Electrically-controlled microcavity frequency comb device and application and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides an electrically-controlled microcavity frequency comb device and application and a preparation method thereof. The device comprises a packaging box; the piezoelectric control unit is mounted in the packaging box; the echo wall micro-column cavity is installed in the packaging box, and one side of the piezoelectric control unit is connected to one side of the echo wall micro-column cavity; the coupling optical fiber is coupled and fixed on the echo wall micro-column cavity and is used for coupling external pumping laser into the echo wall micro-column cavity to generate intra-cavity Brillouin laser; and the piezoelectric control unit applies pressure to the echo wall micro-column cavity to regulate and control the harmonic peak position of the echo wall micro-column cavity, so that the Brillouin laser in the cavity is transited from a blue detuning region to a red detuning region, and the generation of the optical soliton frequency comb is realized. According to the electronic control microcavity frequency comb device, the generation of the optical soliton frequency comb can be realized through the piezoelectric control microcavity device only by connecting a fixed wavelength pumping laser, adjustable pumping laser does not need to be adopted, and an external auxiliary pumping light power modulation device, a pumping light frequency modulation device or auxiliary laser does not need to be adopted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of laser devices, and in particular relates to an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device and its application and preparation method. Background Art

[0002] Optical frequency comb, also known as optical frequency comb for short, refers to a series of discrete, equally spaced comb spectra in the frequency domain, which appear as pulsed light with a fixed repetition frequency in the time domain. With the continuous development of frequency comb technology, optical frequency comb has gradually played an important role in aerospace, astronomical meteorology, precision spectroscopy, communication sensing, microwave photonics and other fields from the initial frequency measurement. At present, optical frequency combs are mainly divided into three categories: the first category is based on the optical frequency comb generated by mode-locked femtosecond lasers, among which the optical frequency comb based on erbium-doped fiber system is the most successful in commercialization; the second category is based on phase-modulated single-frequency laser electro-optical frequency comb; the last category is based on microcavity optical frequency comb. Different from the first two types of optical frequency combs, microcavity optical frequency combs use the ultra-high quality factor and extremely small mode volume of optical microcavities to enhance the interaction between light and matter in the cavity and stimulate stronger nonlinear effects, and broaden the single-frequency pump light into an optical frequency comb through the intracavity four-wave mixing process.

[0003] With the development of microcavity optical frequency combs, the Kerr nonlinear effect in the microcavity is used to balance the intracavity dispersion, and the Kerr dissipative optical soliton frequency comb is successfully realized. Due to the advantages of miniaturization, low power consumption, and wide spectrum, the microcavity optical soliton frequency comb has shown great potential in practical applications. However, in practical applications, the stable generation of soliton combs is indispensable. After exploration, researchers from various countries have developed methods such as thermal tuning, precise modulation of pump lasers, and auxiliary laser control to achieve the stability of soliton frequency combs. However, these methods require expensive auxiliary equipment and complex and demanding control requirements, which seriously limit the popularity and practical application prospects of microcavity optical frequency comb devices.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to design a principle and device for generating a microcavity optical soliton frequency comb without complex external assistance, so as to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the above shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device, its use and preparation method, which utilizes the synergistic effect of pump light and first-order Brillouin laser in the microcavity to achieve piezoelectrically controlled generation and tuning of microcavity optical soliton frequency comb under single laser pumping, thereby solving the problem in the prior art that expensive auxiliary equipment and complex and demanding control requirements are required, which seriously limits the popularization and practical application prospects of microcavity optical frequency comb devices.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose and other related purposes, the present invention provides an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device, comprising:

[0007] Packaging box;

[0008] A piezoelectric control unit, which is installed in the packaging box;

[0009] A whispering gallery micro-column cavity is installed in the packaging box, and one side of the piezoelectric control unit is connected to one side of the whispering gallery micro-column cavity;

[0010] A coupling optical fiber is coupled and fixed to the whispering gallery micro-column cavity and is used to couple an external pump laser into the whispering gallery micro-column cavity to generate intra-cavity Brillouin laser;

