FM-CW laser r

Survival, Water, Medical Field Manuals

Military Manuals

Chance, Thomas Henry.

Document text

FM-CW LASER RADAR AT 10.6 MICRONS 



Thomas Henry Chance 



LiDMry 

Naval Postp.raduate School 
Monterey, Calitorma 93940 



NAVAl POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL 

Monterey, California 




THE 





FM-CW LASER RADAR AT 10.6 MICRONS 



by 



Thomas Henry Chance 



December 1974 



Thesis Advisor: 



C. H. Rothauge 



Approved for public release; distribution unlimited. 



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4 . TITLE Subr/r/*; 

FM-CW Laser Radar at 10,6 Microns 


S. TYPE OF REPORT A PERIOD COVERED 

Electrical Engineer; 
December 1974 


6. performing ORG. REPORT number 


7. authorc«j 

Thomas Henry Chance 


k . contract or grant NUM0ERr»> 


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Naval Postgraduate School 
Monterey, California 93940 


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Naval Postgraduate School 
Monterey, California 93940 


12. REPORT DATE 

December 1974 


12. NUMBER OF pages 

117 


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Naval Postgraduate School 
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18. supplementary notes 


19. KEY WORDS (Cpntinum on rmvmrmm oido if noemommry ond idonUfy by biock numbmr) 

Optical Radar FM-CW Optical Radar 

Lidar 

Optical Coherent Detection 
Laser Radar 


20. ABSTRACT (Continum on rmvmrmm midm if nmcmmmmry mnd idmntity by bioek nutnbmr) 

The feasibility of a continuous -wave frequency-modulated 
radar with a CO- laser as a transmitting source was 
investigated. 

A developmental system was constructed and tested and 
the feasibility of an optical radar utilizing coherent 
detection at 10.6 microns was demonstrated. The radar had 



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the capability of instantaneous range and velocity 
determination. 



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, 1 Jan 73 

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2 



. FM-CW Laser Radar 
at 10.6 Microns 



by 

Thomas Henry jZhance 
Lieutenant, United States Navy 
BSEE, Purdue University, 1969 
MSEE, Naval Postgraduate School, 1974 



Submitted in partial fulfillment of the 
requirements for the degree of 



ELECTRICAL ENGINEER 
from the 

NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL 
December 1974 







C 






C ' ^ 





jf 






Library 

Naval Postgraduate Scru. ai 
Monterey, Californn 93.-0 



ABSTRACT 

The feasibility of a continuous -wave frequency-modulated 
radar with a CO 2 laser as a transmitting source was 
investigated. 

A developmental system was constructed and tested and 
the feasibility of an optical radar utilizing coherent de- 
tection at 10.6 microns was demonstrated. The radar had the 
capability of instantaneous range and velocity determination. 



4 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 



I. INTRODUCTION--- 13 

II. GENERAL SYSTEM CONSIDERATIONS 15 

A. FM-CW RADAR 15 

1. Analysis of a FM-CW Radar System Using 

Triangular Modulation 15 

2. Signal Processing in a FM-CW Radar 20 

a. Receiver Bandwidth Requirements 20 

b. Range Spectrum Analysis 21 

(1) Spectrum of a Near Range Target-- 21 

(2) Spectrum of a Far Range Target 23 

c. Spectrum Spread of Acceleration 23 

d. Range Resolution 26 

e. Velocity Resolution 27 

f. Signal to Noise Effect of Collapsing 

the FM Return 2 7 

g. Range and Velocity Filtering 27 

B. MODULATION OF A LASER BEAM 2 8 

1. Historical Basis of Acousto-Optic 

Modulation 28 

2. The Debye-Sears Effect 28 

3. Bragg Diffraction 30 

a. Modulation Frequency 34 

(1) Doppler Modulation Determination- 34 

(2) Particulate Analysis of 

Modulation 35 

4. Modulation Bandwidth 37 

5. Optical Power Transfer 37 



5 




V 



JtJt 



6. Modulator Considerations 38 

C. DETECTION 38 

1. Photo-Voltaic Detector 38 

a. Spectral Response and Quantum 

Efficiency 40 

b. Detector Noise 41 

(1) 1/f Noise 41 

(2) Generation-Recombination (g-r) 

Noise 43 

(3) Johnson Noise 43 

c. Detector Characterization 45 

(1) Responsivity 45 

(2) Noise Equivalent Power 45 

(3) D* --- 46 

2. Coherent Detection 46 

D. ATMOSPHERIC ATTENUATION 48 

1. Transmissivity 48 

a. Absorption 

b. Scattering 

c. Scintillation 

d. Ray Bending 

e. Turbulence 

III. MAJOR SYSTEM COMPONENTS 

A. LASER-- - 

B. ACOUSTO-OPTIC MODULATOR-- 55 

C. DETECTOR 59 

D. OPTICAL ANTENNA 61 

IV. SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND ALIGNMENT PROCEDURES--- 65 



6 



A. PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT 65 

B. FIRST OPTICAL SYSTEM 67. 

C. SECOND OPTICAL SYSTEM 71 

D. THIRD OPTICAL SYSTEM 72 

E. ALIGNMENT TECHNIQUES 72 

1. Height Adjustments 72 

2. Acousto -Optic Modulator Alignment 73 

3. Collimation of the HeNe and CO 2 Transmit 

Beams 74 

4. Collimation of Visual Optics with the 

CO 2 Transmit Beam 76 

5. Alignment of the Newtonian Optics 76 

6. Signal and Local Oscillator Beam 

Alignment 7 8 

F. ELECTRONICS AND SIGNAL PROCESSING 79 

G. SYSTEM RADAR ANALYSIS 8 2 

V. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES AND RESULTS 84 

A. DETERMINATION OF RANGE 84 

B. TARGET DETERMINATION AT 305 YARDS 8 7 

1. Return Signal from Retro-Reflector at 

305 Yards- - 90 

2. Transmit Divergence Determination 94 

3. Field of View Measurement 96 

4. Expected Return from a Diffuse Reflector 

at 305 Yards 97 

5. Calculation of Detector Quantum 

Efficiency 98 

6. Calculation of Noise Equivalent Power 99 

C. EXTENDED RANGE CAPABILITY 101 

D. VELOCITY DETERMINATION - 103 

VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS - --109 



7 



A. CONCLUSIONS 109 

B. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY 109 

C. POSSIBLE SYSTEM APPLICATIONS 110 

APPENDIX A: EQUIPMENT LIST 112 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 114 

INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST 116 



8 



LIST OF TABLES 



I. Laser Output Power as a Function of Driver 

Setting 54 

II. Acousto-Optic Modulator Characteristics 56 

III. Modulator Frequency as a Function of Input 

Voltage 58 

IV. Detector 3 db Bandwidth and Quantum Efficiency 

vs. Bias Voltage 60 

V. Range Frequency Determination as a Function of 

Range 85 

VI. Velocity Determination Results 108 



9 



LIST OF FIGURES 






Figure 

1. Frequency vs. Time of Transmit Signal 17 

2. Transmit and Return Signals vs. Time 17 

3. Range Frequency vs. Time r 17 

4. Return from Target with Positive Relative 

Velocity 19 

5. Frequency vs. Time, Near Range Target 22 

6. Range Frequency vs. Time, Near Range Target 22 

7. Frequency Spectrum of Range Frequency 22 

8. Frequency vs. Time, Range = H Unambiguous • 

Range 24 

9. Range Frequency vs. Time, Range = h Unambiguous 

Range 2 4 

10. Frequency Spectrum of Range Frequency, Range = 

H Unambiguous Range 2 5 

11. Debye-Sears Effect 31 

12. Debye-Sears Effect 32 

13. Bragg Diffraction 33 

14. Momentum Scattering for Plane Monochromatic 

Optical and Acoustical Waves 38 

15. Momentum Scattering for Acoustical Waves of 

Finite Width and Diffraction 38 

16. Acousto-Optic Modulator-- 39 

17. Effective Quantum Efficiency vs. Wavelength 42 

18. Equivalent Circuit of a Photodiode 42 

19. Generalized Detector Noise Spectrum 44 

20. Atmospheric Transmission vs. Wavelength 49 

21. Acousto -Optic Modulator 57 



10 



Pigu re 

22. Newtonian Optical Antenna 64 

23. First Optical System 66 

24. Second Optical System 68 

25. Third Optical System 69 

26. Signal Processing System 80 

27. First Optical System 86 

28. Third Optical System, View 1 86 

29. Third Optical System, View 2 88 

30. View from Spanagel Hall to Ingersoll Hall 88 

31. NFS Grounds Near Range Target 89 

32. Velocity Generating Model Railroad, View 1 91 

33. Velocity Generating Model Railroad, View 2 91 

34. Zero Range Frequencies 92 

35. Unprocessed Detector Output for 305 Yard Target- 92 

36. Processed Return for 305 Yard Target 93 

37. Far Range Target Measurement 102 

38. Processed Return for 2370 Yard Target, View 1 104 

39. Processed Return for 2370 Yard Target, View 2 104 

40. Processed Return for Negative Relative Velocity, 

View 1 106 

41. Processed Return for Negative Relative Velocity, 

View 2 - 106 

42. Processed Return for Positive Relative Velocity, 

View 1 107 

43. Processed Return for Positive Relative Velocity, 

View 2 107 



11 



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 



I desire to give recognition and express gratitude for 
the support given by the Naval Electronic Laboratory Center 
San Diego, Code 2500, particularly to Dr. Greg Mooradian 
and Rudy Krautwald. Also I am grateful for the assistance 
of Professors John Powers, T. F. Tao and C. H. Rothauge 
and for the technical support provided by Ross Seeley and 
Bob Moeller, all of the Naval Postgraduate School. 

This research project was conducted with Lieutenant 
Maurice F. Fraunfelder, Jr., a fellow student at the Naval 
Postgraduate School. 

Rockwell International Science Center provided a PbSnTe 
heterojunction p-i-n diode, courtesy of Dr. J. Longo, 
similar to the detector loaned by NELC (which was also 
manufactured by Rockwell International Science Center) . 

This detector had a slightly higher quantum efficiency than 
the one provided by NELC but did not have as high a fre- 
quency response even when back biased at .6 v. It was 
operated at 28-35 MHz (vice 35-45 MHz) but the frequency 
limitation still reduced the output to 5 db below that of 
the detector utilized in the system. 

Aerojet Electrosystems Co. also provided a PbSnTe 
heteroj unction p-n diode, courtesy of Dr. Peter Wang, but 
although it had a good quantum efficiency, its frequency 
response was much too low to be utilized in the system. 



12 



I . INTRODUCTION 



A continuous -wave frequency-modulated radar provides a 
means of determining both range and relative velocity of a 
target. Since the radar is continuous -wave rather than 
pulsed, it enables realization of a given range capability 
without requiring high peak power capability such as would 
be required by a pulse radar. FM-CW radars have been de- 
veloped for years but with the advent of the laser, a 
transmit power source of extremely high frequency and co- 
herence became available. 

Initially there was not the laser stability nor the 
means of frequency modulation of the beam available to make 
a system such as this practical. This capability exists 
now and was utilized in the developmental system. 

The laser source provides a narrow beam and enables the 
use of a high-gain optical antenna which is small and light 
weight (since gain is proportional to X and X is 10.6 ym) 
This narrow beam allows excellent bearing resolution but 
requires a relatively long search time for any given volume 
of interest. It would also require excellent beam steering 
capability for a tracking application. 

Heterodyne detection of 10.6 ym radiation at high IF 
frequency has only recently become feasible with the de- 
velopment of fast detectors with a cut-off wavelength 
greater than 10.6 ym. Heterodyning also provides higher 
sensitivity and low vulnerability to jamming. 



13 



Operation at 10.6 ym wavelength is outside the capability 
o£ any known intercept receiver and could not be detected by 
any known anti-radiation seeker. 



14 



II. GENERAL SYSTEM CONSIDERATIONS 



A. FM-CW 

FM-CW radars offer several distinct advantages over 
standard pulse radars. In the CW radar the ratio of peak 
power to average power is near or equal to one. Since the 
maximum range of a radar is proportional to the fourth root 
of the average power this allows for good range capability 
without requiring components and circuitry capable of pro- 
viding and switching high power and voltages as in a pulse 
radar [1] . Elimination of this requirement results in large 
savings in system size and expense. 



R 



= r 

^ 1 A 'TT 



P.GoA 



max ^16¥^P T 



( 1 ) 



min 



where is the average transmitted power, G is the antenna 
gain, 0 is the target cross section, A^ is the effective 
receive aperture and is the minimum required return 

signal power [2] . Normal FM-CW radars utilize two antennas 
and require feed over cancellation [3] while pulse radars 
require one antenna and a duplexer. Both these approaches 
are improved on by an optical radar which can use one an- 
tenna with no cancellation or duplexing. Additionally an 
optical antenna provides extremely high gain with small size. 

1 . Analysis of a FM-CW Radar System Using Triangular 
Modulation 

FM-CW radars determine range and velocity by ana- 
lyzing the difference between the frequencies of the return 



15 



and transmitted signals. If the transmitted signal is as 



- 1 



shown in Figure 1 where ^uiodulating ~ ^ modulating 

frequency and ^^j-^nsmit frequency of the transmitted 

signal, the return signal reflected from a stationary tar- 
get will be identical to that being transmitted only delayed 
AT. 



