Instruments 400-1200 GHz range
History
History of BWO PLL development
The operation of the first PLL stabilization system of millimeter and submillimeter-wave "Istok" made BWOs in the
range up to 350 GHz was demonstrated by our group in 1970. Then the operation range of the system was extended step by
step up to 500 GHz in 1976, up to 600 GHz in 1979, up to 820 GHz in 1984. The next considerable step towards a high
frequency range we made after joint development with the Institute of Electronic Measurements "Kvarz" (Nizhny
Novgorod) of a series of commercial millimeter-wave frequency synthesizers covering
all together the 35-178 GHz [Ref.12 (1994)]
(Device 005). The synthesizers are
based on packetized BWOs from "Istok" stabilized by a PLL system against a stable
radio signal. The synthesizers were used as a source of reference radiation
for stabilization of submillimeter-wave tubes as well as primary
radiation sources. In 1994 working in collaboration with Cologne's University
(Germany) we introduced the BWO PLL system operating up to 970 GHz [Ref.1 (1994)]. Later the range of the setup was extended up to the range of highest frequency
tube - 1267 GHz [Ref. 13, 18 (1995), Ref. 15 (1996),
Ref. 1 (1997)].
In 1999 [Ref. 10 (1999)] we developed the first PLL system for MM-SubMM radiation sources allowing fast
phase continuous digital frequency sweeping. Later [Ref. 2 (2006)] we proposed the approach, which extends the range
of the fast continuous phase frequency sweeping up to the full operating range of BWO. In 2009 we demonstrated for the first time the possibility of phase
stabilization of primary subTHz radiation source against components of terahertz frequency comb produced by down converting optical comb generated by
a femtosecond laser [Ref. 3 (2010)].
For more details
see the papers [Ref. 7 (1996), Ref.
5 (1998), Ref. 20 (2001), Ref. 7 (2012)].
|