集成光学移相干涉仪的研制与性能表征

Manufacturing and characterization of integrated optical phase-shift interferometer

干涉仪是综孔径望远镜的核心器件,与传统的分立元件干涉仪相比,集成光学移相干涉仪结构紧凑,用于构建综合孔径望远镜能显著优化望远镜结构并提高系统稳定性。文中报道了二氧化硅基集成光学移相干涉仪的设计和制作,并给出了对这种器件主要性能的表征结果。研究结果表明,集成光波导制作技术可以保证干涉仪芯片上两个方向耦合器的耦合特性的一致性;器件的插入损耗优于1.8 dB,插入损耗均匀性优于0.1 dB;通过对MZ干涉仪插入损耗的测量估计了移相器的偏差,结果显示干涉仪中90°移相器的偏差大约为1.5°。分析表明,二氧化硅基光波导技术用于综合孔径望远镜用光干涉仪制作具有显著的优势。

Optical interferometers are key devices in constructing aperture synthesis telescope.Compared with optical interferometers implemented with conventional discrete elements,integrated optical phase-shift interferometers possess ultra-compact structure,and thus can be applied in aperture synthesis telescope to optimize its structure and improve its stability as well.Silica based integrated optical phase-shift interferometer was studied,in aspects of its design,fabrication,as well as its characterization.Results show that the two direction couplers in interferometer chip possess well consistency in terms of their coupling efficiency,thanks to integrated optical waveguide technology itself.Excess loss of interferometer chip was measured to be as low as 1.8 d B,with uniformity of 0.1 dB.Phase shift error was estimated by measuring MZ interferometers,and results exhibit that error of 90°phase shifter is approximately 1.5°.Analysis show that silica based waveguide technology is promising in fabrication of optical phase-shift interferometers utilized in aperture synthesis telescope.