CCF can further reduce the noise floor and intermodulation of the detected vital sign signals by 24 dB and 17 dB, respectively. These noise reductions reduced the standard deviation (SD) of the sensed respiration rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) by more than half, making the implemented 24 GHz vital signs radar system more reliable and accurate.

A low phase noise microwave source for high‐performance CPT Rb atomic clock

Phase noise of the frequency synthesizer is one of the main limitations to the short-term stability of microwave atomic clocks. In this work, we demonstrated a low-noise, simple-architecture microwave frequency synthesizer for a coherent population trapping (CPT) clock. The synthesizer is mainly composed of a 100 MHz oven controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO), a microwave comb generator and a direct digital synthesizer (DDS). The absolute phase noises of 3.417 GHz signal are measured to be -55 dBc/Hz, -81 dBc/Hz, -111 dBc/Hz and -134 dBc/Hz, respectively, for 1 Hz, 10 Hz, 100 Hz and 1 kHz offset frequencies, which shows only 1 dB deterioration at the second harmonic of the modulation frequency of the atomic clock. The estimated frequency stability of intermodulation effect is 4.7*10^{-14} at 1s averaging time, which is about half order of magnitude lower than that of the state-of-the-art CPT Rb clock. Our work offers an alternative microwave synthesizer for high-performance CPT Rb atomic clock.

Fast automatic frequency calibration assisted phase-locked highly stable optoelectronic oscillator

Highly stable, low phase noise microwave oscillators are essential for various applications. An optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) can overcome the short-term phase noise limitation of pure electronic oscillators at high oscillation frequency. Nonetheless, the long-term frequency stability should be addressed. To stabilize the frequency of OEO, a phase-locked loop (PLL) is widely used to synchronize the OEO to a stable reference. However, due to the narrow free-spectral-range (FSR) of the oscillation cavity of the OEO, the pull-in range of the PLL is limited. It is challenging to acquire phase-locking at startup and phase-relocking when mode-hopping of OEO occurs. Here, by using an automatic frequency calibration (AFC) assisted PLL, we attain a highly stable 10 GHz phase-locked OEO with robust phase-locking at startup and phase-relocking when mode-hopping of OEO occurs, for the first time. With the use of a fast digitally-controlled frequency shifter and a real-time frequency error detection unit in the AFC loop, the phase-locking and phase-relocking time are below 120 ms. Furthermore, it shows the phase noise of -135 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset, side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of 128 dBc, and Allan deviation of 4.8×10-11 at 5000 s for the phase-locked OEO. We thoroughly investigate the dynamics of the automatic frequency calibration, the phase-locking process, the phase-relocking after OEO mode-hopping, the system under vibration, and the frequency switching. Our approach is promising to generate a highly stable, low phase noise, and determinate frequency microwave signal, which can be used as a low phase noise reference for a microwave frequency synthesizer and high performance sampling clock for a data conversion system.

Development of Integrated Low-Phase Noise Microwave Frequency Synthesizer for Cold Atomic Gravimeter

Development of Integrated Low-Phase Noise Microwave Frequency Synthesizer for Cold Atomic Gravimeter

Exact frequency and phase control of a terahertz laser

The accuracy of high-resolution spectroscopy depends critically on the stability, frequency control, and traceability available from laser sources. In this work, we report exact tunable frequency synthesis and phase control of a terahertz laser. The terahertz laser is locked by a terahertz injection phase lock loop for the first time, with the terahertz signal generated by heterodyning selected lines from an all-fiber infrared frequency comb generator in an ultrafast photodetector. The comb line frequency separation is exactly determined by a Global Positioning System-locked microwave frequency synthesizer, providing traceability of the terahertz laser frequency to primary standards. The locking technique reduced the heterodyne linewidth of the terahertz laser to a measurement instrument-limited linewidth of < 1 H z , robust against short- and long-term environmental fluctuations. The terahertz laser frequency can be tuned in increments determined only by the microwave synthesizer resolution, and the phase of the laser, relative to the reference, is independently and precisely controlled within a range ± 0.3 π . These findings are expected to enable applications in phase-resolved high-precision terahertz gas spectroscopy and radiometry.

A fully stabilized low-phase-noise Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:CYA laser frequency comb with an average power of 1.5 W

We report a fully stabilized self-referenced all-solid-state-laser frequency comb based on a home-built Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:CaYAlO4 oscillator, which delivers ultrafast pulses with a pulse duration of 54 fs and an average power of 1.5 W. Free running carrier-envelope phase offset frequency (fceo) is observed with a signal to noise ratio of 40 dB at 100 kHz resolution bandwidth, which is phase-locked to a microwave frequency synthesizer with a residual phase jitter of 370 mrad [1 Hz–1 MHz] and with a standard frequency deviation of 0.8 mHz at 1-s gate time within 3-h, corresponding to the relative frequency instability of 2.9 × 10−18 at 1-s average time. It is the lowest phase noise and the highest frequency stability of fceo obtained in a watt-level all-solid-state bulk laser frequency comb to the best of our knowledge. A 13th repetition rate is simultaneously phase-locked to the same microwave standard with a frequency instability level of 10−12 at 1 s average time. Such fully stabilized power scaling Yb: CaYAlO4 laser frequency combs have great potential for applications in broadband dual comb spectroscopy as well as high loss cases such as long-distance time and frequency transfer.

