Offset phase locking of Er,Yb:glass laser eigenstates for RF photonics applications

An optical source of microwaves with very low phase noise for communications and radar systems is realized and tested. It is obtained by dual-frequency operation of a diode pumped Er,Yb:glass laser. An electrooptic crystal inserted inside the resonator permits both to tune the frequency difference between orthogonally polarized eigenstates, and to turn the laser into a voltage controlled oscillator. An optical phase-locked loop is then implemented in the GHz range, resulting in a measured instrument limited 3 dB-linewidth of 10 Hz. The phase noise is shown to be -100 dBc/Hz at 10-kHz offset.