1.3mW 1550nm Er-DOPED SUPER FLUORESCENT FIBER SOURCE FOR MISSILE FIBER OPTICS GYROSCOPE

Single - axis missile fiber optic gyroscope requires a light source with a band width> 10 nm and output power > 0.5 mW .The commercial FOGs weigh 200-250gms with a physical size of 100mmX100mmX50mm..The type of light source for missile fiber optic gyroscope is selected by operating wavelength, wavelength stability with temperature, volume and physical size. Incase of space fiber gyroscopes, the source should be insensitive to high energy radiation like proton and gamma radiations as well. Large bandwidth light source contributes to small bias drift by gyroscope. A small volume and light weight Single Pass Backward Signal Er3+ doped Super-fluorescent Fiber source was developed using only four commercially available components for use in missile single axis fiber optic gyroscope .The bandwidth and output power of the source are 30. 507nm and1.318mW respectively. We presented the experimental results along with non-flattened ASE spectrum. The packed super-fluorescent fiber source has a volume of 100mm X 100mm X 25mm and a weight of 150 grams which to our knowledge the smallest in volume and light in weight ever reported.