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High-performance Kerr microresonator optical parametric oscillator on a silicon chip
Edgar F Perez1,2, Grégory Moille1,2, Xiyuan Lu1,2
1Joint Quantum Institute, NIST/University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Nature Communications
|January 16, 2023
Summary
Silicon nitride microresonator optical parametric oscillation (OPO) achieves high conversion efficiency and output power. This breakthrough enables flexible coherent light generation for quantum information science and sensing applications.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and nonlinear optics.
- Quantum technologies and advanced sensing.
Background:
- Optical parametric oscillation (OPO) offers flexible wavelength generation crucial for quantum information science, metrology, and sensing.
- Microchip OPO devices are vital for accessing specific wavelengths but require high conversion efficiency and output power.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a high-performance silicon photonics OPO device.
- To achieve efficient and high-power coherent light generation using nonlinear optical processes.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a silicon nitride microresonator with third-order (χ(3)) nonlinearity.
- Implementing strategies to suppress competitive nonlinear processes.
- Employing strong overcoupling of the output light to enhance performance.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated OPO with signal and idler fields separated by over 150 THz.
- Achieved a pump-to-idler conversion efficiency of up to 29%.
- Generated an on-chip output idler power exceeding 18 mW.
Conclusions:
- The developed silicon photonics OPO exhibits unprecedented performance in efficiency and output power.
- The methodology is compatible with existing silicon photonics platforms and integrated pump lasers.
- Enables flexible generation of coherent light across diverse wavelengths for advanced applications.
