Frequency-Comb-Assisted Swept-Wavelength Interferometry

Paper in proceeding, 2021

Swept-wavelength interferometry (SWI) is a highly sensitive and versatile technique implemented in a diverse array of industrial and scientific applications. SWI uses a continuously tunable laser to capture the magnitude and phase response of a device under test (DUT). The prevalent non-linear tuning of the laser calls for an auxiliary interferometer for the calibration of the laser frequency on the fly [1]. However, this approach is susceptible to environmental perturbations, and the inherent dispersion of the interferometer introduces systematic errors. Laser frequency combs can be used as optical rulers against which to calibrate tunable lasers with high- precision and, when self-referenced, with high accuracy [2]. Here, we apply this comb-based calibration approach in the context of SWI for the first time and illustrate its relevance for the characterization of high-Q microresonators.