[0011] The piezoelectric control unit applies pressure to the whispering gallery micro-column cavity to adjust the resonance peak position of the whispering gallery micro-cavity, thereby causing the Brillouin laser in the cavity to transition from a blue detuning region to a red detuning region, so as to achieve the generation of an optical soliton frequency comb.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the material of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity is an inorganic silicon oxide compound or an inorganic silicon oxide compound surface-modified with organosilane.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cavity diameter of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity is set between 2 mm and 10 mm.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the length of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity is set between 0.5 cm and 5 cm.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the coupling optical fiber is a tapered coupling optical fiber.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tapered coupling optical fiber is a 1550 nm single-mode optical fiber.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the quality factor of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity is greater than 1×10 8 .

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the piezoelectric control unit and the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity are in contact with each other at one end surface.

[0019] On the other hand, the present invention also proposes a use of an electrically-controlled microcavity frequency comb device as described in the above embodiment, wherein the electrically-controlled microcavity frequency comb device couples an external fixed-wavelength pump laser into a whispering gallery microcolumn cavity through a tapered coupling optical fiber to generate a Brillouin laser, and applies pressure to the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity by adjusting a voltage-controlled pressure control unit to regulate the resonance peak position of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity to achieve the generation of an optical soliton frequency comb.

[0020] Another aspect of the present invention further provides a method for preparing an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device, comprising:

[0021] Preparation of whispering gallery micro-column cavity;

[0022] The tapered optical fiber is prepared by flame hot-melt taper drawing technology;

[0023] The prepared tapered coupling optical fiber is coupled to the whispering gallery micro-column cavity;

[0024] The whispering gallery micro-column cavity coupled with the tapered coupling optical fiber and the piezoelectric control unit are packaged in a packaging box, and the piezoelectric control unit is connected to one side of the whispering gallery micro-column cavity.

[0025] The present invention provides an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device and its use and preparation method. An external pump laser is coupled into a whispering gallery microcolumn cavity through a tapered coupling optical fiber to generate a Brillouin laser in the cavity. Then, by adjusting the voltage, a piezoelectric control unit applies pressure to the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity to adjust the resonance peak position of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity, so as to promote the transition of the Brillouin laser in the cavity from the blue detuning region to the red detuning region, thereby realizing the tuning generation of the Brillouin laser to a high noise state frequency comb and then to an optical soliton frequency comb. At this time, the pump laser and the Brillouin laser work together to balance the thermal instability of the microcavity, thereby realizing the locking and stable operation of the optical soliton frequency comb. The electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device only needs to be connected to a fixed wavelength pump laser, and the generation of an optical soliton frequency comb can be realized through a piezoelectrically controlled microcavity device, without the need for an adjustable pump laser, an external auxiliary pump optical power modulation device, a pump optical frequency modulation device, or an auxiliary laser, which is conducive to the popularization of microcavity optical frequency comb devices and can improve the prospects for their practical applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for describing the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of generating a microcavity electrically controlled soliton frequency comb in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a device testing optical path diagram in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 5FIG1 is a diagram of the electrically controlled generation process of a microcavity optical soliton frequency comb in one embodiment of the present invention, wherein a) is a schematic diagram when the piezoelectric actuator is biased at 3 V; b) is a schematic diagram when the piezoelectric actuator is biased at 1.5 V; c) is a schematic diagram when the piezoelectric actuator is biased at 0.75 V; and d) is a schematic diagram when the piezoelectric actuator is biased at 0.32 V.

[0032] Figure 6 This is a single soliton frequency comb spectrum diagram tested by an optical spectrum analyzer in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Description of labels:

[0034] 10. Packaging box; 20. Piezoelectric control unit; 30. Whispering gallery micro-column cavity; 40. Coupling optical fiber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention through specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0036] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in this embodiment are only used to illustrate the basic concept of the present invention in a schematic manner. Therefore, the drawings only show components related to the present invention rather than being drawn according to the number, shape and size of components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component may be changed arbitrarily, and the component layout may also be more complicated.

