SuperLight Photonics - Bradley Snyder
Nov 5, 2024
RIN - Relative Intensity Noise - values are crucial for measuring and enhancing the accuracy, reliability, and efficiency of photonics applications. Achieving consistently low RIN levels remains a complex challenge, especially since measuring RIN itself is far from straightforward. Inconsistencies persist, and achieving reliable, repeatable results remains an ongoing challenge. The search for effective solutions is ongoing across the industry.
Introduction
At SuperLight Photonics, we produce wideband lasers with amazingly low noise levels. But how do we make sure that these noise levels stay consistently low for every product we build? It turns out that measuring noise in pulsed and wideband lasers is not a simple task. Thanks to a very detailed paper from a team of researchers in Denmark, we were able to establish a test procedure to measure the relative intensity noise (RIN) of our products. Their paper presents a derivation and outlines a method for measuring RIN in both the time and frequency domains. We explored them both.
What will you learn from this whitepaper?
What is the correct way to measure RIN in lasers?
Two ways of measuring RIN with their benefits and limitations
Measuring RIN in Time Domain
​Measuring RIN in Frequency Domain
Dos and don'ts for low noise light sources
Why implement stringent, reproducible and repeatable measurement procedures
For better readability, this document is available as pdf download 👉