Single-Frequency Integrated Ring Laser for Application in Optical Gyroscope Systems

In this letter, a monolithically integrated ring laser is demonstrated and discussed with respect of potential application in optical gyroscope systems. The device has been realized using generic indium phosphide technology and fabricated on a multi-project wafer. The laser design uses a racetrack resonator with an arrayed waveguide grating as an intra-cavity wavelength filter. Measurement results proved the on-chip laser power of ca. 10 mW and single frequency operation with side mode suppression ratio over 50 dB. The laser is integrated with an interferometric detection circuit for monitoring the beating signal under rotation of the device.