[0037] Since the microcavity optical soliton frequency comb has the advantages of miniaturization, low power consumption, and wide spectrum, it shows great potential in practical applications. In practical applications, the stable generation of optical soliton frequency combs is indispensable. At present, means such as thermal tuning, precise modulation of pump lasers, and auxiliary laser control have been developed to achieve the stable generation of optical soliton frequency combs. However, the above-mentioned means of achieving stable generation of optical soliton frequency combs require expensive auxiliary equipment and complex and demanding control requirements, which seriously limit the popularity and practical application prospects of microcavity optical frequency comb devices. Therefore, the present invention proposes an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device, its use and preparation method, which utilizes the synergistic effect of pump light and first-order Brillouin laser in a microcavity to achieve piezoelectrically controlled generation and tuning of microcavity optical soliton frequency combs under single laser pumping, solving the problem that the means of achieving stable generation of optical soliton frequency combs in the prior art require expensive auxiliary equipment and complex control.

[0038] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, the electrically-controlled microcavity frequency comb device includes a packaging box 10, a piezoelectric control unit 20, a whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30 and a coupling optical fiber 40. The piezoelectric control unit 20 and the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30 are packaged in the packaging box 10, one side of the piezoelectric control unit 20 is connected to one side of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30, and the coupling optical fiber 40 is coupled and fixed to the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30.

[0039] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the packaging box is made of 10 metal materials, such as a stainless steel packaging box, which is used to fix and protect the piezoelectric control unit 20, the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30 and the coupling optical fiber 40. The metal packaging box provides good mechanical stability and electromagnetic shielding effect, ensuring the long-term stable operation of the device.

[0040] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the piezoelectric control unit 20 is connected to the end surface of one side of the whispering gallery micro-column cavity 30, and the pressure is applied by adjusting the voltage, so as to adjust the resonance peak position of the whispering gallery micro-column cavity 30. The design of the piezoelectric control unit 20 enables it to accurately control the deformation of the micro-column cavity when the voltage is applied. For example, the piezoelectric control unit 20 is a piezoelectric actuator, which is a device that uses the piezoelectric effect to generate mechanical displacement or force. The piezoelectric actuator is usually made of piezoelectric ceramic materials, such as lead zirconate titanate, which have good piezoelectric properties and mechanical strength.

[0041] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 20 is an optical microcavity with a high quality factor value, which is used as an optical resonant cavity to generate and maintain an optical frequency comb, and its special structural design allows light to oscillate in the cavity for a long time without being absorbed or scattered. In this embodiment, the cavity material of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity is not limited, and the cavity material of the whispering gallery microcavity can be any one of silicon nitride, inorganic silicide, chalcogenide glass and lithium niobate. In some embodiments, the cavity material of the whispering gallery microcavity can be an inorganic silicon oxide, and further, the cavity material of the whispering gallery microcavity can be silicon dioxide, for example, the whispering gallery microcavity can be silicon dioxide, doped silicon dioxide or quartz.

[0042] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, the cavity diameter of the whispering gallery micro-column cavity 30 is set between 2 mm and 10 mm, which can achieve a higher quality factor, which is very beneficial for generating high-quality Brillouin lasers and optical soliton frequency combs. The micro-column cavity with a diameter between 2 mm and 10 mm has good mechanical stability, can withstand certain external pressure and vibration, reduce the resonance peak drift caused by mechanical deformation, and is also easy to manufacture and handle. The quality factor of the whispering gallery micro-column cavity 30 is greater than 1x 10 8 , preferably, its quality factor can reach 1x 10 9 , which can increase the storage time of light, increase the number of multi-path propagation of light in the cavity, help enhance nonlinear effects such as Brillouin scattering, and reduce the power of the external pump laser, thereby improving the generation efficiency and quality of the frequency comb.

[0043] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the coupling optical fiber 40 is a tapered coupling optical fiber, specifically a 1550nm single-mode optical fiber. The tapered coupling optical fiber is used to efficiently couple the external pump laser into the whispering gallery micro-column cavity. The tapered design of the optical fiber maximizes its coupling efficiency near the micro-cavity and reduces the scattering loss of light.