AT = ^ (2) 

where R is the target range and c is the free space velocity 
of the propagation of light. The time -frequency display of 
the transmit and return signals is shown in Figure 2. 

If the instantaneous transmit and return signals are 
mixed the difference frequency can be extracted and processed. 
The time- frequency display of the difference frequency is 
shown in Figure 3. 

The difference frequency directly yields range in- 
formation. The rate of change of transmitted frequency 
(df/dt) is given by 



— = = 4AF F 

dt TTl ^m 



(3) 



where T is the modulating period, 2AF is the total range of 
frequency deviation and F^^ is the modulating frequency. 

Range frequency and thus range information is pro- 
vided from 



df 



range 



' ar*’'- 



R 



ange 



p 

C‘AT _ c range 

“2 — 2 * “37/ at • 



(4) 

(5) 



16 




Figure 1. Frequency vs. Time of Transmit Signal. 




Figure 2. Transmit and Return Signals vs. Time. 



range 



\/ V V 

N ? I 

Figure 3. Range Frequency vs. Time. 



^t 



17 







I 



Since for a given system d£/dt is constant; 



R = constant • F 
ange range 



( 6 ) 



and thus range can be directly determined from the transmit 
and return difference frequency. 

If there is a relative velocity between the radar 
and target the returned signal will have an additional shift 
in frequency due to doppler shift. Doppler shift is given 
by the relationship [4] 



doppler 



2 • V R • F 

elocity elative o 



(7) 



where is the frequency of the transmitted optical signal. 
Comparison of the transmit and return signals, when the re- 
turn signal has doppler information from the positive rela- 
tive velocity, yields a time -frequency display as in Figure 

4. 



The difference frequencies F^ and F^ can be processed 
to extract both range and doppler frequency information. 



F .. > 
xmt 


F 

rev 


F = 
a 


F 

1 xmt 


■=rcvl 


= F - F 

range doppler 


(8) 


F > 

rev 


F ^ 
xmt 


^b = 


|f - 

' xmt 


frcvl 


= F + F 

range doppler 


(9) 



In systems where the expected range frequency offset 
is greater than the expected doppler shift, range and dop- 
pler information can be extracted by processing as: 

( 10 ) 



F 

range 



F + F, 
a b 



TF " F 'I + fF + F I 

range doppler-* ^ range doppler-^ 



( 11 ) 



doppler 



- Fo (F + F, 1 ) - (F 

a _ range doppler-* range 



dopple 



r) 



18 




F transmit 
F receive 



Figure 4. Return from Target with Positive Relative Velocity. 



19 



If the expected doppler frequency shift is greater than the 
expected range frequency of equations (10) and (11) are 
reversed. 

It is readily seen from equation (7) that the rela- 
tive velocity is the product of a constant times the doppler 
shift (any variation in due to modulation is negligible) . 

2 . Signal Processing in a FM-CW Radar 

There are numerous interactions between bandwidth 
requirements, signal processing and expected target perform- 
ance. The receiver input bandwidth must be great enough to 
accommodate the return signal which is both FM and possibly 
doppler shifted, IF bandwidth and processing filters must 
be able to process difference frequencies, doppler broaden- 
ing and range broadening. These bandwidths affect range 
and velocity determination and available modulation rates, 
a. Receiver Bandwidth Requirements 

The receiver bandwidth must be able to pass the 
FM spectrum of the transmit signal and also accommodate any 
doppler shift within the range of interest. 

The bandwidth requirement of an FM system is 

given by 

BW = 2(1+B)F^ = 2(1+AF/FJF^. (12) 

For a frequency excursion of 5 MHz at a modulating rate of 
1.75 kHz this yields a bandpass requirement of 10.0035 MHz 
or approximately 2 AF. 

As stated, additional allowance must be made 
for doppler offset. The amount of the offset is given by 



20 



equation (7) . For a laser the optical frequency is 

2.83 X 10^^ Hz. This yields 



2*V . *F 

5 _ relative o 

'doppler ~ c 

=95.8 kHz/knot. 



= 52.4 kHz/km/hr 



C13) 



If the maximum relative velocity of interest was 1000 knots 
this would require an allowable offset of ±95.8 MHz. This 
requirement for a wide receiver bandwidth yields a very wide 
noise bandwidth which reduces receiver sensitivity. This 
can be largely offset by narrower velocity range of interest, 
b. Range Spectrum Analysis 

The spectrum of the range frequency requires an 
IF bandwidth sufficient to pass the spectrum. Regretably 
the spectrum of the range frequency varies with the range. 
This spectrum will be considered at very short range and at 
a range of one half the maximum unambiguous range. 

Cl) Spectrum of a Near Range Target . Figures 
5 and 6 show the frequency- time relationship for a near 
range target. The frequency spectrum of the range frequency 
can be closely approximated by assuming rectangular pulses 
of duration t and period AT. This spectrum is shown in 
Figure 7. It should be noted that the first sidebands exist 
in the main lobe at reduced magnitudes. As the range in- 
creases the ratio of the pulse width to the period decreases 
and the lobe spreads until at the point where the pulse width 
is less than half the period two sidebands will exist within 
the main lobe of the spectrum. Before this point is reached 
the approximation of a rectangular pulse is not nearly as 



21 



} 









£4 



F +AF 




Figure 5. Frequency vs. Time Near Range Target. 



range 













\l 

V 


~^J 


► 



1 *- ^ 



♦ t 



Figure 6. Range Frequency vs. Time Near Range Target 



1.0 



Sen 






T 






A Ni. 



X X 



M 

.fS 









Foif‘/r\ Fot 

^ JL 

X X 



T 2 

Figure 7. Frequency Spectrum of Range Frequency. t=j 



22 




I 



exact and a better approximation is that of a trapezoidal 
pulse. 

(2) Spectrum of a Far Range Target . Figures 8 
and 9 show the frequency- time relationships for a target 
whose range is one half the maximum unambiguous range of 
the radar. The frequency spectrum of the range frequency 
is that of a trapezoidal pulse whose maximum frequency 
exists for one half the period. The spectrum envelope is 
found from the product of [5,6] 



sin (irnt^/T/Z) sin [un (t /T/2] 
Trnt^/T/2 * un (t j^+t^) /T/2 

sin('rrnt^/T/2) sin[Tm3t j^/T/2] 
Trnt^/T/2 * Trn3t^/T/2 



(14) 



This spectrum is shown in Figure 10. It can be seen that 
the spectrum is being spread and a greater percentage of 
the signal energy is in the first sidebands, 
c. Spectrum Spread Acceleration 

An accelerating target causes a spread in the 
doppler frequency of the return signal. This is analyzed 
in a straightforward manner as follows: 



el o 



doppler 



(7) 



dF 



“3t = 3t / 

2-A 



, 2*V , -F 

d ^ el o 



2*F 



) = 



ccel 



AF 



ccel 



At 



(15) 

(16) 



At is determined by the filter bandwidth so in the limit of 
the bandwidth 



23 




Figure 8. Frequency vs. Time Range = % Unambiguous Range. 



range 




Figure 9. Range Frequency vs. Time Range = h Unambiguous 
Range . 



! 



24 



sin(2mrt j^/T) sin (6mrt ^^/T) 
2mrt 6mrt^/T 




Range = h Unambiguous Range 

4ti = T/2 = 1/F„ 

Sidelobes 18.4 db down 



Figure 10. Frequency Spectrum of Range Frequency. 



25 






( 



( 17 ) 




where AF is the maximum allowable spreading of the spectrum. 
In practice the filter bandwidths are sufficient to accommo- 
date very high accelerations. 

d. Range Resolution 

Range resolution is determined by the bandpass 
of the resolution filter or the spectrum width of the range 
frequency, whichever is greater. A well designed system 
will have a filter width whose response time corresponds to 
the modulating period and with the exception of targets ap- 
proaching the maximum unambiguous range this will be suffi- 
cient for resolution calculations. The maximum unambiguous 
range can be determined by the following relationship 



T 

R = £ . modulation q 

unambiguous 2*2' ^ 

This limitation is determined by the propagation time for 
the target signal and the period of the modulating ramp. 
If the modulation rate is matched to the range filter (it 
can be slower) the range resolution is a direct function 
of the modulation bandwidth [6]. 




Filter BW 
“'d'f/dt 



( 20 ) 



From equation (2) and matching the filter to F^ this becomes 
[7] 



26 



AR = 



( 21 ) 



c 1 
2 * 2 ^ 

which indicates that improved resolution requires a larger 
frequency excursion of the FM signal, 

e. Velocity Resolution 

Velocity resolution is similar to range resolu- 
tion in that the wider the filter bandwidth the poorer the 
velocity resolution. Doppler resolution is given by the 
relationship 



AV 



el 



^*^^doppler _ C'Filter BW 

2F 2F 

o o 



( 22 ) 



f. Signal to Noise Effect of Collapsing the FM 

Return 

When the transmit and received signals are mixed 
together the spectra of the two signals collapse and there 
results a relatively narrow frequency signal which is a 
function of target range and velocity. The resultant sig- 
nals can be passed through bandpass filters and thus the 
resultant noise bandwidth is drastically reduced while the 
signal information is passed. The overall effect of this 
processing is to reduce the noise present and greatly improve 
the signal to noise ratio. 

g. Range and Velocity Filtering 

A means of determining the range or velocity 
frequencies is necessary in order to provide the inherent 
information. One method for doing this is to feed the in- 
formation into a parallel bank of filters and provide a 
display according to which filter passes the information. 



27 



An alternate and more efficient approach is to utilize a 
sliding filter which sweeps the spectrum with respect to 
time in a known controlled manner. This approach allows 
relatively high resolution over a broad range with rela- 
tively few components and thus less bulk and expense. 

B. MODULATION OF A LASER BEAM 

1, Historical Basis of Acousto-Optic Modulation 

The diffraction of light by accoustical waves in a 
medium was predicted by Brillouin in 1922 [9] . This phe- 
nomenon was observed by Debye and Sears in 1932 and is now 
known as the Debye-Sears effect. There was some initial 
investigation of the effect but until the advent of the 
laser to provide a high intensity beam which is highly co- 
herent in both time and space no important application was 
seen and interest waned. 

The mechanism by which acousto -optic modulation is 
accomplished is known as the photoelastic effect. This ef- 
fect is the change in the index of refraction due to mech- 
anical strain and is present in some crystals and liquids. 
Ultrasonic waves propagating through a material produce 
mechanical strains which in turn cause variations in the 
index of refraction. In this case the variation is known 
as the acousto -optic effect. 

2 . The Debye-Sears Effect 

When a plane wave of light of angular frequency, w, 
enters a slab of material with an index of refraction, n, 
the velocity of light in the material is reduced by the 



28 



j 



factor n from its free space velocity c. The optical wave- 
length A in the slab is 



X = 



2irc 

no) 



(23) 



and the material acts as an optical delay line with a time 
delay t for a given length 1 . 

(24) 

The delay, (j) , corresponds to a phase delay of 



. _ An 
^ ■ c * 



<j) = cot = 



coAn 



Equation (25) can also be expressed as 

2irfAn 2irAn 



<t> = 



o 



(25) 



(26) 



where X^ is the free space optical wavelength. The varia- 
tion of phase delay with respect to the variation of n is 




If n is varied with respect to time in a controlled manner 
then the phase delay is also varied directly and a means of 
phase-modulating an optical beam exists. 

From standard FM analysis it is known that the phase 
modulated wave consists of a carrier and sidebands which are 
separated by co^^ where co^^^ is the angular frequency of the 
modulating mechanism, in this case the angular frequency of 
the variation in the index of refraction of the slab of ma- 
terial. The amplitude of the carrier and the sidebands vary 
as Bessel functions where corresponds to the carrier, 
to the first sideband, etc. 



29 



When an acoustical wave is launched in a medium and 
an incident optical wavefront passes through the medium as 
in Figure 11, modulation will occur. The acoustical wave 
launched in the modulator with angular frequency and at 
the acoustical velocity of the medium V , propagates through 

a 

the modulator with variations of compression and rarefactions 
with an acoustical wavelength X 

d. 



2ttV 




The rarefactions and compressions cause the corresponding 
variations in the index of refraction. These "slabs" of 
different indices of refraction modulate the incident opti- 
cal wavefront yielding the carrier and sidebands of which 
the carrier and first upper order are illustrated in Figure 
11 [ 10 ]. 

The first upper diffracted wave is indicated in 
Figure 11. Higher order upper sidebands are tilted up at a 
greater angle and the lower order sidebands are tilted down. 
Figure 12 shows the Debye-Sears effect and the variation in 
the index of refraction in the modulator. 

3. Bragg Diffraction 

If the wavefront variation in the index of refraction 
is characterized as a partially reflecting mirror and the 
optical beam is incident upon the acoustical wavefront at 
an angle 0^ as is shown in Figure 13 [9] then the diffracted 
wave will be directed away with the angle of refraction 0^. 

A necessary condition for diffraction in a given direction 



30 



Incident 

Optical Wavefront 



b) 



Compressed 


Dilating 












Dilated 






Compressing 












Compressed 


Dilating 












Acoustic Wave - X , V 

a * a 



Figure 11. Debye-Sears Effect. 



31 



Distance 




Index of 
Refraction 




t 

Acoustical 
I Wave 



Figure 12. Debye-Sears Effect. 



