Low-Noise, Parametric, Photonic Oscillator in Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) Band

ABSTRACT: In contrast to the NIR band, which is supported by an infrastructure of devices developed to serve telecommunication applications, the SWIR band remains out of reach for critical defense applications. While it is relatively simple to construct a low-noise oscillator within the conventional NIR window, its equivalent requires qualitatively new physics when operated at wavelengths beyond 1700nm. Recognizing that new semiconductor physics is unlikely, this proposal describes a new technical path to SWIR photonic oscillators capable of covering contiguous tunable NIR/SWIR bands with narrow linewidth and high power. This document details the specific technical path that will lead to an operational SWIR oscillator prototype capable of simultaneously generating: tunable SWIR oscillation in the contiguous, extended-SWIR band (1800-2200nm); >3W and >250mW in quasi-CW and strictly CW regimes, respectively; and tunable SWIR emission comparable with the current state-of-the-art NIR devices with 100Hz linewidth and better-than state-of-the-art 30Hz linewidth performance. BENEFIT: Coherent LIDAR/LADAR Transceiver Doppler-Derived IFF and Target Classification Chemical and Biological Sensing and Spectroscopic Discrimination