[0044] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the side where the piezoelectric control unit 20 and the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30 contact each other is end-face contact, so as to ensure that when pressure is applied by adjusting the voltage to adjust the resonance peak position of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30, the pressure distribution is uniform, and the elasto-optical effect and deformation of the microcolumn cavity can be accurately controlled.

[0045] The present invention also provides a method for preparing an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device, the method comprising the following steps:

[0046] S1. Prepare a whispering gallery microcolumn cavity; for example, use carbon dioxide laser polishing and etching technology to prepare a silicon oxide microcolumn cavity, which includes designing the geometric parameters of the microcolumn cavity including the length of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity and the cavity diameter; use a high-power carbon dioxide laser to polish the silicon oxide material, laser polishing can accurately control the surface roughness and shape of the material to ensure the smoothness and geometric accuracy of the microcolumn cavity, and achieve fine processing of the microcolumn cavity surface by adjusting the laser power and scanning speed; perform laser etching on the polished silicon oxide material to form the structure of the microcolumn cavity, the etching process requires precise control of the laser focus and scanning path to ensure that the shape and size of the cavity meet the design requirements, and the surface quality and geometric shape of the microcolumn cavity can be gradually optimized through multiple etching and polishing cycles.

[0047] It should be noted that the prepared whispering gallery micro-column cavity 30 needs to be tested for quality factor. The quality factor is an important parameter for measuring the optical performance of the micro-cavity and is usually determined by spectral measurement and data analysis. In this embodiment, the quality factor of the whispering gallery micro-column cavity is greater than 1×10 8 , preferably 1x 10 9 .

[0048] S2. Use flame hot-melt taper technology to prepare tapered optical fiber; use 1550nm single-mode optical fiber with good optical performance and low loss characteristics as raw material, and use flame hot-melt taper technology to prepare tapered optical fiber by applying flame at both ends of the optical fiber to partially melt and stretch the optical fiber to form a tapered structure.

[0049] S3. Couple the prepared tapered coupling optical fiber to the whispering gallery micro-column cavity; couple the prepared tapered optical fiber to the micro-column cavity to ensure the coupling efficiency and stability between the optical fiber and the micro-column cavity.

[0050] S4. Encapsulate the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity coupled with the tapered coupling optical fiber and the piezoelectric control unit in a packaging box, and connect the piezoelectric control unit to one side of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity. Place the assembled device in a stainless steel packaging box to ensure the stability and reliability of the device. It is understandable that the design of the packaging box needs to consider factors such as dustproof, moisture-proof and shockproof to protect the performance and life of the device during the experiment.

[0051] See also Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the present invention also provides a use of the electrically-controlled microcavity frequency comb device described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the electrically-controlled microcavity frequency comb device couples an external fixed-wavelength pump laser into a whispering gallery microcolumn cavity through a tapered coupling optical fiber to generate a Brillouin laser, and applies pressure to the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity by adjusting a voltage-controlled pressure control unit to regulate the resonance peak position of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity, thereby achieving the generation of an optical soliton frequency comb.

[0052] Specifically, the packaging box 10 fixes the piezoelectric control unit 20, the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30 and the tapered coupling optical fiber 40 in the metal packaging box to protect the devices and ensure their stability; the piezoelectric control unit 20 is connected to one side end face of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30, and applies pressure by adjusting the voltage to adjust the resonance peak position of the microcavity; the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30 is used as an optical resonant cavity to generate and maintain an optical frequency comb; the tapered coupling optical fiber 40 is used to couple an external pump laser into the microcolumn cavity. Specifically, an external pump laser is coupled into the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30 through the tapered coupling optical fiber 40 to generate a Brillouin laser in the cavity. By adjusting the voltage, the piezoelectric control unit 20 applies pressure to the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity 30 to regulate the resonance peak position of the whispering gallery microcavity 30, thereby causing the Brillouin laser in the cavity to transition from the blue detuning zone to the red detuning zone, thereby realizing the tuning and generation process of the Brillouin laser to the high noise state frequency comb and then to the optical soliton frequency comb. At this time, the pump laser and the Brillouin laser work together to balance the thermal instability of the microcavity, thereby realizing the locking and stable operation of the optical soliton frequency comb.

