Visible to near-infrared octave spanning supercontinuum generation in tantalum pentoxide (Ta₂O₅) air-cladding...

In this work, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, an anomalous dispersion CMOS-compatible Ta₂O₅ waveguide was realized, and broadband on-chip supercontinuum generation (SCG) was accordingly demonstrated. When pumped at a center wavelength of 1056 nm with pulses of 100 fs duration and peak power of 396 W, a supercontinuum ranging from 585 nm to 1697 nm was generated, comprising a bandwidth of more than 1.5 octaves and leading to an efficient SCG source. The excellent performance for Ta₂O₅ to generate SCG benefits mainly from its high nonlinear refractive index, which enhances the efficiency of the nonlinear conversion process.