Robust, compact, on-chip microlaser enabled by merging bound states in the continuum

Abstract

The laser has penetrated our society pervasively since its inception in 1960. High quality lasers with exceptional properties, suchas low threshold, high efficiency, high output power, high speed, small size, and single-mode operation, have, therefore, become essential for many important applications. Among the many types of lasers, the photonic crystal laser is one of the most prominent dueto its exceptional spontaneous emission control and dispersion engineering. However, photonic crystal lasers are sensitive to fabrication imperfections and have a large footprint as well as high energy consumption due to their multimode nature. To address these significant challenges, the goal of this project is to continue our previously research at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and conclude our work on robust photonic crystal microlaser with an ultracompact footprint and small energy consumption. Specifically, topologically protected cavities with merging bound states in the continuum (BIC) resonance are proposed to enhance the robustness of photonic crystal lasers and, at the same time, minimize the footprint and energy consumption. The development of the topologically protected merging BIC microlaser will open new possibilities in the design of perturbation-tolerant, energy-efficient, compact, coherent light-emitting devices for important applications, such as computing and communications.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Nov 08, 2024
Source ID
N000142412412

Entities

People

  • Wei Bao

Organizations

  • Office of Naval Research
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • United States Navy

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Economics
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy