Self-Mixing Thin-Slice Solid-State Laser Metrology 英文参考文献.docVIP

Sensors 2011, 11, 2195-2245; doi:10.3390/s110202195 OPEN ACCESS sensors ISSN 1424-8220 /journal/sensors Review Self-Mixing Thin-Slice Solid-State Laser Metrology Kenju Otsuka Department of Human and Information Science, Tokai University, 1117 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1207, Japan; E-Mail: ootsuka@keyaki.cc.u-tokai.ac.jp; Tel.: +81-463-58-1211; Fax: +81-463-58-9461 Received: 21 January 2011; in revised form: 31 January 2011 / Accepted: 9 February 2011 / Published: 15 February 2011 Abstract: This paper reviews the dynamic effect of thin-slice solid-state lasers subjected to frequency-shifted optical feedback, which led to the discovery of the self-mixing modulation effect, and its applications to quantum-noise-limited versatile laser metrology systems with extreme optical sensitivity. Keywords: laser-diode pumping; thin-slice solid-state laser; self-mixing modulation; optical metrology 1. Introduction Laser feedback interferometry (LFI), also known as laser self-mixing interferometry (LSMI), is an interferometric sensing technique based on the optical mixing of the field in the laser cavity with the weak field back-reflected or back-scattered by a remote target. Herein, the historical phases leading to the development of laser feedback metrology are addressed. 1.1. Early Stage: Laser Feedback Interferometry with Gas Lasers The self-mixing effect, whereby external feedback into the laser cavity induces intensity variations in the output of a gas laser, was noticed in 1960s, just after the invention of lasers [1]. A few years later, the first laser Doppler velocimeter, in which the laser cavity was used as an optical mixer, was presented [2]. It was also recognized that the fringe shift caused by an external reflector corresponds to an optical displacement of λ/2, where λ is the operating wavelength of the laser. In addition, the intensity variation corresponding to the temporal displacem