[0053] See also Figures 1 to 4 As shown in the figure, its working process is as follows: the external pump laser enters the whispering gallery micro-column cavity through tapered fiber coupling; in the micro-cavity, the nonlinear interaction between the pump laser and the micro-cavity generates a first-order Brillouin laser; by adjusting the voltage of the piezoelectric control unit, pressure is applied to the micro-column cavity to change its resonance peak position; as the resonance peak position changes, the Brillouin laser transitions from the blue detuning region to the red detuning region, realizing the tuning generation from the high-noise state frequency comb to the optical soliton frequency comb; the synergistic effect of the pump laser and the Brillouin laser balances the thermal instability of the micro-cavity, realizing the locking and stable operation of the optical soliton frequency comb. It can be understood that the electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device has the characteristics of system simplification, cost reduction, improved stability and tuning flexibility compared with the prior art. The system is simplified, and it only needs to connect a pump laser with a fixed wavelength, without an adjustable laser or auxiliary modulation device; the cost is reduced, and the use of external equipment is reduced, reducing the cost of the overall system; the stability is improved, and the thermal instability of the microcavity is effectively balanced through the synergistic effect of the pump light and the Brillouin laser, and the stability and reliability of the frequency comb are improved; the tuning flexibility is that through piezoelectric control, the generation state of the frequency comb can be flexibly tuned from a high-noise state frequency comb to an optical soliton frequency comb. The electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device has broad application prospects in the fields of optical communication, precision measurement, spectral analysis, etc. Its miniaturization, low cost and high stability make it particularly advantageous in portable devices and integrated optical systems.

[0054] In some embodiments, a method for testing the optical performance of an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device is provided, wherein the device is placed Figure 3In the test optical path shown, the quality factor and soliton frequency comb of the device are tested using pump light with a wavelength of 1550nm. The test optical path includes: pump light source: a tunable external laser is used to generate laser light in the 1550nm band, which is output through a single-mode optical fiber. Optical amplifier: an optical amplifier is used to increase the power of the laser; polarization controller: the polarization state of the pump light is adjusted through the polarization controller to ensure efficient coupling into the microcavity; coupler: a tapered optical fiber is used to couple the pump light into the microcavity; piezoelectric actuator: used to adjust the size and refractive index distribution of the microcavity; optical circulator: used to separate the forward and reverse transmitted optical signals; photodetector: converts the optical signal into an electrical signal for detection and analysis; oscilloscope: observes and records the electrical signal; spectrometer: used to observe and record the spectral characteristics of the optical frequency comb; high-speed photodetector: used to obtain the beat frequency signal and record it in the electrical spectrum analyzer.

[0055] The testing process is as follows: use an external laser to generate laser light in the 1550nm band;

[0056] The laser is transmitted to an optical amplifier through a single-mode optical fiber for power amplification to provide sufficient pump power;

[0057] The amplified pump light has its polarization state adjusted by a polarization controller to ensure that it matches the polarization of the microcavity;

[0058] The pump light is coupled into the microcavity through a tapered coupling fiber, so that it circulates clockwise in the cavity;

[0059] Adjust the wavelength of the pump light and select the appropriate resonance mode to excite stimulated Brillouin lasing or soliton states;

[0060] The refractive index and deformation of the microcavity are adjusted by a piezoelectric actuator to match the resonance frequency of the microcavity with the wavelength of the pump light.

[0061] Gradually increase the pump power until the generation of soliton states is observed;

[0062] An optical circulator is used to separate the forward and reverse optical signals. The forward optical signal is converted into an electrical signal by a photodetector and then input into an oscilloscope to observe the transmission spectrum. After the reverse optical signal passes through the circulator, it is divided into three paths using coupler 1 and coupler 2:

[0063] One channel is input into a photodetector and then connected to an oscilloscope to observe the electrical signal.

[0064] One channel is directly input into the spectrometer to observe the spectral characteristics of the optical frequency comb.

[0065] The other path passes through a high-speed photoelectric detector to obtain the beat frequency signal, and then inputs it into the electrical spectrum analyzer for observation.