32 



4 



V 

a 




Figure 13. Bragg Diffraction. 



33 



is for all points on the reflecting surface to contribute 
in phase. To satisfy this requirement for the two points 
of diffraction B and D the difference between the paths AD 
and BC must be an integral multiple of the optical wave- 
length This condition is satisfied when 

x(cos6^ - cos0^) = mX^ (29) 

where m = o, ±1, ±2,... This can be satisfied for all 
points X only when m = o. This requirement indicates that 
0. = 0 . Additionally for different wavefronts of the modu- 
lator (separated by X ) to interfere constructively it is 

ci 

required that 

2X sin0 = X (30) 

a o 

where 0. = 0 =0. This is known as Bragg diffraction since 

1 r 

it is the same requirement for X-ray diffraction in a lattice 
Since X is much larger than the optical wavelength, X , sin0 
is small and is usually approximated by 0 . It is also seen 
from Figure 13 that the angular separation between the dif- 
fracted and undiffracted beam is twice the Bragg angle 0. 
a. Modulation Frequency 

Determination of the frequency shift in the dif- 
fracted beam can be determined from two approaches. The 
first is a somewhat simplistic consideration of geometry 
and doppler shift and the second a consideration of energy 
and momentum requirements through the utilization of wave 
vectors . 

(1) Popper Modulation Determination . The 
acoustical wavefronts which cause diffraction as shown in 



34 



Figure 13, are propagating through the acousto-optic modu- 



lator with velocity V . This will yield a doppler shift in 

3 . 

the diffracted beam according to the relationship 



2V sin0f 

p = ^ 

doppler c 



(31) 



where f is the optical frequency. From the Bragg equation 
(30) the relationship between sin0 and the two wavelengths 
are shown. The doppler shift is given by 



2V X^f 

j _ a o _ a _ p 

doppler 2X X ^m 

3 3 



(32) 



where F^ is the frequency of the acoustical wave. If the 
two wavefronts are closing as is shown in Figure 13 the 
doppler shift is positive and the frequency of the diffracted 
wave is F+F . If the relative velocity between the two wave 
fronts is negative the frequency of the diffracted wave is 



F-F 



m 



(2) Particulate Analysis of Modulation . Light 
has a dual wave -particle nature and analysis can be done by 
consideration of its particulate nature. Photons have an 
energy hw and momentum hk. Similarly the acoustic phonons 
have an energy ho) and momentum hk . In any interaction 
between the photons and phonons both energy and momentum 
must be preserved since both the incident photon and phonon 
cease to exist and a new diffracted photon is created. 

Figure 14 shows the wave vector relationship between the 

-y -y 

incident photons k^ , the diffracted photon k^ and the acous- 

-y 

tical phonons k^^. Conservation of momentum requires that 



35 




I 



h(k +k.) of the colliding phonon and photon equal hk of 

3. X T 

the scattered photon, 



k = k + k. . 
r s 1 



Conservation of energy requires 



0) =t0. + 0) = 01 + 0) 

r 1 a m 



or for a negative relative velocity 



a)_=03. - 0) = (i)-a) 

r 1 a m 



(33) 



(34) 



(35) 



which shows that the diffracted wave is modulated by the 
acoustic frequency. 

Since the acoustic frequencies are less than 
10^® and the optical frequencies are greater than 10^^ 

“r “ ■ % ■ l^rl ■ l^il 

and the magnitude of the two optical wave vectors is approxi' 
mately the same. From Figure 14 it is seen that 



and since 



l^al = 2|k^|sin0 



Ikal = 2 -/\ 



(37) 



(38) 



it follows that 



2X sine = X (39) 

a o 

which is the Bragg diffraction requirement. 

Figure 14 is for perfectly monochromatic plane 
waves. In actuality there is both wave divergence and some 
frequency variation. Thus rather than being only one exact 
angle of diffraction allowed there is a small range. This 



36 



m 





effect is illustrated in Figure 15 where only acoustical 
divergence is considered [11]- 
/ 4. Modulation Bandwidth 

The modulator bandwidth is inversely proportional to 
the transit time of the acoustic wave across the optical 
beam. A means of increasing the bandwidth is to focus the 
optical beam and have its waist centered in the modulating 
medium. The waist diameter can be determined from the 
relationship [12] 

^ llnl ^ f40") 

«o “ ^ ""i" > % 

where w is the focused optical waist diameter, is the 
o 

unfocused beam waist and F is the focal length of the 
focusing lens. The expression for modulator bandwidth is 

given by [13] 

hf = .54 

where V is the acoustical velocity. 

3 . 

5. Modulation Power Transfer 

The amount of power transferred from the incident 
beam to the modulated beam is a direct function of inter 
action length I of the beam through the modulating medium 
and the amount of change of the index of refraction in the 
medium. The latter is a direct function of the acoustical 
power up to a saturation level in the medium. This power 
transfer is also inversely related to the optical wavelength 
In the previous section it was noted that the modulating 
bandwidth is inversely proportional to the optical waist 



37 




Figure 14. Momentum Scattering for Plane Monochromatic 
Optical and Acoustical Waves. 



Figure 15. Momentum Scattering for Acoustical Waves of 
Finite Width and Diffraction. 




/ 



38 



diameter, there is a tradeoff between the waist diameter 
and the length that the optical wavefront is planar so 
this must be considered with respect to the diffraction ef- 
ficiency. The expression for diffraction efficiency is 
given in (3) . With some manipulation this reduces to 

^diffracted _ ■ z r irilAn 

j — sin ( ^ j , (42). 

incident o 

Another approach to this is given in [14] . 

6 . Modulator Considerations 

A diagram of an acousto-optic modulator is shown in 
Figure 16. There is a transducer to couple the electrical 
modulating signal into the crystal. To date the transducer 
is often the limiting component with respect to the band- 
width. At the opposite end of the m.odulating crystal there 
is an absorbing medium to prevent reflection of the acousti- 
cal waves back into the optical beam. 

C. DETECTION 

Detection of optical signals encompasses many aspects 
however, only those pertinent to the CO 2 laser radar will 
be covered. 

1 . Photo-Voltaic Detector 

Photo-Voltaic detectors are semiconductor diodes in 
which incident photons create electron-hole pairs in or with 
in one diffusion length of the depletion region of the diode 
These generated carriers are accelerated in opposite direc- 
tions by the intrinsic field present within the depletion 
region and depending upon biasing arrangement, give a signal 



38 a 









I 




Signal 



Figure 16. Acousto-Optic Modulator. 



39 



either in current flow variation or output voltage varia- 
tion. In properly constructed and biased diodes the genera- 
ted excess carriers move at scattering limited velocity and 
there is virtually no recombination within the depletion 
region. 

a. Spectral Response and Quantum Efficiency 

The absorption of photons in the semiconductor 
material is a strong function of the wavelength of the in- 
cident photon. To a much lesser degree there is variation 
with temperature since both the semiconductor energy gap 
and surface recombination velocity are effected by tempera- 
ture. The maximum wavelength that will generate an excess 
carrier in the semiconductor material is given by the rela- 
tionship [15] 



_ he 1.24(ym) 
c - Eg - 



(43) 



where is the cut-off wavelength and is the forbidden 
energy gap. Wavelengths longer than X^ will effectively pass 
through the active region of the photodiode without absorption. 

Shorter wavelength photons will be more readily 
absorbed until for much shorter wavelengths the photons are 
essentially all absorbed very near the semiconductor surface 
and the generated excess carriers are lost to the detection 
process due to high surface recombination that occurs near 
the boundaries of the crystal lattice. The overall effect 
of the wavelength dependency of photon absorption yields a 
curve as is shown in Figure 17. This shows the effective 
quantum efficiency of intrinsic silicon and germanium 
photodetectors. 



40 



The quantum efficiency is a measure of the con- 
version efficiency of the photodetector in converting photons 
to excess carriers. Quantum efficiency, n, is defined as 
the ratio of the number of photons that generate excess 
carriers to the number of photons incident upon the detector. 
The current generated in a photodiode is given by 

i = nqM (44) 

where n is the quantum efficiency, q is the electronic 
charge, $ is the incident photon flux density and A is the 
active area of the detector. 

The equivalent circuit of a photodetector is 
given in Figure 18 [15]. The available power into a matched 
load from this circuit is [15] 



^avail w^c^R 


(45) 


gCnqM) (jj2c2R • 


(46) 



Due to thermally generated carriers known as 
dark current all semiconductor detectors which operate at 
10.6 ym must be cooled to 77°K. Due to advances in material 
processing this requirement may be relaxed somewhat, 
b. Detector Noise 

There are three primary categories of noise in 
photodetectors, all of which predominate in a general fre- 
quency range. 

(1) 1/f Noise . There are several types of 

noise for which the power spectrum varies as the inverse of 
frequency. This noise is sometimes known as modulation 



41 




Wavelength 



(microns) 



Figure 17. Effective Quantum Efficiency vs. Wavelength for 
G and S. Photodetectors. 

C 1 



R 




Figure 18. Equivalent Circuit of a Photodiode. 



42 



noise in semiconductors or flicker noise in vacuum tubes. 
l/£ noise becomes negligible with respect to other noise 
sources above a few kHz. 

(2) Generation-Recombination Cg~r) Noise . In 
semiconductors the major source of noise at intermediate 
frequencies (above the range where 1/f noise predominates) 
is g-r noise which is due to fluctuations in rate of charge 
carrier generation and recombination. This variation is 
due in part to the randomness of the arrival of the photons 
of the incident flux. This latter effect is sometimes 
categorized separately as photon noise. Generation-recom- 
bination noise is relatively flat with respect to frequency 
up to the value where it is approximately equal to the in- 
verse of the free carrier lifetime; at this point it falls 
off at about 6 db per octave. 

(3) Johnson Noise . Johnson noise is thermally 
generated and present in all devices in accordance with 
their temperature and bandwidth. The noise is independent 
of frequency up to extremely high frequencies. The expres- 
sion for thermal noise power is given by [16] 



4kTB 

Noisej = R 



(47) 



where k is Boltzmans constant, T is the temperature in 
degrees Kelvin, B is the device bandwidth and R is the de- 
vice resistance. A profile of noise contribution as a 
function of frequency from [17] is given in Figure 19. 



43 




Figure 19. Generalized Detector Noise Spectrum. 



44 




I 



c. Detector Characterization 

There are several figures of merit which are 
useful in describing photodiode performance. Those which 

are significant with respect to the laser radar are i?, NEP 

* 

and D . 

(1) Responsivity . Responsivity , (i?) , is a 
measure of a detector's output for a given input. The units 
of responsivity are v/w and it is given by 




where is the r.m.s. signal voltage, H is the r.m.s. value 
of the irradiance on the detector and is the detector 
area in cm^ . 

(2) Noise Equivalent Power . A more meaningful 
detector parameter is noise equivalent power, (NEP). NEP 
is the radiant flux necessary to provide an output signal 
such that the signal to noise ratio is equal to one. NEP 
can be calculated from 



HA, HA,V^2 

NEP = TTlTir ' -vV- (49) 

'■ s' n'' s 

where is the noise voltage, is the signal voltage and 
H and A^ are as in (48). A good photodiode will have a NEP 

• 1 9 - 2 0 

of 10 - 10 w. In shot noise limited heterodyne opera- 

tion the NEP of a photodiode is [18] 

NEP = — . (50) 

n 



45 



(3) D_. Since both signal and noise are a 

function of detector area and noise is a function of band- 
width a measure accounting for these factors is D (dee- 
star) . 



* 

D 



(A^B)^ 
NEP • 



(51) 



B is the detector bandwidth and is the detector area. 

* 1^-1 

The units of D are cmHz ^w and the measurements are 

usually taken at peak responsivity . The theoretical limit 

* 

of D for a photodiode at 10.6 pm viewing a hemispherical 
surrounding at 300°K is approximately S x 10^°. A good 

* 1 n 

detector at 10.6 ym will have a D of about 2 or 3 x 10 
cmHz'^w ^ . 

2 . Coherent Detection 

Optical signal processing is available in photo- 
diodes by heterodyne or coherent detection. Alignment of 
the phase fronts of the signal and local oscillator beams 
is extremely critical and anything which causes phase front 
distortions severely degrades detection. 

In the detector the shot noise due to the local 
oscillator power can be made to override all other noise 
sources. Operation in this condition is known as shot 
noise limited operation and this condition allows detection 
of signals down to a theoretical minimum known as quantum 
limited operation. Neglecting the noise contribution due 
to dark current (at 77°K the amount of dark current is very 
small) the power signal to noise ratio for heterodyne de- 
tection in a photodiode is [19,20] 



46 



( 52 ) 



S 

PT ■ 



2(nq/h£)2Pj^Pg 



nrr 



~TT 



t ^ * t; 



D 



]B 



where Tj^ and are the detector and amplifier temperatures 
and Pj^ is the local oscillator power, Pg is the signal 
power, Pg is the power due to background radiation and B is 
the system bandwidth. The numerator is the power of the 
difference frequency component of the detector output signal 
and the denominator consists of the shot noise power and 
thermal noise power. 

In shot noise limited operation the power of the 
local oscillator is increased until its power is greater 
than the signal and background power and the shot noise due 
to the local oscillator dominates all other noise contribu- 
tions. At this level the signal to noise ratio becomes 



S _ 

N hfB • 



(53) 



This is twice the SNR of a shot noise limited photoconductor 

[ 21 ]. 



