Interferometric Fiber Optic Gyroscope With Thin-Film Lithium Niobate Modulator Chip
Hongchen Jiao, Zhen Zhou
Abstract
This study developed an interferometric fiber optic gyroscope (IFOG) with thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) modulator chip. An integrable TFLN modulator with simple structure and polarizing capability was proposed. A ridge-type TFLN functional structure was designed, and an attractive polarization extinction ratio exceeding 32 dB was achieved. Simultaneously, excellent electrical properties were achieved, with modulation nonlinearity and residual intensity modulation of 8.1‰ and 1.5‰, respectively. Based on the TFLN modulator chip and a 450 m optical fiber coil, an IFOG was constructed, and a bias instability of 0.09°/h was obtained. This demonstrated its potential to match navigation-level applications. The results verified the practical application feasibility of TFLN modulators in optical gyroscopes. Moreover, they provide a path for the further realization of higher-integrated IFOG.