Integrated optoelectronic transceiver toward navigation grade fiber optic gyroscope using silicon photonics

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Integrated Optics
• Navigation Systems

Background:

• Fiber optic gyroscopes (FOGs) are crucial for high-precision rotation sensing.
• Miniaturization and cost reduction are key challenges in FOG development.
• Integration of optical and electronic components can enhance FOG performance and reduce size.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate an integrated fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) transceiver.
• To co-package a silicon photonic FOG chip with a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) circuit.
• To achieve a compact, cost-efficient, and high-performance FOG module.

Main Methods:

• Co-packaging a silicon photonic FOG chip and TIA circuit in a 14-pin butterfly package.
• Integrating optical functions (light source, polarizer, photodetector) with low-noise current-to-voltage conversion.
• Conducting closed-loop FOG tests using a 380m fiber coil.

Main Results:

• The integrated FOG transceiver demonstrated an output power exceeding 1.1 mW.
• Preliminary tests showed a 10s Allan deviation of 0.092°/h.
• Achieved angular random walk (ARW) of 0.00486°/h and bias instability (BI) of 0.0045°/h, meeting navigation-grade specifications.

Conclusions:

• The proposed integrated FOG transceiver offers a scalable approach for cost-efficient, miniaturized FOG production.
• This technology addresses critical needs in aerospace, autonomous vehicle navigation, and industrial robotics.
• The co-packaged design enables high-performance FOG systems in a compact module.