For homodyne operation the signal to noise ratio is 
doubled and is [14] 

2nPc 



S 

N 



hfB 



(54) 



The value of heterodyne SNR given in (53) is for 
optimal phase front alignment. If misalignment is due to 
angle of incidence in only one coordinate the amount of 
misalignment which will degrade the heterodyning efficiency 
by 10% or less is [14] 



47 



( 55 ) 



where is the amount of angular misalignment, X is the 



optical wavelength and d is the detector size. For a 10 
mil detector at 10.6 ym 

\p < 10.4 mrad. 

D. ATMOSPHERIC PROPAGATION 

The propagation medium for an optical radar is the 
atmosphere which affects the transmitted and return beam in 



several 


ways . 


1. 


Transmissivity 

Energy attenuation in the atmosphere is a strong 



function of wavelength. There are several atmospheric 



windows 


which are located in the following approximate 


ranges : 


(Figure 20) 


of both 


.2 - 1.3 

1.5 - 1.8 

1.9 - 2.6 
3 - 4.2 

4.5 - 5 

8 -13.5. 

The attenuation in the atmosphere is a consequence 
absorption and scattering. The transmittance of a 



path can be expressed as [17] 





t = e'^^ (56) 


where a 


is the extinction coefficient and x is the path 


length. 


The extinction coefficient is the sum of the absorp- 



tion coefficient a which accounts for molecular absorption 
and the scattering coefficient y which accounts for scattering 



48 




(luaDJsd) SDUBUtmsuBJx 




49 



Figure 20. Atmospheric Transmittance as a Function of Wavelength. 






I I 



by molecules, haze and fog. Both a and y vary as a function 
of wavelength, climate conditions, temperature, humidity 
and altitude. 

a. Absorption 

In the region of interest (10.6 pm) there are 
two absorbing molecules which are of significant importance. 
These molecular absorbers are CO 2 and H 2 O. Water content 
may vary from as much as 21 of a very humid atmosphere at 
sea level to a very minor amount in extremely arid regions. 
The water vapor content of the atmosphere decreases rapidly 
with altitude until at 40,000 ft it is considered negligible. 
Water vapor content is also inversely proportional to tem- 
perature, thus cold climates or weather minimize the 
absorption due to H 2 O. 

Carbon dioxide constitutes approximately .0321 
of the atmosphere by volume. This percentage is relatively 
constant up to an altitude of about 30 miles, then decreases 
by a factor of ten for every 10 miles increase in altitude. 
CO 2 content varies little with temperature or weather and 
thus is a much less variable component than water vapor. 

There are several other absorbers such as 
ammonia, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, methane or ni- 
trous oxides which are normally present in negligible 
amounts. In industrial or polluted regions these gases may 
be present in sufficient quantities to produce significant 
attenuation . 



50 



b. Scattering 

The relationship between the scattering coef- 
ficient and wavelength which is often used in predicting 
transmissivity is [17] 




where is a function of the ratio of the particle size to 
the wavelength. If the particles are small with respect to 
the wavelength \p is equal to 4 and the scattering process 
is known as Rayleigh scattering and is strongly dependent 
upon wavelength. It is this wavelength dependent scattering 
which causes the sky to appear blue. For larger particles 
the value of \p approaches zero, this process is called Mie 
scattering and is independent of wavelength. For most fogs 
is zero for the visible spectrum and thus the fog appears 
white . 

In general the atmospheric categorization of 
haze consists of particles whose radii range up to .5 ym 
and that of fog consists of particles which range from .5 - 
80 ym with a distribution peak which usually ranges from 
5-15 ym. These numbers indicate that at 10.6 ym haze 
will have minimal effect but fog will greatly reduce trans- 
missivity. Actual experience obtained by the Naval Elec- 
tronics Laboratory Center at San Diego seems to indicate 
that fog may not scatter as much as was expected. 

Rain reduces the transmissivity in direct pro- 
portion to its intensity. Raindrops range in size up to 
approximately 3 mm and thus \p has a value of zero and Mie 



51 



scattering with wavelength independence is the scattering 
phonomonon. All experience to date indicates that rainfall 
is the predominate attenuating factor at 10.6 um. 

c. Scintillation 

Scintillation is the phenomenon which causes 
uncorrelated variation of intensity and apparent directional 
changes in a radiant source. This phenomenon is caused by 
relatively rapid discontinuous variations in the index of 
refraction in the propagation path. Scintillation is the 
primary effect which renders amplitude modulation of an op- 
tical beam for atmospheric propagation a poor second choice 
when compared to frequency modulation. 

d. Ray Bending 

Variations in the index of refraction of a more 
continuous nature can cause beam bending. This can cause 
errors in angular location of targets and other abberations 
due to ducting as is experienced in more conventional radars. 

e. Turbulence 

Atmospheric turbulence causes pheonomona such 
as scintillation and phase front distortion. Turbulence 
causes variations of intensity and phase across the beam 
surface. Direct detection [14] allows integration of the 
intensity variation as the receive aperture increases, but 
for coherent detection there can be a decrease in signal to 
noise ratio as aperture size is increased since the varia- 
tions in phase front degrade the signal rather than inte- 
grate out. 



52 







I 




4 






III. MAJOR SYSTEM COMPONENTS 



A. LASER 

The laser utilized in the radar system is a 3 w, ver- 
tically polarized CO 2 laser (10.6 ym wavelength) built by 
Honeywell Corporation. The laser is a closed system laser 
and is water cooled. It has an internal piezzo-electric 
transducer (PZT) which allows some modulation and control 
for line shifting. The PZT was not utilized in the system. 

The laser power output as a function of driver setting 
is given in Table I. The divergence of the laser was com- 
puted as 1.71 mrad. This value is somewhat lower than the 
value estimated by NELC but NELC did not measure the 
divergence . 

A cooling water hose connection inside the laser head 
came unconnected during operation of the laser. The water 
caused a short from the high voltage leads (±10 KV) to 
ground which resulted in the destruction of an inductor in 
the laser power supply filter. This required operation of 
the laser with an unfiltered power supply and as a result 
the output power dropped from 3.05 w to 2.3 w and contained 
a 120 Hz ripple. The result of this was a drop in peak 
transmitted power from 1.2 w to .65 w and a drop in un- 
focused local oscillator power from .93 w to .51 w. 

The laser was microphonic (amplified low frequency 
mechanical vibrations) but this was filtered out in the 
signal processing and presented no problem. 



53 



Driver Supply Setting 



Power Output (Watts) 



72 


.25 


76 


.64 


80 


1.1 


82 


1.25 


84 


1.5 


86 


1.7 


88 


1.95 


90 


2.15 


92 


2.3 


94 


2.45 


96 


2.54 


98 


2.68 


100 


2.76 


102 


2.89 


104 


2.95 


110 (Max) 


3.05 



Table I. Laser Output Power as a Function of Driver Setting. 
(Data taken 18 July 1974) 



54 



B. ACOUSTO-OPTIC MODULATOR 



The acousto-optic modulator utilized in the system is 
made by Isomet. Its specifications are listed in Table II 
[22]. The crystal is germanium and both the modulator and 
driver are RFI hardened. A sketch of the modulator is shown 
in Figure 21. Table III shows the modulation frequency as 
a function of input voltage. While the laser power supply 
was filtered the modulator was frequency modulated from 
35 - 45 MHz and the modulated output power was 1.2 w while 
the unmodulated beam power was .93 w for a modulating ef- 
ficiency of 56%. During unfiltered operation the efficiency 
was unchanged. This performance was completely satisfactory 
considering that the Bragg angle varies with frequency and 
the modulator angle was held constant at approximately 2.2° 
(the Bragg angle for 40 MHz operation) . 

The modulator crystal is germanium which has an acousti- 
cal velocity of 5.4 x 10® cm/sec [23]. This yields an 
acoustical wavelength at 40 MHz of 135 ym. 

There are two 5 inch focal length focusing lenses with 
the modulator. The first is to focus the incoming beam to 
a minimum waist size to increase the modulator bandwidth 
and the second lens is to recollimate the output beams. 

There is a time delay between the driver output and 
the interaction of the acoustical and optical beams. This 
propagation delay in the crystal is due to the time delay 
required to propagate from the transducer to the optical 
beam and gives an additional frequency offset to the range 
frequency. In earlier system alignments this time delay 



55 




o 



Tl 




Modulator 



Operating wavelength 10.6 ym 

Rise time 70 nsec 



Deflection efficiency 


> 60% with DC input 


Contrast ratio 


1000:1 


Static transmission efficiency 


88% 


Coatings 


AR at 10.6 ym 


Optical aperture 


1 mm 


Acoustic center frequency 


40 MHz 


Nominal impedance 


50 Q 


Cooling 


water cooled 


Driver 

Bandwidth 


35 - 45 MHz 


Input impedance 


50 ohms 


Linearity 


> 5% deviation 


Input voltage 


- 6.27V (35 MHz) to 

- 9.27V (45 MHz) 


Output amplitude variation 


± 1 db 



Table II. Acousto-Optic Modulator Characteristics. 



56 



BNC Connector 




Impedance Matching Coil 
Aluminum Case 



Electrode and Heat Sink 
Transducer 

Germanium Crystal 
Copper 

Acoustic Absorber 



Figure 21. Acousto -Optic Modulator. 



57 



Input 

Voltage 

(V) 


Output 

Frequency 

(MHz) 


6.0 


35.2 


6.1 


35.6 


6.2 


35.9 


6.3 


36.2 


6.4 


36.6 


6.5 


37.0 


6.6 


37.3 


6.7 


37.6 


6.8 


37.9 


6.9 


38.3 


7.0 


38.6 


7.1 


38.9 


7.2 


39.2 


7.3 


39.6 


7.4 


39.9 


7.5 


40.2 


7.6 


40.5 


7.7 


40.8 


7.8 


41.2 


7.9 


41.5 


8.0 


41.8 



Input 

Voltage 

(V) 


Output 

Frequency 

(MHz) 


8.1 


42.1 


8.2 


42.4 


8.3 


42.8 


8.4 


43.1 


8.5 


43.4 


8.6 


43.7 


8.7 


44.0 


8.8 


44.3 


8.9 


44.6 


9.0 


44.9 


9.1 


45.2 


9.2 


45.5 


9.3 


45.8 


9.4 


46.0 


9.5 


46.3 


9.6 


46.6 


9.7 


46.9 


9.8 


47.1 


9:9 


47.4 


10.0 


47.7 



Table III. Modulator Frequency as a Function of Input 
Voltage . 



58 







nr 




was approximately 1.6 ys which translates to a frequency 
offset of 56 kHz. After realignment and repositioning of 
the height of the modulator the delay was approximately 
1 ys which corresponds to 35 kHz. A 1 ys delay corresponds 
to 5.4 mm travel through the crystal. 

C. DETECTOR 

The detector used in the system was a PbSnTe heterojunc- 
tion p-i-n photodiode made by Rockwell International Science 
Center [19] . The detector area was 4 x 10 cm^ and opera- 
tion at liquid nitrogen temperatures (77°K) is required. 

The zero bias quantum efficiency was listed as .14 with 
a peak quantum efficiency of .32 with .2 v bias (Table IV). 
The measured zero bias quantum efficiency was .034. No rea- 
son is known for this change except apparent detector degra- 
dation. Some of the personnel at NELC expressed the opinion 
that the detector had degraded. Determination of quantum 
efficiency in heterodyne operation indicates a biased 
quantum efficiency of approximately .12. 

Shot noise limited operation was not achieved with the 
detector. An estimated local oscillator power incident upon 
the detector was .1 mw. The detector dynamic impedance 
varies with biasing but with zero bias the resistance is ap- 
proximately 50 SI. Using a quantum efficiency of .14 either 
signal or local oscillator power greater than .9 mw would 
be required. For a quantum efficiency of .034 greater than 
3.7 mw would be required. This exceeds the incident power 
capability of the detector (3 mw) . 



59 




► 




♦ 







-m-' 




I 






m 



4 



Bias Voltage 3 db Bandwidth Quantum Efficiency 

(Volts) (MHz) (%) 

0 200 14 

.02 20 

.05 27 

.1 30 

.15 200 

.2 32 

.3 200 

1.0 32 



Table IV. Detector 3 db Bandwidth and Quantum Efficiency vs. 
Bias Voltage [19] 



60 



The 3 db bandwidth is listed as 200 MHz. The maximum 
frequency at which the detector was operated was 55 MHz. No 
roll-off due to frequency response was noted. 

The detector was mounted in a stainless steel SAT dewar 
with a side looking window. The window transmissivity is 
unknown but a transmissivity of .8 was estimated for calcu- 
lation purposes. 

