Patent ID: 8681827

Claim:
A triple-oscillator device for generating a single optical tone, a radio frequency (RF) oscillation signal and an optical frequency comb signal having different optical frequencies, comprising: an optical resonator formed of a nonlinear optical material exhibiting a third order optical nonlinearity; laser to produce a continuous wave (CW) laser beam at a laser carrier frequency that interacts with the nonlinear optical material of the optical resonator to generate the optical frequency comb having different optical frequencies including the laser carrier frequency inside the optical resonator; an optical coupler that couples the laser beam into the optical resonator and light inside the optical resonator out of the optical resonator as a self-injection feedback beam towards the laser; an optical filter located between the laser and the optical resonator to filter the self-injection feedback beam directed from the optical coupler to the laser to direct light at the laser carrier frequency into the laser to cause injection locking of the laser to the optical resonator at the laser carrier frequency while blocking other spectral components in the self-injection feedback beam from entering the laser; a first beam splitter placed between the laser and the optical filter to transmit a portion of the light between the laser and the optical filter and to direct another portion of the light as a first device output which is a single optical tone at the laser carrier frequency; a photodiode located to receive an output optical beam coupled out of the optical resonator carrying the optical frequency comb to produce an RF oscillation signal as a second device output; and a second beam splitter located in an optical path of the output optical beam received by the photodiode to transmit a portion of the output optical beam to the photodiode for generating the RF oscillation signal and to direct another portion of the output optical beam as a third device output which is a replica of the optical frequency comb generated inside the optical resonator.