Nanometric precision distance metrology via chip-scale soliton microcombs

Abstract

Laser interferometry serves a fundamental role in science and technology, assisting precision metrology and dimensional length measurement. During the past decade, laser frequency combs - a coherent optical-microwave frequency ruler over a broad spectral range with traceability to time-frequency standards - have contributed pivotal roles in laser dimensional metrology with ever-growing demands in measurement precision. Here we report spectrally-resolved laser dimensional metrology via a soliton frequency microcomb, with nanometric-scale precision. Spectral interferometry provides information on the optical time-of-flight signature, and the large free-spectral range and high-coherence of the microcomb enables tooth-resolved and high-visibility interferograms that can be directly readout with optical spectrum instrumentation. We employ a hybrid timing signal from comb-line homodyne interferometry and microcomb spectrally-resolved interferometry - all from the same spectral interferogram. Our combined soliton and homodyne architecture demonstrates a 3-nm repeatability achieved via homodyne interferometry, and over 1,000-seconds stability in the long-term precision metrology at the white noise limits.

24 pages, 12 figures

References in corpus (7)

• Microresonator Soliton Dual-Comb Spectroscopy
• Massively parallel coherent laser ranging using soliton microcombs
• Probing 10 μK stability and residual drifts in the cross-polarized dual-mode stabilization of single-crystal ultrahigh-Q optical resonators
• Full Stabilization of a Microresonator based Optical Frequency Comb
• Monolithic piezoelectric control of soliton microcombs
• Mode-locked ultrashort pulse generation from on-chip normal dispersion microresonators
• Characterization of timing jitter spectra in free-running mode-locked lasers with 340 dB dynamic range over 10 decades of Fourier frequency

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Applications of integrated optical microcombs
• Coherent terahertz radiation with 2.8-octave tunability through chip-scale photomixed microresonator optical parametric oscillation
• Nanometric dual-comb ranging using photon-level microcavity solitons
• Programmable spectral shaping to improve the measurement precision of frequency comb mode-resolved spectral interferometric ranging
• Mapping ultrafast timing jitter in dispersion-managed 89 GHz frequency microcombs via self-heterodyne linear interferometry