WAVELENGTH METER THEORY: MICHELSON INTERFEROMETRY

154
APPLICATION NOTE
A variety of techniques have been devised to determine the wavelength of lasers. Interferometric techniques, like the one used in WA-1500/1000 Wavemeter systems, have proven to be the most practical for wavelength measurement instrumentation. The basis of such techniques is the transformation of optical wavelengths to either a temporal or a spatial fringe frequency that is measured to high accuracy using a scale calibrated against a reference. The WA-1500/1000 Wavemeter systems uses a Michelson interferometer-based design to generate temporal fringes that are measured against a well-characterized reference laser. For example, the standard Michelson interferometer shown in Figure 1 generates wavelength information from the optical interference of two beams that originate from the same source. The incident beam is split between a fixed path and a smoothly varying path. Both beams are reflected back and recombined at the beamsplitter to produce a sinusoidal interference pattern that is a result of the smoothly changing phase relationship between the beams.

Figure 1: Standard Michelson interferometer

This signal, which is observed by the detector, goes through one complete cycle of intensity maximum and minimum (known as a fringe) as the difference in the lengths of the two optical paths changes by one wavelength of the incident light (see Figure 2).

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Figure 2: Phase relationship between the two paths of the Michelson interferometer resulting in a sinusoidal fringe pattern.

The unknown wavelength of the incident light, , can be calculated using the Michelson interferometer equation m = 2nd. In this equation, m is the number of fringes recorded as the scanning mirror of the Michelson interferometer moves through the distance, d. The refractive index, n, of the medium (typically air) between the mirrors of the interferometer is included to account for the difference between the physical path distance and the optical path distance. The accuracy of this wavelength calculation depends primarily on the precision to which the displacement of the scanning mirror is known. In order to obtain highly accurate wavelength measurements, are reference laser with an accurately known wavelength is measured simultaneously to determine the scanning mirror displacement in term of this wavelength. The WA-1500/1000 Wavemeter system is a modified Michelson interferometer as shown in Figure 3. A HeNe laser that serves as a reference is an integral part of the instrument. This reference laser and the laser under test enter the interferometer simultaneously through a beamsplitter and follow identical paths in opposite directions. Scanning is accomplished with a moving retro-reflector assembly that slides several centimeters along the optical path. The beams are recombined at the beamsplitter and the number of interference fringes generated for each laser is recorded by separate photodetectors.

Figure 3: WA-1500/1000 optical schematic

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Wavelength is calculated using the modified Michelson interferometer equation shown below. The modification (a factor of four rather than a factor of two) is due to a fact that there is a change in the distances of both paths of the interferometer in the WA-1500/1000. (mHeNeHeNe)nHeNe = (mtesttest)/ntest = 4d In this equation. mHeNe and mtest are the number of fringes generated by the reference laser and the laser under test, respectively. nHeNe and ntest are the refractive index of air at the HeNe laser wavelength, HeNe, and the refractive index of air at the test wavelength, test, respectivly. This equation is reduced as follows.

test = (mHeNe/mtest)(ntest/nHeNe) HeNe

Therefore, the unknown wavelength is calculated by multiplying the ratio of the number of fringes recorded for each laser by a dispersion correction and the reference HeNe laser wavelength.

mHeNe/mtest: The WA-1500/1000 determines this ratio by recording the number of fringes generated for each laser. ntest/nHeNe: This ratio accounts for the difference in optical distances traveled by two laser beams with different wavelengths. Such a dispersion correction is unnecessary if the Michelson interferometer is housed in a vacuum chamber ( n test/n HeNe = 1). The WA-1500/1000 eliminates the need for a cumbersome vacuum chamber by accurately computing the refractive index dispersion.
Because the value of this dispersion correction depends on the temperature and pressure within the interferometer, the WA-1500/1000 uses sensors to measure temperature and pressure. The temperature and pressure sensors are sufficiently accurate in order to provide a dispersion correction that will ensure a wavelength determination with an accuracy of 0.2 ppm. HeNe: In order to achieve an absolute accuracy of 0.2 ppm a very well defined reference laser wavelength must be used. Unfortunately, the uncertainty of the wavelength of a standard HeNe laser limits the absolute accuracy of the wavelength measurement to 1 ppm. Therefore, for higher accuracy measurements, the WA-1500 uses a stabilized single-frequency HeNe laser. The absolute wavelength of this HeNe laser is known to better than 0.025 ppm.

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Appnote154.1AN

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