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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
09:03
A Silicon-tipped Fiber-optic Sensing Platform with High Resolution and Fast Response
Published on: January 7, 2019
FPGA-based gain-controlled closed-loop interferometric fiber optic gyroscope with a silicon multi-function integrated
Optics Letters
|July 31, 2026
Summary
A new silicon photonics gyroscope offers high-precision inertial navigation. This integrated optic gyroscope achieves excellent performance, paving the way for compact, low-cost navigation systems.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Optical Engineering
- Inertial Navigation
Background:
- Interferometric fiber optic gyroscopes (IFOGs) are crucial for inertial navigation.
- Existing IFOGs can be bulky and expensive.
- Silicon photonics offers a path to miniaturization and cost reduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a compact, high-precision, and low-cost IFOG using silicon photonics.
- To demonstrate a gain-controlled closed-loop technology on a silicon multi-function integrated optical circuit (Si-MIOC).
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of an integrated optic gyroscope on a Si-MIOC using a foundry-enabled silicon photonics platform.
- Implementation of gain-controlled closed-loop technology.
- Real-time angular velocity output at 2 kHz.
Main Results:
- Achieved bias instability of 0.02422°/h.
- Demonstrated an angular random walk of 0.00135°/√h.
- Measured nonlinearity of no more than 439 ppm.
Conclusions:
- The developed Si-MIOC-based IFOG is feasible for practical navigation applications.
- This technology presents an economical and compact solution for reliable IFOGs.
- The gyroscope is suitable for next-generation inertial navigation systems.
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