D. OPTICAL ANTENNA 

The special antenna utilized in the radar system is a 
dual transmit/receive Newtonian lens system [24] . Figure 
21 is a diagram of the lens system. The antenna has the 
following parameters: 

Dual antenna - transmits and receives 

Transmit/receive folding mirror - double flat parallel 
surfaces elliptical Ih” x 2^" 

Receive aperture mirror - 6" diameter parabolic, 60" 
focal length 

System ‘ 10 

Effective ^/no (due to blockage) [17] - 10.45 

The system yields the following system performance cap- 
abilities for diffraction limited optics: 

Airy disc diameter [25] d = 2.44X(f/o) = 259 ym (58) 
Due to blockage of transmit ellipse [17] d = 270 ym 
Depth of focus x = 4X(f/no)^ = 4.24 mm (59) 

Near limit of field to achieve airy disc 

X£ = DV2X = 1096 m 1199 yd (60) 

Field of view for detector diameter equal to airy disc 

[17] 

61 



3 = d/£ = 170 prad x .01® 



(61) 



Field of view for 8 mil detector [14] 



3=0 




127 yrad 



(62) 



r 



T^. d^. 

airy mirror 



Angular target resolution 



a 




= 85 urad == .005®. 



(63) 



Maximum allowable incident angular wavefront misalignment 
between signal and local oscillator beam for 101 heterodyning 
degradation using an 8 mil diameter detector: [26] 



Receive aperture = ir(6/2)^ = 28.3 in^ 

Folding mirror surface = tt( 3/4)^ = 1.77 in^ 

(blockage area somewhat larger) 

Percent blockage - - 7 % 

In the above relationships X is the optical wavelength 
of 10.6 ym, f is the focal length (60") and D is the receive 
mirror diameter. 

To transmit directly ahead of the optical antenna the 
elliptical flat is turned 45° with respect to the antenna 
axis and the transmit beam comes in at 90° with respect to 
the antenna axis (Figure 22) . 

To provide a visible indication of the CO 2 beam location 
a HeNe laser beam at 632.8 nm is being transmitted aligned 
with the 10.6 ym beam. As can be seen in photographs (Figures 



T]/ = ;^ = .013 rad 



(64) 



62 



27, 28 and 29), there is a rifle scope trained on the mirror 
through which the HeNe beam enters the transmit system. The 
scope view follows the transmit beams and allows specific 
location of the output beams. When the system is aligned 
beam steering by moving the optical table will not require 
any additional alignment. 

Receive alignment can be accomplished by looking into 
the receive folding surface of the elliptical mirror. Re- 
ceive view can be determined by moving horizontally and 
vertically and insuring the target is in the center of the 
elliptical mirror blockage. 



63 






Detector |^— “ Z. 

Return 

Beam 






Parabolic 
Receive Mirror 
F = 60" 



I 



Ti^ 






ansmit Beam 



Transmit/Rece ive 
Elliptical Flat 



Transmit Beam 



Rpturn Beam 
47h” 



■4- 6 ' OJ 



Figure 22. Newtonian Optical Antenna. 



64 



IV. SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND ALIGNMENT PROCEDURES 



A. PRELIMINARY DEVELOPMENT 

The radar system development proceeded through several 
stages. The initial step was the assembly and alignment o£ 
a system which would modulate the laser beam, transmit the 
beam, receive the return and utilizing heterodyne detection 
extract the modulated signal. Figure 23 shows the initial 
system utilized to accomplish this. 

Alignment of the system is very crucial and is somewhat 
complicated by the fact that the CO 2 beam at 10.6 ym is 
invisible. The presence of the CO 2 beam can be determined 
by using heat sensitive graph paper or heat sensitive plastic 
encapsulated liquid crystals. The graph paper is used when 
the power is relatively high and the liquid crystal paper is 
utilized for powers down to a few milliwatts. 

The beam splitters utilized are germanium with one side 
anti-reflection coated for 10.6 ym wavelength. The germanium 
lens and splitters are opaque to visible light. The values 
listed for the beam splitters first show the reflectance 
then transmittance. A 90/10 splitter means that 90% of the 
CO 2 beam is reflected and 10% is transmitted through the 
splitter. Unless indicated otherwise the lenses, splitters 
and mirrors are 2 inches in diameter. All mirrors are front 
surfaced. 

Beam splitters provide a means of separating portions of 
a beam into known components or combining two beams together 



65 



Unmodulated 

Beam Blocking Mirror 

Aperture . „ . . Mirror 



O 

^ LO 



•H LO 
rH Cn 




+-» o 
^ u 

bOC/D 

•H 

CO 



66 



Figure 23. First Optical System. 



for collimated joint transmission. One effect of using beam 
splitters is that to split and combine beams the reflecting 
surfaces must be at an angle to the beam paths, for a right 
angle deflection the surfaces must be oriented at a 45° 
angle with respect to the transmission path. The angular 
presentation of the surfaces reduces the amount of surface 
area available for transmission or reflection and at 45° 
the circle presents an apparent ellipse with a horizontal 
minor axis of 1.4 inches. The transmittance or reflective 
area is reduced by the angular presentation to .707 of the 
original, or in other words, a 1.5 db reduction. This re- 
duction in size presents no problem for the transmit path 
but for the return path it can reduce the collected energy 
by 1.5 db. 

The holders for the splitters and mirrors have uncoupled 
horizontal and vertical rotational mobility which allows 
exact direction of reflected beams. Additionally the A-0 
modulator and detector holders have 3 degree uncoupled axis 
mobility with micrometer adjustment for up to one inch 
travel in each direction. The A-0 modulator focusing lenses, 
blocking aperture, and in systems two and three (Figures 24 
and 25) the transmit beam elevator and receive/LO splitter 
are mounted on holders with motion in one direction up to h 
inch with micrometer adjustment. 

B. FIRST OPTICAL SYSTEM 

The configuration of the first system developed to be 
utilized as a laser radar is shown in Figure 23. The trans- 
mit path was from the CO 2 laser reflected from the 95/5 beam 



67 

























m 

iM 








I 




o o 

IH 



^ *H O 

O rH 

P. Qi 




•H 

CO 



68 



Figure 24. Second Optical System. 



4 

-I 





69 



Figure 25. Third Optical System. 





splitter (5% power losses) to the input focusing lens of 
the acousto-optic modulator, through the modulator to the 
output focusing/collimation lens, through the modulation 
pass aperture where the unmodulated portion of the beam is 
blocked, through the 50/50 splitter where half the power 
is reflected out of the system, through the 5/95 splitter 
(5% power loss) where the HeNe beam is collimated with the 
CO 2 transmit beam and off of the transmit/receive mirror to 
the target. 

The return signal after being reflected from the target, 
enters the system at the transmit/receive mirror, through 
the 5/95 splitter (5% power loss), reflected off of the 
50/50 splitter (50% power loss) , through the 5/95 splitter 
(5% power loss) where the local oscillator beam is brought 
in, through the focusing lens to the detector. 

The local oscillator path is from the laser through the 
95/5 splitter (95% power loss), off three folding mirrors, 
reflected off of the 5/95 splitter (95% power loss) where 
it is combined with the return signal, through the focusing 
lens to the detector. 

In the transmit path approximately 50% of the power into 
the A-0 modulator is absorbed by the modulator and approxi- 
mately 45% of the output is unmodulated and blocked. Of the 
remaining transmit power 50% is lost in the 50/50 splitter 
and another 5% is lost in the 5/95 splitter. Using these 
numbers, if 1 watt is transmitted from the laser approximately 
124 mw is transmitted. In the LO path of 50 mw through the 
95/5 splitter approximately 2.5 mw is focused on the detector. 



70 



The return signal is reduced to 45% o£ the original power by 
the splitters and to .707 of that by the aperture blockage 
mentioned in the previous section, for a net return on the 
detector of approximately 32% of the incoming power. In 
this manner the signal power out of the A-0 modulator is 
reduced by 3.2 db in the transmit path and by 4.9 db in the 
return path for a net ideal optics loss of 8.1 db. 

C. SECOND OPTICAL SYSTEM 

The optical configuration of the second system utilized 
is shown in Figure 24. The important difference is the 
utilization of a Newtonian lens system as a transmit/receive 
antenna and using an unfocused local oscillator beam. The 
transmission, receive and local oscillator paths are shown 
in Figure 24. For the same 1 watt output from the laser 
approximately 235 mw is transmitted for a transmit gain of 
2.8 db over system one. 

The receive aperture of the second system is the 6 inch 
parabolic mirror of the Newtonian optics. The aperture 
area of the 6 inch mirror is nine times that of the 2 inch 
mirror less the elliptical mirror blockage of approximately 
7% for a net 8.37 fold increase which is a 9.2 db gain due 
to aperture size alone. The loss due to one 5/95 splitter, 
the 50/50 splitter and due to the elliptical presentation 
of the angled splitters is eliminated for another 4.7 db 
gain. This nets a total gain in signal power of 16.7 db. 

The utilization of an unfocused local oscillator beam 
instead of a focused beam greatly reduces the difficulty in 



71 



1 









aligning the return signal and LO beam. It also provides a 
safety factor in the event the LO power should increase 
without operator knowledge because only a small portion of 
the increased power would fall on the detector. The adverse 
effect of using an unfocused LO beam is that it becomes much 
more difficult to provide enough local oscillator power in- 
cident upon the detector to achieve shot noise limited 
operation. Shot noise limited operation was not achieved in 
any of the three configurations. 

D. THIRD OPTICAL SYSTEM 

The third and final configuration is shown in Figure 25. 
The differences between system two and three are the replace- 
ment of the 90/10 splitter at the output of the laser by a 
mirror and the unmodulated output of the modulator is utilized 
as the LO beam. This provides a 10% increase in output power 
(.46 db) and a total LO power available of 510 mw as compared 
to approximately 230 mw. 

E. ALIGNMENT TECHNIQUES 

The alignment of the optical system is extremely critical. 
Because of the strict requirements a detailed description of 
the alignment procedure is presented. 

1 . Height Adjustments 

All beams must move in a path parallel to the plane 
of the optical table to provide optimum alignment. To 
achieve this beam, height is measured at the output of an 
optical device and measured again at a distance as far away 
on the table as possible. If the heights are not the same 



72 



shims are introduced to adjust height or axis adjustments 
are made. As an example, the height o£ the laser beam at 
the laser output was measured. The first beam splitter was 
then adjusted so the beam was the same height at the oppo- 
site end of the table. The horizontal axis was adjusted so 
the beam was changed in direction by 90°. 

2 . Acousto-Optic Modulator Alignment 

The CO 2 beam is focused into the germanium crystal 
in the modulator through a germanium focusing lens with a 
five inch focal length. The height of the lens was adjusted 
by shims until the CO 2 beam passed through the lens center. 
The modulator was mounted on a holder which would be adjusted 
with a micrometer setting so the angle of modulator axis 
could be adjusted with respect to the plane of the optical 
table. The modulator and holder were both mounted to one 
of the holders which are adjustable in three axes. The 
modulator was then positioned so the input beam passed 
through the center of the input aperture at a distance of 
five inches from the modulator center to the focusing lens 
so the beam waist would be in the center of the crystal. 

By using a level, the modulator was rotated until its axis 
was approximately two degrees from the vertical and then 
slowly adjusted until the output beam split into two beams. 
The positioning of the modulator was adjusted for maximum 
power in the modulated beam. 

The recollimation lens was positioned in the two 
output beams five inches from the modulator center at a 
height where the two beams passed through near the lens 



73 



center. The recollimation lens serves a dual purpose in 
that it prevents a further divergence of the beams after 
their focal point and it collimates the beams so the modu- 
lated beam (which was deflected down at twice the Bragg 
angle) travels parallel to the plane of the table. 

3. Collimation of the HeNe and CO 2 Transmit Beams 

A visible beam from a HeNe laser was transmitted 
with the CO 2 beam to provide a visual indication of the lo- 
cation of the CO 2 beam. The HeNe beam entered the transmit 
path by reflecting off of the 5/95 beam splitter just prior 
to transmission from the system. Since the germanium splitter 
is opaque to visible light virtually all of the HeNe beam is 
transmitted . 

For the HeNe beam to be collimated exactly with the 
CO 2 beam it must be positioned on the face of the 5/95 
splitter at the exact position that the CO 2 beam passes 
through the splitter. The superpositioning can be deter- 
mined by pressing a piece of liquid crystal paper on the 
face of the splitter. The intensity of the CO 2 beam is re- 
duced by passing it through an aperture prior to the modu- 
lator. Care must be taken to position the aperture so the 
beam goes through the exact center so that the HeNe is 
positioned on the high intensity center of the beam. The 
HeNe beam can be adjusted in height by placing shims under 
the laser and horizontal adjustment is accomplished by ro- 
tating the laser slightly in the holder. 

The HeNe transmit beam can be adjusted with the 
axis adjustments on the. holder in which the splitter is 



74 



mounted. This adjustment does not effect the direction of 
the CO2 beam transmission. A piece of heat sensitive graph 
paper was placed in the CO2 beam approximately ten feet 
from the output, as soon as the graph paper began to darken 
the CO2 beam was blocked and the HeNe beam was positioned 
on the small darkened spot. In this manner the HeNe beam 
can be positioned in the highest intensity portion of the 
CO2 beam. The alignment was checked by passing both beams 
through an aperture onto a piece of liquid crystal paper 
located about forty feet from the output and about thirty 
feet from the aperture. If the beams are not collimated 
they will not be coincident at both the aperture and liquid 
crystal paper. Again care must be taken to position the 
aperture so the beams pass through its exact center or the 
beams on the liquid crystal paper may appear to be slightly 
misaligned when they are not. This appearance can be 
caused by passing parts of the CO2 beam with a significant 
difference in power density. The difference in intensity 
will show on the liquid crystal and may give an appearance 
of misalignment. 