[0066] It can realize the electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb spectroscopy test:

[0067] The laser wavelength of the external laser is fixed, and the voltage of the piezoelectric actuator is adjusted. The generation of Brillouin laser and the voltage-controlled generation process of the optical soliton frequency comb are observed and recorded through a spectrometer to verify the stability and controllability of the microcavity frequency comb.

[0068] like Figure 5 As shown, the test results of the above experiment are as follows: when the bias voltage of the piezoelectric actuator is 3V, a fixed wavelength pump laser with a wavelength of 1550nm and a power of 3.5mW is coupled into the micro-column cavity, and it can be observed that a first-order Brillouin laser is generated in the cavity with a frequency shift of 10.77GHz, which indicates that the Brillouin effect in the micro-cavity is already obvious and effective stimulated Brillouin scattering of the laser occurs in the cavity.

[0069] When the voltage of the piezoelectric actuator is gradually reduced to 1.5V, the Kerr parameter oscillation light signal of the first-order Brillouin laser excitation parameters is observed, which shows that as the voltage decreases, the resonant mode frequency of the microcavity gradually approaches the Brillouin laser frequency, causing the Brillouin laser to enter the Kerr effect region of the microcavity, thereby generating Kerr parameter oscillations.

[0070] When the voltage of the piezoelectric actuator is further reduced to 0.75V, the Kerr parameter oscillation signal further evolves into an optical frequency comb, which indicates that as the frequency of the microcavity resonant mode gradually approaches the Brillouin laser frequency, the Brillouin laser enters the microcavity optical frequency comb region, thereby generating an optical frequency comb. At this time, the Brillouin laser is still in the blue detuning region of the resonant cavity mode, and the generated frequency comb is in a high noise state.

[0071] When the piezoelectric actuator voltage is reduced to 0.32V, as the frequency of the microcavity resonant mode moves further toward the Brillouin laser frequency position, it enters the red detuning region of the resonant cavity and enters the soliton state, thereby generating a low-noise soliton frequency comb.

[0072] like Figure 6 As shown in the figure, by adjusting the voltage of the piezoelectric actuator, the generation of a single soliton frequency comb can be achieved. The shape of the collected frequency comb spectrum is consistent with the Sech2 fitting curve, which further verifies the formation of the soliton state. The spectrum data of the optical soliton frequency comb can be collected by a spectrometer, the position and intensity of the resonance peak can be recorded, and the Sech2 function can be fitted to the experimental data using the nonlinear least squares method. If the experimental data is in good agreement with the Sech2 function fitting curve, it means that a single soliton state has indeed been formed in the spectrum.

[0073] The present invention provides an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device and its use and preparation method. An external pump laser is coupled into a whispering gallery microcolumn cavity through a tapered coupling optical fiber to generate a Brillouin laser in the cavity; then, by adjusting the voltage, a piezoelectric control unit applies pressure to the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity to adjust the resonance peak position of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity, prompting the Brillouin laser in the cavity to transition from the blue detuning region to the red detuning region, thereby achieving the tuning generation of the Brillouin laser to a high noise state frequency comb, and then to an optical soliton frequency comb. At this time, the pump laser and the Brillouin laser work together to balance the thermal instability of the microcavity, thereby achieving the locking and stable operation of the optical soliton frequency comb. The electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device only needs to be connected to a fixed wavelength pump laser, and the generation of an optical soliton frequency comb can be achieved through a piezoelectrically controlled microcavity device, without the need for an adjustable pump laser, an external auxiliary pump light power modulation device, a pump light frequency modulation device, or an auxiliary laser, which is conducive to the popularization of microcavity optical frequency comb devices and can improve the prospects for their practical applications.

[0074] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed by the present invention shall still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

[0075] In the description herein, many specific details, such as examples of components and / or methods, are provided to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other devices, systems, components, methods, components, materials, parts, etc. In other cases, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the present invention.

[0076] References throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or "a specific embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention, and not necessarily in all embodiments. Thus, various appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in an embodiment," or "in a specific embodiment" in different places throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, the particular features, structures, or characteristics of any specific embodiment of the invention may be combined with one or more other embodiments in any suitable manner. It should be understood that other variations and modifications of the embodiments of the invention described and illustrated herein may be possible in light of the teachings herein and are to be considered part of the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0077] It should also be understood that one or more of the elements shown in the figures may also be implemented in a more separate or more integrated manner, or even removed because they are inoperable in certain circumstances or provided because they may be useful depending on the application.

