Chalcogenide-based nonlinear optical gyroscope

基于硫族化物的非线性光学陀螺仪

• 批准号: 2224065
• 负责人: Juliet Gopinath
• 金额: $ 42.5万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2224065&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Chalcogenide; based; nonlinear; optical; gyroscope

The goal of the proposed project is an ultrasensitive, high performance, chip-scale optical gyroscope, which takes advantage of material nonlinearities and photosensitivity to enhance performance. Measuring rotation of spinning objects is an important scientific objective. Additionally, it has a broad range of applications in consumer electronics, aircraft, inertial navigation, and astronomy, spanning multiple length scales from the macroscale (automotive, oil drilling, air travel, space exploration, submarine navigation) to the nanoscale (lab-on-a-chip and biological applications). The popular micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) gyroscopes, which exploits Coriolis force for rotation sensing, are small, light, and well-suited for consumer electronics, automotive needs, and medical instruments. However, for more demanding automotive, robotics, aerospace and defense applications, MEMS solutions are not suitable as they contain moving parts. Optical gyroscopes such as the ring laser gyroscope and the fiber optical gyroscope offer an alternative but suffer from poor signal-to-noise ratio, limiting their applicability, especially in environments where global positioning systems (GPS) are ineffective. Additionally, these conventional optical gyroscopes do not lend themselves to miniaturization. In this proposal, we offer a novel solution . The potential impact on electrical, mechanical and aerospace engineering, as well as astronomy and physics, will be enormous. The technical goals naturally integrate with the education and outreach plans. Interdisciplinary research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students as well as researchers will blend research with education both in the laboratory and the classroom. The online Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering that University of Colorado Boulder is launching featured courses on both semiconductors, lasers, and detectors taught by both of the PIs. Outreach activities include a summer camp on electromagnetism for under-represented students, demonstration for several Engineering Days for under-represented students, advising of the Women in Electrical Engineering student group and a newly awarded Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) program that is tied to several women’s groups include the Women in Science and Engineering and the Society for Women in Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. The innovative concept proposed in this project will enable a new level of performance on a chip-scale platform that will be critical for navigation in GPS-denied environments. It is particularly suited for space, drone, and other aerospace applications, where size, weight and power are critical factors. The conventional optical gyroscopes such as ring laser gyroscope and the fiber optical gyroscope rely on the Sagnac effect, in which a phase shift between optical beams, travelling in opposite directions, is induced under angular rotation. While these devices are effective, they are limited by the weakness of Sagnac effect and noise from nonlinearities, thermal fluctuations, and backscattering. This constrains the ability to perform at the necessary level for inertial navigation systems, especially in environments where global positioning systems (GPS) are ineffective. Additionally, the Sagnac effect is directly proportional to path area, creating significant hurdles for miniature devices. We propose a novel solution based on the Sagnac effect. The combination of a photosensitive, nonlinear chalcogenide material and a chip-scale platform is a game changer.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

拟议项目的目标是超敏，高性能的芯片尺度光学陀螺仪，它利用材料非线性和光敏性来提高性能。测量旋转对象的旋转是一个重要的科学目标。此外，它在消费电子，飞机，惯性导航和天文学中都有广泛的应用，涵盖了从宏观（汽车，机油钻探，航空旅行，太空勘探，海底导航）到纳米级（Lab-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-Chip和Biologic应用程序）的多个长度尺度。流行的微电动机电系统（MEMS）陀螺仪利用Coriolis Force用于旋转传感器的陀螺仪很小，轻巧且非常适合消费电子，汽车需求和医疗仪器。但是，对于更苛刻的汽车，机器人技术，航空航天和防御应用，MEMS解决方案不合适，因为它们包含活动部件。光学陀螺仪（如环激光陀螺仪和光纤陀螺仪）提供了一种替代方案，但具有较差的信噪比，限制了它们的适用性，尤其是在全球定位系统（GPS）无效的环境中。此外，这些常规的光学陀螺仪不适合微型化。在此提案中，我们提供了一种新颖的解决方案。对电气，机械和航空航天工程以及天文学和物理学的潜在影响将是巨大的。技术目标自然与教育和外展计划融合。本科生和研究生以及研究人员的跨学科研究机会将与实验室和课堂上的教育融为一体。科罗拉多大学博尔德大学电气工程的在线硕士学位正在启动针对半导体，激光器和PIS教授的探测器的特色课程。外展活动包括一个针对代表性不足的学生的电子网络夏令营，为代表性不足的学生进行的几个工程学日期的演示，电气工程学生团体中的女性咨询咨询以及在国家需要领域的新授予的研究生援助（Gaann）计划（Gaann）计划，这些计划与几个女性组成的女性在科学和工程学领域的女性在妇女的社会中，包括女性在工程学中的妇女。该项目中提出的创新概念将在芯片规模的平台上提高新的性能，这对于在GPS有污染的环境中至关重要。它特别适合空间，无人机和其他航空航天应用，其中大小，重量和功率是关键因素。常规的光学陀螺仪，例如环激光陀螺仪和光纤陀螺仪，依赖于SAGNAC效应，在角度旋转下，光束之间的相移（朝相反的方向传播）在角度上诱导。尽管这些设备有效，但它们受到了Sagnac效应和非线性，热波动和反向散射的噪声的弱点的限制。这限制了惯性导航系统在必要水平上执行的能力，尤其是在全球定位系统（GPS）无效的环境中。此外，SAGNAC效应与路径区域成正比，为微型设备带来了重大障碍。我们提出了一种基于SAGNAC效应的新颖解决方案。光敏的非线性葡萄干化材料和芯片规模平台的结合是一个改变游戏规则的人。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估审查标准，通过评估被认为是珍贵的支持。