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Optical nonlinearity enhancement with graphene-decorated silicon waveguides
Atsushi Ishizawa1, Rai Kou2,3, Takahiro Goto1,4
1NTT Basic Research Laboratories, NTT Corporation, 3-1 Morinosato Wakamiya, Atsugi-shi, Kanagawa, 243-0198, Japan.
Scientific Reports
|April 13, 2017
Summary
Graphene enhances on-chip optical nonlinearity, enabling efficient supercontinuum and ultra-short pulse generation in silicon waveguides. This boosts speed and capacity for future communications with lower power consumption.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Nonlinear Optics
Background:
- Broadband on-chip optical frequency combs (OFCs) are crucial for advancing photonic integrated circuits.
- Enhancing optical nonlinearity is key to improving OFC functionality and performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate significant local optical nonlinearity enhancement using graphene.
- To achieve efficient supercontinuum and ultra-short pulse generation on-chip.
Main Methods:
- Decorating silicon waveguides with graphene by precisely controlling its area and position.
- Utilizing a graphene-decorated silicon waveguide (G-SWG) for nonlinear optical experiments.
Main Results:
- Achieved enhanced spectral broadening of femtosecond pump pulses.
- Observed an eightfold increase in output optical intensity at shorter wavelengths.
- Demonstrated effective pulse compression from 80 fs to 15.7 fs.
Conclusions:
- The G-SWG exhibits huge nonlinearity, enabling efficient supercontinuum and pulse compression.
- This technology has the potential to significantly increase the speed and capacity of future optical communications with reduced power consumption.
- The method is versatile and applicable to various waveguides and 2D materials, potentially lowering required pump laser power.