System test of an optoelectronic gyroscope based on a high Q-factor InP ring resonator

The experimental results of the system test of an optical resonant passive gyroscope based on a high Q-factor ring resonator in InP technology are reported. The open loop configuration based on the phase modulation was preferred among the analyzed configuration options, especially because it is potentially suitable for the monolithic integration of the entire sensor on a single chip. The setup components are described with a special emphasis on a custom digital readout board based on a field-programmable gate array. The board processes the input signals according to the proportional-integral algorithm which has been implemented through an optimized firmware. For the system test, the sensor rotation has been simulated using two properly driven acousto-optic modulators. The results reported here prove the gyro functionality and are a good starting point for the full development of the sensor. (C) 2014 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)