ABSTRACT
The correlation of phase fluctuations in any type of oscillator fundamentally defines its spectral shape. However, in nonlinear oscillators, such as spin torque nano-oscillators, the frequency spectrum can become particularly complex. This is specifically true when not only considering thermal but also colored 1/f flicker noise processes, which are crucial in the context of the oscillator's long term stability. In this study, we address the frequency spectrum of spin torque oscillators in the regime of large-amplitude steady oscillations experimentally and as well theoretically. We particularly take both thermal and flicker noise into account. We perform a series of measurements of the phase noise and the spectrum on spin torque vortex oscillators, notably varying the measurement time duration. Furthermore, we develop the modelling of thermal and flicker noise in Thiele equation based simulations. We also derive the complete phase variance in the framework of the nonlinear auto-oscillator theory and deduce the actual frequency spectrum. We investigate its dependence on the measurement time duration and compare with the experimental results. Long term stability is important in several of the recent applicative developments of spin torque oscillators. This study brings some insights on how to better address this issue.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, the phase noise of aluminum nitride (AlN) contour-mode resonators is investigated using a passive measurement system with carrier suppression. The purpose is to make careful measurements of the performance of AlN resonators in order to better understand and clarify previously reported frequency instability in these devices. The resonant frequencies of the resonators are around 220 MHz. The motional parameters, the thermal behavior, and the nonlinear power effect of these resonators have been evaluated. Then, the principle of the noise measurement system is reviewed, and the resonator conditioning is shown. Finally, the noise measurements of the resonators are presented and discussed.
ABSTRACT
We present an experimental study of the variation of quality factor (Q-factor) of WGM resonators as a function of surface roughness. We consider mm-size whispering-gallery mode resonators manufactured with fluoride crystals, featuring Q-factors of the order of 1 billion at 1550 nm. The experimental procedure consists of repeated polishing steps, after which the surface roughness is evaluated using profilometry by white-light phase-shifting interferometry, while the Q-factors are determined using the cavity-ring-down method. This protocol permits us to establish an explicit curve linking the Q-factor of the disk-resonator to the surface roughness of the rim. We have performed measurements with four different crystals, namely, magnesium, calcium, strontium, and lithium fluoride. We have thereby found that the variations of Q-factor as a function of surface roughness is universal, in the sense that it is globally independent of the bulk material under consideration. We also discuss our experimental results in the light of theoretical estimates of surface scattering Q-factors already published in the literature.
ABSTRACT
The modal dispersion of a whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonator is a very important parameter for use in all nonlinear optics applications. In order to tailor the WGM modal dispersion of a microsphere, we have coated a silica microsphere with a high-refractive-index coating in order to study its effect on the WGM modal dispersion. We used Er(3+) ions as a probe for a modal dispersion assessment. We found that, by varying the coating thickness, the geometrical cavity dispersion can be used to shift overall modal dispersion in a very wide range in both the normal and anomalous dispersion regime.
ABSTRACT
Coatings of spherical optical microresonators are widely employed for different applications. Here the effect of the thickness of a homogeneous coating layer on the coupling of light from a tapered fiber to a coated microsphere has been studied. Spherical silica microresonators were coated using a 70SiO(2)- 30HfO(2) glass doped with 0.3 mol% Er(3+) ions. The coupling of a 1480 nm pump laser inside the sphere has been assessed using a tapered optical fiber and observing the 1530-1580 nm Er(3+) emission outcoupled to the same tapered fiber. The measurements were done for different coating thicknesses and compared with theoretical calculations to understand the relationship of the detected signal with the whispering gallery mode electric field profiles.
ABSTRACT
The amplitude-frequency effect is a well-known phenomenon in quartz crystal resonators. It can distort the results of short-term stability measurements. In our case, results are computed from phase noise measurements in passive bridge systems. This article presents a method to correct computation of short-term stability from passive measurements.
ABSTRACT
Although criticized by many, Handel's quantum model for 1/f noise remains the only model giving a quantitative estimation of the level of intrinsic 1/f noise in quartz crystal resonators that is compatible with the best experimental results. In this paper, we reconsider the volume dependence in this model. We first argue that an acoustic volume, representing the volume in which the vibration energy is trapped, should be used instead of the geometrical volume between the electrodes. Then, we show that because there is an implicit dependence of the quality factor of the resonator with its thickness, the net effect of Handel's formula is not an increase of noise proportionally to the thickness of the resonator, as could be naïvely expected, but a net decrease when thickness increases. Finally, we show that a plot of Q(4)Sy versus the acoustic volume, instead of the usual Sy plot, could be useful to compare the quality of acoustic resonators having very different resonance frequencies.
Subject(s)
Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems/instrumentation , Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems/methods , Models, Chemical , Oscillometry/methods , Quartz/chemistry , Computer Simulation , Electric Impedance , Scattering, RadiationABSTRACT
Nonlinear phenomena occurring in an optical fiber ring resonator featuring ultrahigh Q factor are experimentally studied. The laser is locked onto the resonator, and the optical power induced in the resonator is controlled. The onset of the first stimulated Brillouin scattering wave occurs at an optical input power as low as -9 dBm in these resonators. When the resonator is used as the frequency reference device in an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO), it has been found that these parasitic signals mix with the OEO signal and degrade its phase noise. More than 20 dB improvement of the OEO phase noise has been demonstrated by limiting these nonlinear optical effects.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, the electrical and noise performances of a 0.8 microm silicon germanium (SiGe) transistor optimized for the design of low phase-noise circuits are described. A nonlinear model developed for the transistor and its use for the design of a low-phase noise C band sapphire resonator oscillator are also reported. The best measured phase noise (at ambient temperature) is -138 dBc/Hz at 1 kHz offset from a 4.85 GHz carrier frequency, with a loaded QL factor of 75,000.
ABSTRACT
The influence of the source AM noise in microwave residual phase noise experiments is investigated. The noise floor degradation problem, caused by the parasitic detection of this type of noise by an unperfectly balanced mixer, is solved thanks to a refinement of the quadrature condition. The parasitic noise contribution attributable to the AM to PM (phase modulation) conversion occurring in the device under test is minimized through the development of a dedicated microwave source featuring an AM noise level as low as -170 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset from a 3.5 GHz carrier.
