OEWAVES, INC SBIR Phase I Award, July 2023

OEwaves Inc. offers to develop and demonstrate a compact diode laser system producing the wavelengths for operation of Cs based atomic sensor including Cs atomic interferometers. The system will include 852 nm and 894 nm lasersnbsp;including modulation functions typically required for the operation of quantum sensors. The system will feature the properties required for long duration space applications. The system will be based on semiconductor lasers locked to monolithic microcavities using the self-injection locking technique. This technique results in a complete suppression of mode hops in the laser during its operational lifetime. The microcavity will not only stabilize the frequency of the lasernbsp;but will also be used to measure and stabilize the power of the laser. The microcavity provides a modulatable laser that features exceptionally low residual amplitude modulation, allowing a robust lock as well as offset lock to the atomic transition of interest.nbsp; The proof of principle validation of the technique has been demonstrated by earlier efforts at OEwaves.At the end of Phase II, our goal is to deliver a prototype that achieves better than 10-11/g acceleration sensitivity, and the required frequency stability (defined by the customer; varies depending on the laser use). A unique feature of crystalline WGM resonators pioneered by OEwaves is their high optical transparency leading to quality factors that routinely exceed 109. This will add to simplification in locking lasers to the modes of the resonator.nbsp;