[0078] In addition, unless otherwise explicitly indicated, any marking arrows in the drawings should be regarded as exemplary only and not limiting. In addition, unless otherwise indicated, the term "or" used herein is generally intended to mean "and / or". In the case where the term is not clear because it is anticipated that the ability to separate or combine is provided, the combination of components or steps will also be regarded as indicated.

[0079] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless otherwise indicated. Likewise, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of "in" includes "in" and "on," unless otherwise indicated.

[0080] The above description of the illustrated embodiments of the present invention (including the contents described in the Abstract) is not intended to be an exhaustive list or to limit the present invention to the precise form disclosed herein. Although specific embodiments of the present invention and examples of the present invention are described herein for illustrative purposes only, various equivalent modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention as will be recognized and appreciated by those skilled in the art. As noted, these modifications may be made to the present invention in accordance with the above description of the embodiments described in the present invention, and these modifications will be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0081] Systems and methods have been generally described herein as details that aid in understanding the present invention. In addition, various specific details have been given to provide an overall understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or may be practiced using other devices, systems, accessories, methods, components, materials, parts, etc. In other cases, well-known structures, materials, and / or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid confusion with various aspects of embodiments of the present invention.

[0082] Thus, although the invention has been described herein with reference to specific embodiments thereof, freedom of modification, various changes and substitutions are also within the foregoing disclosure, and it should be understood that in some cases, some features of the invention will be employed without the corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope and spirit of the proposed invention. Therefore, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular environment or material to the essential scope and spirit of the invention. The invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms used in the claims below and / or the specific embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention, but the invention will include any and all embodiments and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention will be determined solely by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device, characterized in that: include: Packaging box; A piezoelectric control unit, which is installed in the packaging box; A whispering gallery micro-column cavity is installed in the packaging box, and one side of the piezoelectric control unit is connected to one side of the whispering gallery micro-column cavity; A coupling optical fiber is coupled and fixed to the whispering gallery micro-column cavity and is used to couple an external pump laser into the whispering gallery micro-column cavity to generate intra-cavity Brillouin laser; The piezoelectric control unit applies pressure to the whispering gallery micro-column cavity to adjust the resonance peak position of the whispering gallery micro-cavity, thereby causing the Brillouin laser in the cavity to transition from a blue detuning region to a red detuning region, so as to achieve the generation of an optical soliton frequency comb.

2. The electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity is a silicon oxide compound and / or a silicon oxide compound surface-modified with organic silane.

3. The electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cavity diameter of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity is set between 2 mm and 10 mm.

4. The electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The length of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity is set between 0.5 cm and 5 cm.

5. The electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coupling optical fiber is a tapered coupling optical fiber.

6. The electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The tapered coupling optical fiber is a 1550nm single-mode optical fiber.

7. The electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The quality factor of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity is greater than 1×10 8 .

8. The electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The piezoelectric control unit and the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity are in contact with each other at one end surface.

9. Use of the electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device according to claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device couples an external fixed wavelength pump laser into the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity through a tapered coupling optical fiber to generate Brillouin laser, and applies pressure to the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity by adjusting the voltage to control the pressure control unit, thereby regulating the resonance peak position of the whispering gallery microcolumn cavity to achieve the generation of an optical soliton frequency comb.

10. A method for preparing an electrically controlled microcavity frequency comb device, characterized in that: include: Preparation of whispering gallery micro-column cavity; The tapered optical fiber is prepared by flame hot-melt taper drawing technology; The prepared tapered coupling optical fiber is coupled to the whispering gallery micro-column cavity; The whispering gallery micro-column cavity coupled with the tapered coupling optical fiber and the piezoelectric control unit are packaged in a packaging box, and the piezoelectric control unit is connected to one side of the whispering gallery micro-column cavity.

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