A final alignment check was made approximately 305 
yards from the output, on the roof of Ingersoll Hall. The 
dimension and location of the CO2 beam was determined by 
chopping the transmit beam and reading the chopped output 
with a PbSnTe detector whose output was amplified 40 db and 
displayed on an oscilloscope. In the final alignment ad- 
justment at this range the HeNe beam was lowered two inches 



75 



and moved horizontally one half inch. This movement was 
less than the divergence of either beam. - . 

4 . Collimation of Visual Optics with the CO ^ Transmit 

Beam 

A visual sighting capability was incorporated into 
the system to enable placement of the transmit beam on a 
desired position. This is accomplished by utilizing a 
rifle sighting scope and a mirror with a hole in its center. 
The visual system is shown in Figures 23, 24 and 25. 

The sighting mirror is positioned so the beam from 
the HeNe laser passes through the hole in its center. The 
rifle scope is then positioned so it looks onto the surface 
of the sighting mirror. The mirror is rotated until the 
rifle scope is sighting along the HeNe path. Initial align- 
ment is facilitated by placing a mirror in the HeNe trans- 
mission path and adjusting it so the HeNe beam is folded 
back onto itself. The sighting mirror is adjusted properly 
when the HeNe beam reflects back through the rifle scope. 
Visual alignment is completed by adjusting the scope cross 
hairs on the bright return from a retro-reflector placed in 
the HeNe beam on the roof of Ingersoll Hall. Once alignment 
is completed the transmit beam can be positioned by sighting 
through the rifle scope and adjusting the optical table 
until the cross-hairs are positioned on the desired location. 

5 . Alignment of the Newtonian Optics 

Alignment of the Newtonian transmit/receive optics 
is very critical since the theoretical field of view is only 
127 yrad for an eight mil diameter detector (measured field 
of view was 180 yrad) . Once the receive optics are aligned 



76 



with the transmit beam the detector is positioned at the 
focal point of the lens system. If the target is then moved 
out of the field of view but is still in the beam (which is 
much larger than the receive field of view) the focused 
energy moves off of the detector. At this point if the de- 
tector is repositioned in the received focused beam the 
signal can be processed as before. This demonstrates that 
there is a direct interaction between receive alignment and 
detector size and positioning. 

By removing the 5/95 beam splitter which is positioned 
between the folding elliptical mirror and the detector (Figure 
25) and placing a folding mirror in front of the detector the 
view of the receive optics can be determined. Looking back 
into the receive optics the blockage of the elliptical flat 
can be seen. When the HeNe beam is positioned on a retro- 
reflector located on the roof of Ingersoll Hall the red re- 
flection can be faintly seen through the blockage image. 

This reflection is positioned in the center of the blockage 
by adjusting positioning screws on the back of the six inch 
parabolic' mirror . The positioning can also be checked by 
moving horizontally and vertically and adjusting the para- 
bolic mirror until the reflection bisects the blockage both 
vertically and horizontally. 

Once the receive and transmit optics are aligned 
the return visible energy from the HeNe laser can be located 
by placing a white paper at the focal length of the optics 
(60 inches from the parabolic mirror). If the paper is 
moved slightly forward of the focal point the pattern of 



77 



the returned HeNe beam with its dark spot in the center 
(caused by the elliptical mirror blockage) can be seen. 

If the receive optics are properly aligned at this point 
the received pattern will be distorted by moving a paper 
in from the sides and top and bottom in front of the para- 
bolic mirror. If the received pattern distorts as soon as 
the paper moves in front of the mirror from all sides then 
the Newtonian optics are aligned properly. 

6 . Signal and Local Oscillator Beam Alignment 

The signal beam and local oscillator beam phase 
fronts must be aligned upon the detector surface nearly 
exactly. The local oscillator beam is unfocused to facili- 
tate this alignment. While one beam was being aligned the 
other beam was blocked and vice versa. 

With the 5/95 beam splitter removed as in the pre- 
vious section, the HeNe return can be seen and the detector 
dewar can be positioned so the detector is very near the re- 
turn signal. The CO 2 beam was then chopped by a fan and 
the detector position was varied in a raster type scan until 
the chopped output, amplified by 40 db, was seen on the 
oscilloscope. The 5/95 beam splitter was then repositioned 
in the signal and local oscillator path (oriented at approxi 
mately 45° with respect to each path). The beam splitter 
shifts the signal beam slightly and the detector was repo- 
sitioned in the beam. After the detector was again posi- 
tioned in the signal beam for maximum chopped signal 
amplitude the local oscillator beam ivas unblocked and the 
transmit beam was blocked. The local oscillator beam was 



78 



swept across the dewar aperture face in a raster pattern 
until the chopped output of the detector was maximized. 

After the detector was properly positioned and the rest of 
the system was aligned, the alignment is maintained and is ^ 
correct as the table is repositioned to illuminate different 
targets . 

F. ELECTRONICS AND SIGNAL PROCESSING 

The block diagram of the signal processing system is 
shown in Figure 26. The system will be first analyzed con- 
sidering a constant frequency IF of 30 MHz. 

The driver for the acousto-optic modulator consists of 
a voltage controlled oscillator and a power amplifier. The 
output is coupled to the modulator with a tri-axial lead 
which minimizes RFI . Some of the output power was reflected 
back to the input terminal at a greatly reduced level. This 
reflected power provided a convenient means of obtaining the 
instantaneous transmitted frequency for comparison with the 
instantaneous received frequency for determination of the 
range and velocity frequency. The reflected reference sig- 
nal is amplitude modulated by the input modulating signal 
which is a DC bias with a superimposed triangular modulating 
voltage. The reflected reference signal is passed through 
a high pass filter which eliminated the 1.75 kHz modulating 
wave form. 

The transmit signal was connected to the R terminal of 
a balanced mixer. A 30 MHz reference signal of 1 volt am- 
plitude (this amplitude was very critical for proper 



79 




4 



4 

1 






Oscilloscope 



Figure 26. Signal Processing Systera. 



80 




operation of the balanced mixer) was connected to the L 
terminal. Both the sum and difference frequencies are pre- 
sent at the output of the mixer. This output was passed 
through a third order Butterworth filter with a bandpass 
of 60 - 80 MHz. 

The 65 - 75 MHz signal was amplified 60 db and then at- 
tenuated 8 db (to obtain the one volt necessary for the 
balanced mixer) and connected to the L input of the second 
balanced mixer. 

The output of the PbSnTe Detector is a 35 - 45 MHz signal 
offset by any doppler shift which may be present. This sig- 
nal is amplified by a 23 db bias amplifier with a 3 db noise 
figure and then by a 30 db amplifier. This signal is then 
connected to the R input of the second balanced mixer where 
it is mixed with the 65 - 75 MHz reference signal. The out- 
put of the second mixer is 30 MHz + F + F, and 

^ range doppler 

a 100 - 120 MHz spread. The range information is present 
at the output as a signal at 30 MHz + F and 30 MHz - 

Frange* double frequency spikes are present because of 

the triangular frequency modulation. 

The output frequencies were observed in a spectrum 
analyzer. If the 30 MHz output of the signal generator into 
the first balanced mixer is varied the output range frequencies 
are varied in the same way. In this way the range frequencies 
were swept across a 3.5 kHz crystal filter centered at 30 
MHz. As the range frequencies were swept across the filter 
bandwidth the signals were connected to the vertical input 
of an oscilloscope. The input to the horizontal grids of 



81 



the oscilloscope was the sweep output from the sweeping 
signal generator and in this way the horizontal sweep was 
calibrated to the frequency sweeping of the return signal. 
The resultant output of this processing was an A scope 
range presentation on the oscilloscope. The A scope pre- 
sentation was not very satisfactory because of the frequency 
output of the signal generator drifted making a range dis- 
placement calibration impossible. Other than a demonstra- 
tion of its feasibility the A scope presentation was not 
utilized. The range and velocity information was determined 
directly from the spectrum analyzer. 



G, SYSTEM RADAR ANALYSIS 

The theoretical development for a FM-CW radar is pre- 
sented in Chapter II section A. The specific system parame- 
ters are as follows: 

Carrier frequency 
Wavelength 

Resolution filter bandwidth 



f = 2.83 X 10*^ 
o 

X = 10.6 ym 



Hz 



Triangular wave modulation 
frequency 

Total frequency deviation 



BW = 3.5 kHz centered at 
30 MHz 



FM = 1.75 Hz 

2AF = 10 MHz centered at 
40 MHz 



\, 






These parameters yield the following system performance 
capabilities 

3.5 X 10^° Hz/sec 



df/dt 

(equation 3) 

Unambiguous range 
(equation 19) 

Range frequency 
(equation 5) 



42.9 km 



233.3 kHz/km 

213.3 kHz/100 yds 



82 






J 



Velocity frequency 
(equation 13) 

Range resolution 
(equation 21) 

Velocity resolution 
(equation 22) 

Acceleration spectrum spread 

tolerance 

(equation 17) 



52.4 k.Hz/km/hr 
97 kHz/knot 

15 m 

.036 knots 

6.6 g 



83 



V. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES AND RESULTS 



A. DETERMINATION OF RANGE 

For an initial determination of the practicability of 
determining range by the expected range frequency signals 
the first system (Figure 23) was used. The output power 
was reduced and attenuated until only a few milliwatts were 
transmitted. The output beam was folded around the room 
and out along the top of the sixth floor of Spannagel Hall. 
A front-surfaced mirror was placed at several known dis- 
tances and the range frequency was determined and compared 
with the expected frequency shift. It was during this op- 
eration that the offset from zero range was first noticed 
(explained in Chapter III, Section B) . Table V contains 
the results of this series of experiments. It should be 
noted that the results agree well within the accuracy of 
the frequency readings. Figure 27 is a photograph of the 
first system configuration. 

An unexpected phenomenon was the appearance of a zero 
range beat frequency. This is believed to be caused by 
a reflection of some of the modulated beam from the output 
face of the modulator crystal back into the laser. Once 
in the laser, the modulated frequency is amplified and 
transmitted along with the normal unmodulated frequency and 
in this manner it is introduced into the local oscillator 
beam. It was determined to be in the local oscillator path 
because it remained even when the output beam was blocked. 



84 



Table V. Range Frequency Determination as a Function of 
Range . 



Triangular Modulation F 

2AF = 10 MHz df/dt 

Range Frequency Shift 
Spectrum Analyzer Dispersion 



10 kHz 

2 X 10*^ Hz/sec 
1.22 kHz/rd 
50 kHz/cm 



Range 


43 


ft 


Expected Range Frequency 
Actual Range Frequency 
Frequency Offset 
Corresponding Offset Time 


Delay 


17.5 kHz 
345 kHz 
327.5 kHz 
1.64 ysec 


Range 


67 


ft 


Expected Range Frequency 
Actual Range Frequency 
Frequency Offset 
Corresponding Offset Time 


Delay 


27.2 kHz 
360 kHz 

332.8 kHz 
1.66 ysec 


Range 


91 


ft 


Expected Range Frequency 
Actual Range Frequency 
Frequency Offset 
Corresponding Offset Time 


Delay 


37 kHz 

367 kHz 
330 kHz 
1.65 usee 


Range 


115 


ft 


Expected Range Frequency 
Actual Range Frequency 
Frequency Offset 
Corresponding Offset Time 


Delay 


46.8 kHz 
375 kHz 

328.2 kHz 
1.64 usee 


Range 


139 


ft 


Expected Range Frequency 
Actual Range Frequency 
Frequency Offset 
Corresponding Offset Time 


Delay 


46.3 kHz 
387.5 kHz 
341.2 kHz 
1.7 usee 


Range 


163 


ft 


Expected Range Frequency 
Actual Range Frequency 
Frequency Offset 
Corresponding Offset Time 


Delay 


66.3 kHz 
395 kHz 

328.7 kHz 
1.64 usee 


Range 


187 


ft 


Expected Range Frequency 
Actual Range Frequency 
Frequency Offset 
Corresponding Offset Time 


Delay 


76 kHz 

405 kHz 

329 kHz 

1.64 usee 


Range 


211 


ft 


Expected Range Frequency 
Actual Range Frequency 
Frequency Offset 
Corresponding Offset Time 


Delay 


85.8 kHz 
415 kHz 

329.2 kHz 
1.64 usee 



85 




Figure 27. First Optical System. 




Figure 28. Third Optical System, View 1. 



86 



The zero range frequency is believed to be due to internal 
laser amplification rather than a reflection from the output 
mirror because of the marked variation of the amplitude of 
the signal at different times. The signal on the LO path 
was first noticed at NELC during the experience tour in San 
Diego. Prior to bringing the laser to NPS it was recharged 
and for the first couple of weeks of operation at NPS the 
signal was not present on the LO beam. At other times the 
signal was not present when the laser was first turned on 
but became present after the laser had warmed up. The sig- 
nal strength fluctuated from week to week and for the last 
several weeks was significantly lower than at other times. 

All of these variations can logically be reasoned to be due 
to the effects of pressure and temperature line broadening 
and due to the variations in line width of various laser 
transmission lines. 

B. TARGET DETERMINATION AT 305 YARDS 

/ 

The next step in system development was to determine the 
system capability at a greater distance. For this work, the 
system configuration of the second system (Figure 24) was 
initially used and finally that of the third system (Figure 
25). Figures 28 and 29 are photographs of the third system. 
Figure 30 shows the view from Spannagel 704 to the top of 
Ingersoll Hall and Figure 31 shows the NPS grounds. 

