High-quality microresonators in the longwave infrared based on native germanium
Abstract
The longwave infrared (LWIR) region of the spectrum spans 8 to 14 μm and enables high-performance sensing and imaging for detection, ranging, and monitoring. Chip-scale LWIR photonics has enormous potential for real-time environmental monitoring, explosive detection, and biomedicine. However, realizing technologies such as precision sensors and broadband frequency combs requires ultra low-loss and low-dispersion components, which have so far remained elusive in this regime. Here, we use native germanium to demonstrate the first high-quality microresonators in the LWIR. These microresonators are coupled to partially-suspended Ge waveguides on a separate glass chip, allowing for the first unambiguous measurements of isolated linewidths. At 8 μm, we measured losses of 0.5 dB/cm and intrinsic quality (Q) factors of 2.5 × 105, nearly two orders of magnitude higher than prior LWIR resonators. Our work portends the development of novel sensing and nonlinear photonics in the LWIR regime.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Oct 06, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1038/s41467-022-32706-1
Entities
People
- Chao Dong
- David Burghoff
- Dingding Ren
- Sadhvikas Addamane
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Naval Research
- Research Council of Norway