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On-chip octave-spanning flat supercontinuum in all-normal-dispersion silicon nitride waveguides
Optics Express
|April 4, 2024
Summary
This study presents a novel silicon nitride waveguide for on-chip supercontinuum generation, achieving an ultra-flat, octave-spanning spectrum. This breakthrough overcomes the traditional trade-off between spectral uniformity and bandwidth for optical sources.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Optical Engineering
Background:
- On-chip supercontinuum generators offer compact, efficient optical sources.
- A persistent challenge is balancing spectral uniformity with broad bandwidth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel silicon nitride waveguide overcoming the spectral uniformity-bandwidth trade-off.
- To enhance nonlinear interactions over a wide spectral band for improved supercontinuum generation.
Main Methods:
- Design of a silicon nitride waveguide featuring flat saddle-shaped all-normal dispersion.
- Numerical analysis of supercontinuum generation using a 250-fs, 30-kW input pulse.
- Evaluation of spectral flatness and bandwidth under varied input pulse conditions.
Main Results:
- Generation of an ultra-flat (-6 dB) octave-spanning supercontinuum from 638 nm to 1477 nm.
- Demonstration of enhanced nonlinear interactions over a wide spectral range.
- Flexible pump wavelength selection within the engineered flat dispersion region.
Conclusions:
- The proposed waveguide design effectively addresses the spectral uniformity-bandwidth trade-off in supercontinuum generation.
- The generated supercontinuum's spectral region can be tuned by adjusting the pump wavelength.
- This technology holds promise for diverse applications requiring tailored optical spectra.
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