During this and subsequent experimental stages the target 
was a two-inch diameter, gold surfaced retro-reflector. 

The retro-reflector is shown mounted on a model railroad car 



87 






■ii 






f 




Figure 29. Third Optical System. 




Figure 30. View from Spanagall Hall 
to Ingersoll Hall. 



88 




Figure 31. Naval Postgraduate Grounds, Near Range Target. 



89 



in the photographs of Figures 32 and 33. The retro-reflec- 
tor is diffraction limited at 10.6 ym and the reflected 
energy from it has the same divergence as the incident 
beam. 

The modulator was readjusted between the experiments of 
Section A and determining the target on Ingersoll. At the 
new height position, the time delay was approximately 1 ysec 
which for the 1.75 kHz modulation rate corresponds at a 
35 kHz frequency offset. Figure 34 shows the zero range 
frequency signal. The small spikes offset about 35 kHz 
from the center in Figure 36 and are the zero range fre- 
quencies along with the signal from the retro-reflector. 

In both photographs the spectrum analyzer dispersion was 
50 kHz/cm. 

1 . Return Signal from Retro-Reflector at 305 Yards 



Ingersoll Hall and optimized for maximum signal. Figure 35 
shows the unprocessed return out of the detector and Figures 
36 and 37 show the processed return. The following condi- 
tions existed: 



The system was aimed at the retro-reflector on 



Transmit Frequency 
Modulating Rate 
Target Range 



35 - 45 MHz 



1.75 kHz 



305 yards 



Analyzer Dispersion and Noise Bandwidth 



For Range Frequency 



For Total Spectrum 



2 MHz/cm 
50 kHz/cm 



3.5 X 10‘° Hz/sec 



df/dt 



90 









, 




Velocity Generating Model 
Railroad, View 1. 



32. 




Figure 33. Velocity Generating Model 
Railroad, View 2. 



91 




Dispersion 2 MHz/cm 
S/N 50 db 

Total 

Spectrum 10 MHz 




Figure 35. Unprocessed Detector 
Output for 305 Yard 
Target . 



I 



92 





Dispersion 
Total Separation 
Zero Range Frequencies 
305 Yard Range Frequencies 
Range Frequencies 
Expected Frequencies 



50 kHz/cm 
200 kHz/cm 
± 35 kHz 
± 100 kHz 
± 65 kHz 
± 65.1 kHz 



Figure 36. 



Processed Return 



for 305 Yard Target. 



93 





I 












I 




The following are the resultant data: 



Total Spectrum S/N 


55 


db 


Range Frequency S/N 


60 


db 


Zero Range Frequency 


±35 


kHz 


Time Offset 


1 


ysec 


Range Frequency (including zero range) 


±100 


kHz 


Actual Range Frequency 


65 


kHz 


Expected Range Frequency 


65.1 


kHz 


Transmitted Power 


.65 


w 


LO Unfocused Power 


.51 


w 


Chopped Signal Output 


5.5 


mv 


Chopped LO Output 


1.4 


mv 


Returned Signal Power 


.75 


mw 



(Prior to the 5/95 splitter) 

The range frequency results agreed almost exactly with those 
expected. The noise bandwidth of the processed signal was 
16 db narrower than the total spectrum bandwidth. There 
was a 5 db S/N gain and there was a 6 db insertion loss at 
the input of the balanced mixer. The other 5 db could be 
accounted for by noise addition of the mixer. 

2 . Transmit Divergence Determination 

With both the transmitted and returned power known 
and the target range known, the beam divergence can be 
calculated. The returned power was readily measured because 
the HeNe focused return was easily seen. The returned power 
was measured with the low-range (<200 mw) digital power 
meter while the transmit power was measured with the high- 
range meter. This is a possible source of error but all 



94 



calculations are based upon these readings being correct. 

The divergence calculations are made considering the reflect- 
ing and receive aperture areas as compared to the total 
area of an arc subtended by a beam of a known divergence 
at the known range. Since everything is known but the di- 
vergence, it can readily be determined. 

The arc length of a beam of a given divergence at 
a given range is given by 

d = R6 (65) 

and its area is 

( 66 ) 

The area o£ the retro-reflector compared to this area is 



7T 



7T 



( ^) 



C^) 



2 



2 



(67) 



The divergence from the return from the retro-re- 
flector is the same as the incident beam. This results in 
an illuminated area at the receive aperture the same size 
as that at the target. The ratio of the received power to 
returned power is thus 



TT 



TT 



D 

( f ) 

( !^) 



2 



2 



The net return power is thus given by 



( 68 ) 



95 



f ; 




(69) 



P = 



P^TT' 



D. 



D 



( 



M 

2 



P^ 

t t r 
"(R0) “» 



In this situation the return power is known and thus the 
divergence can be determined from 



e 



0 




\ .65 w 
1.75 mw 



2 2 
2in* 6in 

(305 yd* 36 in/yd) ** 



(70) 

1.71 mradian 



3. Field of View Measurement 

The field of view of the receive optics was measured 
by placing the retro-reflector in the beam in a position 
where the return signal was maximum. The reflector was then 
moved a known amount and the signal strength was noted. 

The beam width was defined as the 3 db points of the signal 
decrease. The field of view was determined using equation 



(65). 



The 3 db beam width was determined to be nearly 
symmetrical at 5 cm. At a range of 305 yards this gives 
a field of view of 179 pradian. This compares reasonably 
well to the theoretical far-field field of view of 127 
yradian . 

There are two effects not considered in this compu- 
tation. The first is that the target range is not in the 
far field of the optics (305 yards vice 1199 yards). The 
effect of this is an enlargement of the Airy disc diameter 



96 



which reduces the theoretical field of view. Offsetting 
this is the effect of the finite reflector size (2 inches 
vice a point) . The separation was measured from the reflec- 
tor center so the reflector extended on both sides of this 
point. Since the beam intensity distribution should be 
nearly Gaussian this would tend to increase the apparent 
beam width. 



4 . Expected Return from a Diffuse Reflector at 505 Yards 
The return from a diffuse target would greatly de- 
crease the return signal received at the receive aperture. 

If one assumes an ideal Lambertian return [14] from a dif- 
fuse reflector, the area illuminated is that subtended by a 
solid angle of tt radians. The resultant reflected energy 
would then be reflected over an area of 



The difference in area and thus power density is the square 
of the beam divergence. For a divergence of 1.71 mrad, 
this is a 61.3 db reduction of signal power. With a pro- 
cessed S/N of 60 db , it might be possible to see the return 
for an ideal diffuse reflector larger than the retro-reflector. 

The target that was utilized for the diffuse target 
consisted of two 1-1/2” x 6” pieces of sandblasted aluminum 
placed side by side. The target had been exposed to air for 
several months so there was undoubetdly some surface 



A = ttR^ 



(71) 



instead of 




(72) 



97 



oxidation. Additionally, the assumption of a perfectly 
diffuse reflector was an approximation. The larger area of 
the diffuse reflector provided a gain in reflecting area at 
the target of approximately 7.6 db. The surface of the tar- 
get caused attenuation of the incident power and a 6 db 
reflection loss as compared to an ideal Lambertian is not 
unreasonable. Using these numbers, the expected return of 
the diffuse reflector would be .3 db. No return signal was 
detected from the diffuse reflector even though the target 
was varied widely in angular presentation. 

5 . Calculation of Detector Quantum Efficiency 

The quantum efficiency of a detector is that propor- 
tion of incident photons which are converted to a utilizable 
signal as compared to the total incident flux. The quantum 
efficiency of a photodiode can be calculated from the 
relationship [15] 



hf V 




where n is the quantum efficiency, f^ is the frequency of 
the incident photon, v is the detector output voltage, q is 
the electronic charge, P is the incident power and R is the 
zero bias detector resistance. The incident power is the 
power incident upon the detector. The Airy disc for a far 
field target is not in the far-field, the actual Airy disc 
is somewhat larger. The detector size is 200 pm so it is 
smaller than the Airy disc. The energy density profile of 
the Airy disc is shown in Figure 5.5 of [17]. Since the 
detector size is less than 74% of the Airy disc diameter, 



98 



( 



I 



f 



i 



it is estimated that approximately 80% of the power in the 
Airy disc is incident upon the detector. The power contained 
in the Airy disc is approximately 84% of the total focused 
power [17] . The dewar window transmittance is estimated at 
.8 which is reasonable for a good window. The total power 
incident at the dewar (after passing through the 5/95 beam 
splitter) was .7 mw. When all of the aforementioned effects 
are considered, the estimated power incident on the detector 
is .38 mw. Thus the quantum efficiency is given by 

(6.63 X 10'^‘*)(2.83 x 10^^)(5.5 x lO'^) _ 

7] ___ _ .Uo4. 

(1.6 X 10 ) (3.8 X 10 ) 

As mentioned in Chapter III, Section C, this value is sur- 
prisingly low and tends to indicate that the detector has 
degraded. There are several possible sources of error in 
this calculation but the result is still nearly one order 
of magnitude below the expected value of .14. 

6 . Calculation of Noise Equivalent Power 

Noise equivalent power id defined as the amount of 
power necessary for a signal-to-noise ratio of one with a 
unity noise bandwidth. This can be computed if the signal 
power, noise bandwidth and S/N are known. Using measured 
values and the same estimations utilized in the previous 
section, the computation is as follows: 

Signal Power .38 mw 

S/N = 60 db 

Noise bandwidth = 50 kHz 



99 






NEP = 



(S/N)B 



- 4 



3.8x10 

= 7.6 X 10 



106*5 X lO** 



w/Hz 



From equation (52) , it can be seen that for shot noise limited 
operation 

hf B 



NEP = 



(74) 



For unity bandwidth and quantum efficiency 

NEPideai = hf^ = (6 . 63xl0’ ^ “) (2 . 83x10 ^ ^) = 1.88xl0'^°w 

For a noise bandwidth of 50 kHz, this becomes 9.4 x lO"^^ 
and for n = .034. 

NEP = 2.76 X 10 w. 

This value is larger than the computed value which indicates 
that either the noise bandwidth is incorrect, S/N is incor- 
rect or the computed value of n is incorrect. The noise 
bandwidth is determined by the dispersion of the spectrum 
analyzer and the S/N ratio 60 db has been repeated several 
times. These factors indicate that the computed value of 
conversion efficiency is incorrect. For shot limited opera- 
tion, this would correspond to a value for n of .12 which 
is near the tabulated value of approximately .32 (for a 
reverse bias of .17 v) . Since shot noise limited operation 
was not obtained, this value is reasonable. The readings 
utilized for the computation of n in Section IV were repro- 
duced several times also. 



100 



C. EXTENDED RANGE CAPABILITY 



After successfully detecting the retro-reflector at 
305 yards, an extension of target range was completed. 

There was a clear area at the edge of El Estero Lake at 
an unknown range. The retro-reflector was taken to this 
area and illuminated. The resultant signal had a S/N ratio 
of 35 db and a frequency shift of 260 kHz including the 
zero range shift of 35 kHz. The net frequency shift of 
225 kHz corresponds to a range of 1055 yards. The range 
of 1055 yards iS' approximately 3-1/2 times as far as 305 

. 4 

yards. Since the signal strength decreases as R , this 
should give a corresponding reduction in the S/N ratio of 
21.5 db. The total range (both directions) is approximately 
2 km so this would provide an additional attenuation of 
approximately 2 db. Thus the expected S/N ratio was 36.5 
db which agrees very closely to the experimental value of 
35 db. 

The next step in range was to illuminate the retro- 
reflector while it was on the Coast Guard pier at a range 
of approximately 2400 yards (Figure 37). This is approxi- 
mately eight times the range of Ingersoll Hall and again 
considering the R signal relationship, this should cause 
a reduction of the S/N ratio of 36.1 db. The total range 
is slightly more than 4 km which would give an expected 
reduction in signal strength of 4 db due to attenuation. 
These considerations indicate an expected signal - to-noise 
ratio of 20 db and a frequency shift (including the zero 



101 




Figure 37. Far Range Target Measurement. 



102 



range shift) of 547 kHz. The experimentally determined 
values were : 

S/N 20 db 

Frequency Shift 540 kHz 

This frequency shift indicates an actual range of 2370 
yards. Figures 38 and 39 show the signal from the Coast 
Guard pier. 

D. VELOCITY DETERMINATION 

If a target with relative velocity is illuminated by 
the radar, the return should be shifted in frequency by 
the amount of 188.7 kHz/msec ^ relative velocity with the 
sign being the same as that of the relative velocity. To 
facilitate velocity measurements, a model train was set- 
up on the roof of Ingersoll so that the beam only illum- 
inated one side of the oval track. A meter stick was po- 
sitioned along a straight portion of the track and an 
electric timer was used to measure the amount of time the 
reflector was alongside the meter stick. Figures 32 and 
33 show the experimental set-up for this measurement. Some 
problems were experienced with the electric timer switch 
and the train was not stable enough to obtain the desired 
velocity range. Additionally there are inherent errors 

I 

which are unavoidable when manually timing. Doppler shifts 
of both senses were obtained by reversing the direction of 
the model train. Due to a difference in elevation there 
was a 5.5° angle between the velocity motion and the radar 
beam; because of this, the measured velocity must be 



103 







Dispers ion 

Range 

S/N 

Zero Range 
Range 

Frequencies 
Range Return 



38. 



