Abstract
Precision guidance in navigation systems requires highly accurate, compact, and
low cost inertial measurement units (IMUs). The key active guided-wave component of the
IMU is the phase modulator. In our approach, electro-optic polymers have been utilized
in fabricating low loss phase modulators with low half-wave drive voltage using advanced
hybrid waveguide fabrication processes and novel optical integration techniques.
However, the interference between the primary wave and the backscatter waves generated
by the phase modulator and/or the interference between the two counter-propagating
backscatter waves at the detector of the IMU has been a major source of error in this
approach. A novel technique was introduced in assessing the error caused by backscatter
and an offset waveguide design was developed to suppress the interference of backscatter
light. The novel design not only preserved the miniaturization, but also improved the
insertion loss with the use of a shorter waveguide. The gyro level tests performed with
the backscatter compensated modulators showed about 5 times improvement of the average
bias uncertainty over gyros integrated with a standard symmetric phase modulator.
© 2009 IEEE
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