Non-coincidence detection of fiber optic circulators based on Hertz-level frequency-shifting heterodyne interferometry
Authors: Dai Yu , Zhang Wen-Xi , Kong Xin-Xin , Shen Yang-Yi , Xu Hao , Zhang Xiao-Qiang ,   Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, China,   School of Optoelectronics, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China
Published: February 2024

The fiber optic circulator in the form of point diffraction is a key component for coupling fiber optical path and spatial optical path in a laser Doppler vibration measurement system. The coupling efficiency and other performance parameters of fiber optic circulator are great significant for improving measurement accuracy and working distance of vibration measurement system. The conventional circulator coincidence detection methods include energy monitoring method and far-field coincidence monitoring method, which cannot be used to quantitatively analyze the fiber mismatch factors. Therefore, the consistency of the circulator coupling efficiency cannot be guaranteed. To solve these problems, a phase detection technology based on Hertz-level frequency-shifting heterodyne interferometry is proposed. The interferometry phase information is used to calculate the relative spatial positions of optical fibers, and this technology performs quantitative detection in the fiber alignment process. The interference wavefront formed by relative spatial positions of optical fibers is simulated and validated experimentally. The curves of coupling efficiency and wavefront PV value versus different kinds of alignment errors are simulated and analyzed. By fitting the interference wavefront with the Zernike polynomials, the correspondence between different kinds of alignment errors and Zernike coefficients is obtained. The value of Z2 (Zernike coefficient) can be used as the basis for judging whether there is transverse displacement in the Y direction. Similarly, Z3 corresponds to the transverse displacement in the X direction, Z4 corresponds to the longitudinal displacement in the Z direction and Z5 corresponds to the optical axis angle. Through this correspondence relationship, the quantitative separation and analysis of fiber mismatch factors are realized. The experimental results show that the accuracy of this method for measuring lateral displacement is better than 1μm. According to the phase diagram obtained from the experiment, Zernike coefficient fitting is performed. The lateral displacement deviation, longitudinal displacement deviation, and angular deviation are calculated by the coefficients of Z2 to Z5. The fiber adjustment mechanism corrects the transverse displacement deviation. It provides a new detection method for realizing fiber alignment and mismatch correction. Compared with the existing detection methods, the phase detection method based on Hertz-level frequency-shifting heterodyne interferometry solves the quantification problem of fiber coincidence adjustment. This method has the advantages of high measurement accuracy, compact detection structure and composition, and low detection cost. This method has great potential applications in the fields of optical fiber and spatial optical device alignment, optical system aberration detection, and planar wavefront detection.