Laser Receiver II.
Abstract
The objective of this program was to design, fabricate, and deliver an optical receiver for use in the 1 Gbps PGBM brassboard laser communication system. The receiver was to operate with 1 Gbps mode-locked laser pulses at a wavelength of 0.53 micrometers and provide unattended operation in its system environment. The program included a design phase during which improvements in receiver automatic gain control were investigated. It also included the fabrication effort and both optical and electrical evaluation of receiver components. The design approach used a Dynamic Crossed Field Photomultiplier (DCFP) with a photocathode sensitive to 0.53 micrometer radiation. The DCFP is ideally suited for automatic gain control to allow 'hands off' operation. The DCFP is a gated photomultiplier with both its gain and gate timing coming from a 1 GHz RF electric field. The gate timing is synchronized to the optical input signal by a dithered gate phase-locked loop. The secondary multiplication gain is automatically controlled to provide a constant pulse amplitude at the DCFP output anode for a 10:1 input dynamic range. This AGC loop consists of a voltage controllable RF power source at 1 GHz, high gain voltage amplifiers and the DCFP whose gain is proportional to the magnitude of the RF field.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0918315
Entities
People
- J. P. Brand
- L. M. Carson
- S. I. Green
Organizations
- McDonnell Douglas