Analysis of Kerr Noise in Angular-Rate Sensing Based on Mode Splitting in a Whispering-Gallery-Mode Microresonator

Abstract

Whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) microresonators have shown their potential in high-precision gyroscopes because of their small volume and high-quality factors. However, Kerr noise can always be the limit of accuracy. Angular-rate sensing based on mode splitting treats backscattering as a measured signal, which can induce mode splitting, while it is considered as a main source of noise in conventional resonator optical gyroscopes. Meanwhile, mode splitting also provides superior noise suppression owing to its self-reference scheme. Kerr noise in this scheme has not been defined and solved yet. Here, the mechanism of the Kerr noise in the measurement is analyzed and the mathematical expressions are derived, indicating the relationship between the Kerr noise and the output of the system. The influence caused by Kerr noise on the output is simulated and discussed. Simulations show that the deviation of the splitting caused by Kerr noise is 1.913 × 10−5 Hz at an angular rate of 5 × 106 °/s and the corresponding deviation of the angular rate is 9.26 × 10−9 °/s. It has been proven that angular-rate sensing based on mode splitting offers good suppression of Kerr noise.

Optimization and Fabrication of an MOEMS Gyroscope Based on a WGM Resonator

“…Furthermore, the fabrication cost of a micron/submicron-sized microdisk is much lower than a microring using electron beam lithography (EBL). The Kerr noise in the WGM-based gyroscope has also been analyzed, which can be well suppressed in the case of mode splitting [ 12 ]. In our previous work, we proposed an MOEMS gyroscope based on a WGM resonator and simulated its operational principle [ 13 ].…”

Editorial for the Special Issue on MEMS Accelerometers

“…Half of the papers discuss accelerometer integration [1,2], piezoresistive sensing [3,4] multi-axis accelerometers, and review current technologies [4,5,6]. Three papers investigate MEMS accelerometer multi-physics modeling [7,8,9,10]. The rest of the papers are focused on the application domains, including environmental monitoring [11] and WiFi positioning [12].…”

“…By a single-bit ΣΔ-modulation, the noise and linearity of excitation is effectively improved, and a higher detection level for distortion is achieved. Yang Z. et al [10] show that the angular-rate sensing based on mode splitting offers good suppression of Kerr noise. They demonstrate that at an angular rate of 5 × 106°/s, a Kerr noise of 1.913 × 10 −5 Hz is measured which corresponds to an angular rate deviation of 9.26 × 10 −9 °/s.…”