Photonic integrated circuit microchip-based optical gyroscopes for high-precision inertial measurement units

Abstract

Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) microchip-based optical gyroscopes are leading contenders for use in high-precision Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) for a variety of demanding applications requiring accurate positioning in GNSS-denied environments. OSCP has developed a promising technology using both interferometric spiral and resonant ring-based PIC microchips exploiting the Sagnac effect to sense rotations with a high performance (e.g. low bias drift). Our patented photonic chip-based optical gyroscope can achieve performance comparable to that of a Fiber Optic Gyroscope (FOG) but with a much smaller form factor, lower power consumption, and a more affordable per unit cost due to its scalable microfabrication. In this paper, we report on recent progress made towards developing our passive ring resonator and interferometric spiral PIC microchips used for rotation sensing. In addition, we will also present the integration of PIC microchips together along with electronic hardware to achieve a low-power, small form factor gyroscope module and show its characteristics of IMU performance including Bias Instability (BI), Angle Random Walk (ARW), linearity and Scale Factor (SF) error. Given its characteristics, our IMU module is well suited to meet the increasing demand for high-precision gyroscopes for applications such as autonomous vehicles, drones, and industrial robotics.