Large-tuning-range frequency stabilization of an ultraviolet laser by an open-loop piezoelectric ceramic controlled Fabry–Pérot cavity

Abstract

We demonstrate a laser frequency stabilization method with large tuning range to stabilize a UV laser by installing piezoelectric ceramic actuators into a Fabry–Pérot cavity with an ultra-low expansion spacer. To suppress piezoelectric drift, a two-layer symmetrical structure is adopted for the piezoelectric actuator, and a 14.7 GHz tuning range is achieved. The short-term drift of the piezoelectric ceramics caused by temperature and creep is eliminated, and the long-term drift is 0.268 MHz/h when the Fabry–Pérot cavity is sealed in a chamber without a vacuum environment. The long-term frequency drift is mainly caused by stress release and is eliminated by compensating the cavity voltage with an open loop. Without the need for an external reference or a vacuum environment, the laser frequency stabilization system is greatly simplified, and it can be extended to wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet to infrared. Owing to its simplicity, stability, and large tuning range, it is applicable in cold atom and trapped ion experiments.

Research on Narrow Linewidth External Cavity Semiconductor Lasers

“…In 2021, YongXiang Zheng et al [50] demonstrated a method of laser frequency stabilization in a wide tuning range by installing piezoelectric ceramic actuators into the Fabry-Perot cavity to stabilize the ultraviolet laser. In order to suppress the piezoelectric drift, the piezoelectric actuator adopts a two-layer symmetrical structure to achieve a tuning range of 14.7 GHz.…”

Piezoelectric and microfluidic tuning of an infrared cavity for vibrational polariton studies

“…Finally, piezoelectric actuators have been extensively used in photonics and laser tuning. 32,33 In summary, previous techniques showed clear advantages of using piezoelectric actuators over the manual cavity regulation by using stainless steel cells. However, these techniques were mostly limited by using rigid cavity spacers and they did not explore the flexibility of using a material with a lower Young's modulus such as polymethylsiloxane (PDMS) widely used in lab-on-a-chip approaches.…”

Lithium Niobate Piezoelectric Actuator-Integrated Fiber Fabry-Pérot Tunable Filter with Ultrahigh Speed and Linearity

“…High-speed wavelength tuning is essential for optical fiber communication, , microwave photonics, − lasers, − spectroscopy, − sensors interrogation, and many other fields, where tunable filters are key elements. The Fabry-Pérot tunable filter (FPTF) is a versatile and reliable modulation approach with a high resolution and low optical insertion loss. , The mechanism of FPTF includes refractive index tuning, such as electro–optical and liquid–crystal tuning, , as well as cavity-length tuning, such as mechanical, electrostatic, , and piezoelectric tuning. , …”

“…10,13 The mechanism of FPTF includes refractive index tuning, such as electro−optical 14 and liquid−crystal tuning, 15,16 as well as cavity-length tuning, such as mechanical, electrostatic, 17,18 and piezoelectric tuning. 19,20 Among these, electro−optic tunable filters 21−23 based on materials, such as lithium niobite (LiNbO 3 ), exhibit high-speed operation up to the gigahertz level. However, the relatively weak electro−optic coefficient and strong second-order Kerr effect of LiNbO 3 restrict the tuning range.…”