Mid-infrared spectroscopy with a broadly tunable thin-film lithium niobate optical parametric oscillator

Abstract

Mid-infrared spectroscopy, an important technique for sensing molecules, has encountered barriers from sources either limited in tuning range or excessively bulky for widespread use. We present a compact, efficient, and broadly tunable optical parametric oscillator surmounting these challenges. Leveraging dispersion-engineered thin-film lithium niobate-on-sapphire photonics and a singly resonant cavity allows broad, controlled tuning over an octave from 1.5–3.3 µm. The device generates >25mW of mid-infrared light at 3.2 µm with 15% conversion efficiency. The ability to precisely control the device’s mid-infrared emission enables spectroscopy of methane and ammonia, demonstrating our approach’s relevance for sensing. Our work signifies an important advance in nonlinear photonics miniaturization, bringing practical field applications of high-speed, broadband mid-infrared spectroscopy closer to reality.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Nov 15, 2023
Source ID
10.1364/optica.502487

Entities

People

  • Alexander Y. Hwang
  • Amir H. Safavi-Naeini
  • Carsten Langrock
  • Hubert S. Stokowski
  • Jatadhari Mishra
  • Marc Jankowski
  • Martin M. Fejer
  • Taewon Park
  • Timothy P. McKenna
  • Vahid Ansari

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • David and Lucile Packard Foundation
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
  • NTT Research
  • National Science Foundation
  • Stanford University
  • United States Department of Energy

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Electronics Engineering
  • Spectroscopy.
  • Systems Analysis and Design