A Versatile New Architecture for High-Coherence, Chip-Scale Photonics
Abstract
Advances in heterogeneous photonic integration over the last ten years have enabled chip-scale optical systems with unprecedented function complexity. However, progress in integrating density has not always been matched by one in performance. In fact, optical "hybridization", when pursued as an end in itself, has oftentimes resulted in device performance well short of that on the respective components native material system. The main challenge going forward, in our opinion, will be the bridging of the gap between complexity and performance and, ultimately, the delivering of fully integrated solutions of breakthrough performance. The optical designer of the future will have to be able to determine or choose the appropriate degree of "hybridization", if any, and to harness the newly afforded degrees of freedom in creative and constructive ways. This novel philosophy in optical design has found exemplary application in our high-coherence,Si/III-V semiconductor laser, predicated on the clear delineation of roles between Si and III-V, utilizing each for what it is suited best, that is, Si for photon storage and III-V for photon generation. The result is a monolithic laser with a record-level, for its kind, coherence (i.e. -I kHz Schawlow-Townes linewidth), which is an improvement of some two orders of magnitude improved over the state of the art. In this project, we expand this design philosophy to include a wide array of optical functions (e.g. modulation, detection etc.). We replace Si with SiN to eliminate certain performance-limiting properties of the former, while adding intriguing new features in the latter (e.g. nonlinear parametric interaction, wide-hand transparency). At the same time, we overhaul the structure of the active III-V semiconductor (i.e. ultra-thin III-V-on-insulator, lateral current injection) to enable optimization on a function-to-function basis. Once again, the performance benchmark and key demonstrator of the new hybrid architecture is a semiconductor laser capable of reaching quantum-limited linewidths below 100 Hz. With the laser serving as the central engine powering a full assortment of high performance components, the proposed platform has the potential to become the technological vehicle for the next-generation s coherent and nonlinear effect-driven chip-scale optical systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 11, 2018
- Source ID
- W911NF1810160
Entities
People
- Amnon Yariv
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- California Institute of Technology
- United States Army