85Rb喷泉钟的低相位噪声微波频率综合器设计

85Rb喷泉钟的低相位噪声微波频率综合器设计

A Low-Noise Transmission-Type Yttrium Iron Garnet Tuned Oscillator Based on a SiGe MMIC and Bond-Coupling Operating up to 48 GHz

Wideband and low-noise tunable oscillators at microwave frequencies are crucial within microwave frequency synthesizers and key to high-end measurement systems based on electromagnetic sensing in the microwave range as well as in the terahertz (THz) and sub-THz range. This paper presents a novel, wideband, and low-noise differential yttrium iron garnet (YIG) tuned oscillator. It is based on a SiGe monolithic microwave integrated circuit and a transmission-type YIG resonator. The integrated circuit contains a fully differential amplifier as a part of the oscillator core. The resonator was realized by two orthogonal, crossed pad-to-pad bonds and an YIG sphere, which is positioned between those bonds and the integrated circuit. To design and optimize the oscillator, an equivalent circuit modeling the resonator was developed. Concerning the tuning range and the phase noise, the results of the circuit simulations are in good agreement with the measurements. Two oscillators with different lengths of the inductive load transmission line were realized. First, the oscillator with a short transmission line offers very high-oscillation frequencies with a tuning range from 32.0 to 48.2 GHz. It exhibits an excellent phase noise of less than -119dBc/Hz at an offset frequency of 100kHz for oscillation frequencies up to 42GHz. Second, the oscillator with a longer transmission line length offers a tuning range from 19.1 to 41.4 GHz. This configuration exhibits an excellent phase noise of less than -120dBc/Hz at an offset frequency of 100 kHz for oscillation frequencies up to 38GHz.

10-15 Frequency Stability Microwave Synthesizer for Atomic Fountain Frequency Standard

This paper presents the design and phase noise measurement of microwave frequency synthesizer for atomic fountain frequency standard. In this synthesizer, a voltage-controlled DRO is locked to 100MHz hydrogen maser signal through a divider chain. The required interrogation frequency 9192631770 Hz is generated by mixed with 7368230 Hz and 400 MHz signals. The experimental results show that the phase noise of interrogation signal at 9.192 GHz is -88dBc/Hz@ offset 1Hz. With such performances, the expected Dick effect contribution to atom fountain frequency standard is reported at a level of 1.0×10-15 at 1 s integrating time, that is a factor 10 higher than quantum noise limit of atom frequency standard. The carrier spectral spur of microwave synthesizer signal impacted on atomic fountain frequency standard is also discussed.

Low phase noise microwave frequency synthesizer for cold atom clock

We present a low phase noise microwave frequency synthesizer for the integrating sphere cold atom clock. The synthesizer is based on an ultralow-phase-noise oven-controlled crystal oscillator and employs a phase-locking technique. The absolute phase noise performance of the 6834 MHz signal was measured to be −60 and −120 dBc/Hz at offset frequencies of 1 Hz and 10 kHz, respectively. For the new scheme, the direct digital synthesizer is used to tune the clock output. The frequency tuning resolution was improved to 3.4 × 10−15. This scheme for the microwave frequency synthesizer can also be used in other precision measurements.

Optimization of temperature characteristics of a transportable 87Rb atomic fountain clock

A high-performance transportable fountain clock is attractive for use in laboratories with high-precision time-frequency measurement requirements. This Letter reports the improvement of the stability of a transportable rubidium-87 fountain clock because of an optimization of temperature characteristics. This clock integrates its physical packaging, optical benches, microwave frequency synthesizers, and electronic controls onto an easily movable wheeled plate. Two optical benches with a high-vibration resistance are realized in this work. No additional adjustment is required after moving them several times. The Allan deviation of the fountain clock frequency was measured by comparing it with that of the hydrogen maser. The fountain clock got a short-term stability of 2.3×10−13 at 1 s and long-term stability on the order of 10−16 at 100,000 s.

Development of low phase noise microwave frequency synthesizers for reducing Dick effect of Cs fountain clocks

The Dick effect is one of the main factors limiting the short-term frequency stability of Cs fountain clocks, which is especially decided by the phase noise of the local oscillator at smaller offset frequency. Here we report on the development of a 9.192 GHz microwave frequency synthesizer with low phase noise to be used as the local oscillator for Cs fountain clocks. The synthesizer is based on frequency multiplication and synthesis from an ultra-low phase noise 5 MHz Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO). The key component of the frequency multiplication is a non-linear transmission-line (NLTL) as a frequency comb generator. Based on the principle of the NLTL, we carefully optimized the input power, the input and output impedances of the NLTL to suppress its excess phase noise. The measured results show that the absolute phase noises of 9.192 GHz signal are -64 dBc/Hz, -83 dBc/Hz, -92 dBc/Hz and -117 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz, 10 Hz, 100 Hz and 1 kHz offset frequencies, respectively. The residual phase noise of the synthesizer is − 82 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz offset frequency. The frequency stability limit due to the absolute phase noise via Dick effect is theoretically estimated to be 7.0 × 10−14τ−1/2.

Monolithically Integrated Microwave Frequency Synthesizer on InP Generic Foundry Platform

A photonic integrated circuit for microwave generation is proposed and experimentally validated. On the microchip, two tunable monochromatic lasers spectrally separated by 0–10.7 nm are monolithically integrated with one high-speed photodiode in heterodyne configuration for enabling continuous RF synthesis from 2 to 42 GHz. Under free-running operation, the two lasers with 20–40 MHz optical linewidth produce RF beat note with $\sim$ 90 MHz electrical linewidth at the on-chip photodiode. This is the first demonstration of such a fully integrated microwave photonic generator developed within an open-access generic foundry platform.

СВЧ синтезатор частот в микроэлектронном исполнении

СВЧ синтезатор частот в микроэлектронном исполнении