Simple and robust phase-locking of optical cavities with > 200 KHz servo-bandwidth using a piezo-actuated mirror mounted in soft materials

We present an approach to locking of optical cavities with piezoelectric actuated mirrors based on a simple and effective mechanical decoupling of the mirror and actuator from the surrounding mount. Using simple elastic materials (e.g. rubber or soft silicone gel pads) as mechanical dampers between the piezo-mirror compound and the surrounding mount, a firm and stable mounting of a relatively large mirror (8mm diameter) can be maintained that is isolated from external mechanical resonances, and is limited only by the internal piezo-mirror resonance of > 330 KHz. Our piezo lock showed positive servo gain up to 208 KHz, and a temporal response to a step interference within < 3 mu s. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America