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Direct chip-scale optical frequency divider via regenerative harmonic injection locking
Optics Letters
|February 12, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a new optical frequency division method to transfer timing stability from a 300 GHz optical frequency comb to a 10 GHz laser. This technique achieves high stability with minimal optical power.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Optical Engineering
- Laser Physics
- Frequency Metrology
Background:
- Optical frequency combs (OFCs) provide highly stable frequency references.
- Chip-scale lasers offer compact and versatile platforms for optical applications.
- Transferring OFC stability to lower repetition rate lasers is crucial for various applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a novel optical frequency division technique.
- To transfer the timing stability of a millimeter-wave OFC to a chip-scale laser.
- To achieve a 30x optical frequency division with high stability and low power consumption.
Main Methods:
- Regenerative harmonic injection locking technique.
- Utilizing a coupled opto-electronic oscillator to assist injection locking.
- Employing a ∼300 GHz optical frequency comb and a ∼10 GHz chip-scale mode-locked laser.
Main Results:
- Successful optical frequency division by a factor of 30×, reducing the repetition rate from 300 GHz to 10 GHz.
- Achieved timing stability of ∼10⁻¹² at 1 s with a 1/τ trend in the locked laser.
- Demonstrated power-efficient locking using less than 100 µW of optical power.
Conclusions:
- Regenerative harmonic injection locking is an effective method for optical frequency division.
- This technique enables the transfer of high timing stability to chip-scale lasers.
- The power efficiency makes this method suitable for integrated photonic systems.