Figure 



Processed Return for 
Yard Target, View 1 



2379 



200 kHz/cm 
2370 yard 
20 db 
± 35 kHz 

±505 kHz 
±540 kHz 



Dispersion 

Range 

S/N 

Zero Range 
Range 

Frequencies 

Range 

Return 



200 kHz/cm 
2370 yard 
20 db 
± 35 kHz 

±505 kHz 

±540 kHz 




Figure 39. Processed Return for 
2370 Yard Target, 
View 2 . 



1 



104 









multiplied by cos 5.5° to obtain the velocity component 
relative to the radar. Four photographs are included of 
the doppler shift measurements; these are Figures 40, 41, 

42 and 43. Table VI lists the results of the velocity 
measurements. The measured values were well within the 
tolerances of measurement error. 

A totally unexpected phenomenon was noted during the 
velocity measurements. In addition to the expected doppler 
frequency shift, the range frequencies with no doppler 
shift were present at a much reduced signal strength. There 
was no return from the tracks until the train with the re- 
flector moved into the beam. All parts of the train were, 
of course, moving at the same speed. Later the reflector 
was hand held and moved and again this phenomenon was ob- 
served. This zero velocity component should not have been 
present since any return reflection should have been doppler 
shifted. 



105 




Dispersion 



'iguie 4U. Processed Return for Negative 
Relative Velocity, View 1. 



50 kHz/cm 



Dispersion 



50 kHz/cm 




Figure 41. Processed Return for Negativ 
Relative Velocity, View 2. 



106 






50 kHz/cm 




Dispers ion 



Figure 42. Processed Return for Positive 
Relative Velocity, View 1. 



Dispersion 50 kHz/cm 



Figure 43. Processed Return for Positive 
Relative Velocity, View 2. 










107 




Figure 40 



Dovm Doppler Shift 



1/v 

V 

Expected Frequency Shift 
Actual Frequency Shift 



2.7 sec/m 
.37 m/sec 
69.5 kHz 
80 kHz 



Figure 41 



Down Doppler Shift 



1/v 

V 

Expected Frequency Shift 
Actual Frequency Shift 



1.8 sec/m 
. 56 m/sec 
104 kHz 
110 kHz 



Figure 42 



Up Doppler Shift 



1/v 


= 1.6 


sec/m 


V 


= .63 


m/sec 


Expected Frequency Shift 


117 


kHz 


Actual Frequency Shift 


= 120 


kHz 


Figure 43 


Up Doppler Shift 


1/v 


= 1.7 


sec/m 


V 


= .59 


m/sec 


Expected Frequency Shift 


110 


kHz 


Actual Frequency Shift 


= 115 


kHz 



Table VI. Velocity Determination Results. 



108 



f 






VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 



A. CONCLUSIONS 

The experimental results obtained closely agreed with 
the theoretically expected results and prove the basic 
feasibility of constructing a FM-CW optical radar and 
frequency modulation and coherent detection of a laser beam. 
The capabilities of the developmental system were somewhat 
disappointing but drastic improvements could be obtained in 
signal processing (reduce the noise bandwidth), increased 
transmission power, shot noise limited detector operation 
and the reduction of noise inserted in the filtering and 
luixing processing. 

The alignment requirements of this type of system are 
extreme and would present problems in both fabrication and 
maintenance. Additionally, actual systems would have to 
be rigidly constructed and either environmentally controlled 
or fabricated with materials having nearly the same coeffi- 
cient of thermal expansion. 

B. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

There are several areas which warrant further study. 

One area would be to determine the exact mechanism causing 
the zero range frequency being imposed upon the local 
oscillator beam and determine the variation of this with 
different laser variables such as temperature and pressure 
broadening and different line operation. 



109 




V 





Another and more intriguing question is that of the 
occurrence of the zero velocity frequency components in 
the velocity measurement part of the system investigation. 
Since all of the returned energy should have been doppler 
shifted in frequency, this presents a perplexing question. 

It would also be worthwhile to extend the system 
development to determine the true limit of its capabilities. 
Initially this would require improvements in signal process- 
ing and perhaps eventually in the area of controls to 
develop steering and tracking capability. 

Since a system operating at optical frequencies has 
such large doppler shifts for relatively low relative 
velocities, it may be feasible to determine the vibrational 
signatures of many objects (such as a jet engine of an air- 
craft) and utilize this in a target recognition scheme. 

C. POSSIBLE SYSTEM APPLICATIONS 

There are several possible applications for an optical 
radar. At the start of this project, it was hoped that 
clear air turbulence could be determined and that a light- 
weight low-power system could be developed for utilization 
in aircraft. There is still a possibility of this applica- 
tion being realized if system development is continued. 

Another possible application is signature recognition 
as mentioned in the previous section. It is quite conceivable 
that a radar which could detect, provide range and velocity 
information and target identification could be developed 
along similar lines as this developmental system. 



110 



Another application which is both very desirable and 
conceivable would be in low flying, high closing speed 
target detection. The small beam size would allow detection 
of near the horizon targets with extremely fine bearing 
resolution capability. If a dual mode transmission capa- 
bility were incorporated, a constant frequency beam could 
be transmitted and instant velocity determination of any 
return could be accomplished. If a doppler shift threshold 
were set (say for 400 knots relative speed) a threat 
warning system would be inherent. Upon recognition of a 
threat (and simultaneous velocity determination) the FM 
mode could be activated and range information provided. 

The same characteristic which allows near the horizon 
search and high bearing resolution (small beam size) pre- 
vents the rapid scanning of a large volume of space. Thus 
any system for this threat recognition application would 
require numerous radars with each scanning a relatively 
small sector. With the advent of signal storage capability 
and digital processing and computer control, a system such 
as this may become feasible in the relatively near future. 



Ill 



APPENDIX A: EQUIPMENT LIST 



Crystal Filter 

Mfg. Damon Model 6647A 

£ = 30 MHz BW = 3.5 kHz 

o 

Optical Table 
Mfg. UNIDEK 

Stainless steel - honeycomb 

CO 2 Laser 

Mfg. Honeywell 

Power 3 watt - vertically polarized 



Amplifier (2) 

Mfg. Hewlett Packard 
Gain 20/40 db 

Oscilloscope 

Mfg. Tektronix 

Signal Generator 

Mfg. Wavetek 
Variable Frequency 

Signal Generator 

Mfg. Hewlett Packard 

Signal Generator 

Mfg. Wavetek 
Frequency sweeping 

Amplifier 

Mfg. NELC 
Gain 23 db 

Amplifier 

Mfg. Miteo 
Gain 30 db 



Model 461A 
Wideband 



Model 546 



Model 134 
Variable waveform 



Model 606A 



Model 1001 



Bias -amp 

NF - 3 db Wideband 



Model Au-IA 

NF - 5 db 2-100 MHz 



112 



Power Meter 



Mfg. Coherent Radiation 

Power Meter 

Mfg. Jodon 
< 200 mw 

Spectrum Analyzer 

Mfg. Tektronix 

Power Supply (3) 

Mfg. Hewlett Packard 
DC 

Frequency Counter 
Mfg . CMC 

Balanced Mixers (2) 

Mfg. Relcom 
.2 - 500 MHz 

Acousto-Optic Modulator 

Mfg. Isomet 

f - 40 MHz 
o 

Modulator Driver 

Mfg. Isomet 

f - 40 MHz 
o 

Power 0 - 5 w 



Model 201 



Model PM-550 



Model 491 



Model 6216A 



Model 904 



6 db insertion loss 



Model DE-IR-20 
BW - 10 MHz 

Model DE-IR-10/5 
BW - 10 MHz 



113 



LIST OF REFERENCES 



1 . 



2 . 



3. 



4. 



5. 



6 . 



7. 



8 . 



9. 



10 . 



11 . 



12 . 



13. 



Skolnik, M. I., Radar Handbook , McGraw Hill, 1970. 



Skolnik, M. I., Introduction to 
Hill, 1962. 

Bonnelle, G. J. , ”FM-CW Radar," 
p. 143-148, August 1960. 



Radar Systems , McGraw 

I f\ eiAi n 

~ Ac r o 5 pat* q — E lo c t roJiic^ 



Hoisington , 
presente 
Systems , 
1972. 



D. B., Multiple-Target CW FM Radar , paper 
d at Asilomar Conference on Circuits and 
Sixth, Pacific Grove, California, November 



Reference Data for Radio Engineers , 5th ed. , P. Howard 
W. Sams ^ Co., New York, 1973. 



Hymans, A. J., and Lait, J. , 
Modulated Continuous -Wave 
ings I .E.E. fBritish) , p. 



"Analysis of a Frequency - 
Ranging System," Proceed - 
365-372, July 1960. 



Richter, J. H., "High Resolution Tropospheric Rada 
Sounding," Radio Science , v. 4, no. 12, p. iZbi 
1268, December 1969. 



Kay L., "A Comparison Between Pulse and Frequency- 
Modulation Echo-Ranging Systems," Journal British 
I .R.E . , p. 105-113, February 1959. 

Yariv, A., Introduction to Optical El ectronics , p. 

30 5-333 , Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 19 71 . 



Adler, Robert, "Interaction Between Light and Sound," 
IEEE Spectrum , p. 42-54, May 1967. 

Gordon, E. I., "A Review of Acousto-Optical Deflection 
and Modulation Devices," Proceedi ngs IEEE, v. 54, 
no. 10, p. 1391-1401, October 1966. 



Dixon, R. W. and Gordon, E. I., "Acoustic 
lators Using Optical Heterodyne Mixing 
System Technical Journal , p. 367-389, 



Light Modu- 
The Bell 
February 1967. 



Fang-Shang Chen, "Modulators 
tions," Proceedings IEEE , 
1465, October 1970. 



for Optical Communica- 
V. 58, no. 10, p. 1440- 



14. 



Pratt, W. K. , Laser Communication Systems , Wiley, 1969 



) 







15. Sze, S. M. , Physics and Semiconductor Devices , p. 655- 

683, Wiley, 1969. 

16. Oliver, B. M. , "Thermal and Quantum Noise," Proceedings 

IEEE , p. 436-454, May 1965. 

17. Hudson, R. D. , Jr., Infrared System Engineering, Wiley, 

1969. 

18. Peyton, B. , DiNarda, A., Chiou, W. , Lange, R. , Arams, 

^ F. , Aita, M. and Pace, F. , Coherent Infrared Re - 

ceivers for Laser Communications and Radar , Inter- 
nal paper of AIL, a division of Cutler-Hammer, 
Melville, Long Island, New York, 1973. 

19. Rockwell International Science Center, 10 . 6 Micron 

Photodiodes, Miscellaneous Report, September 27, 
1973. 

20. Delange, 0. E., "Optical Heterodyne Detection," IEEE 

Spectrum , p. 77-85, October 1968. 

21. Mocker, H. W. , "A 10.6 pm Optical Heterodyne Communi- 

cation System," Applied Optics, v. 8, no. 3, p. 
677-684, March 1969. 

22. Isomet Corporation, Instruction Manual for 10.6 Micron 

Acousto -Optic Modulation System , December 1973 . 

23. Hogarth, C. A., Materials Used in Semiconductor De - 

vices , Interscience Publishers. 

^ 24. Ross, M. , Laser Receivers , Wiley, 1967. 

25. Haliday, D. and Resnick, R. , Physics Parts I 8 II, 

p. 1112, Wiley, 1966. 

26. Read, W. S. and Fried, D. L., "Optical Heterodyning 

with Noncritical Angular Alignment ," Proceedings 
IEEE , p. 1787, December 1963. 

27. Fraunfelder, M. F., Jr., A Heterodyne Detection FM-CW 

Laser Radar Using a 10.6 pm Source , Engineers 
Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, 
California, December 1974. 



115 



INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST 



No. 



1. Defense Documentation Center 

Cameron Station •. .»,■ 

Alexandria, Virginia 22314 

2. Library, Code 0212 
Naval Postgraduate School 
Monterey, California 93940 

3. Department Chairman, Code 52 

Department of Electrical Engineering 
Naval Postgraduate School 
Monterey, California 93940 

4. Professor C. H. Rothauge, Code 52Rt 

Department of Electrical Engineering 
Naval Postgraduate School 
Monterey, California 93940 

5. Assoc Professor T. F. Tao, Code 52 Tv 
Department of Electrical Engineering 
Naval Postgraduate School 
Monterey, California 93940 

6. Asst Professor J. P. Powers, Code 52Po 
Department of Electrical Engineering 
Naval Postgraduate School 
Monterey, California 93940 

7. Dr. C. C. Wang (53/6241) 

Aeroject Electrosystems Co. 

1100 W. Hollyvale Street 
Azusa, California 91702 

8. Dr. Greg Mooradian 

Code 2500 

Naval Electronics Laboratory Center 
271 Catalina Blvd. 

San Diego, California 92152 

9. Dr. J. Longo 

Rockwell International Science Center 

1049 Camino Dos Rios 

Thousand Oaks, California 91360 



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Janesville, Wisconsin 53545 

LT Thomas H. Chance, USN 
Naval Destroyer School 
Newport, Rhode Island 02840 



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