Scalable single-microring hybrid III-V/Si lasers for emerging narrow-linewidth applications

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Integrated Circuit Technology

Background:

• Silicon photonics offers scalable manufacturing for advanced applications like quantum computing and LiDAR.
• High-capacity optical communication and LiDAR demand integrated narrow-linewidth laser sources.
• Current hybrid laser architectures often involve complex control mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a high-performance hybrid III-V/silicon laser.
• To address the need for simplified control in integrated laser sources.
• To enable advanced applications requiring stable, narrow-linewidth lasers.

Main Methods:

• Development of a hybrid III-V/silicon laser utilizing a single microring resonator (MRR).
• Implementation of a simplified control framework requiring only two parameters.
• Characterization of laser performance, including linewidth, relative intensity noise (RIN), and optical data transmission.

Main Results:

• Achieved single-mode operation with a side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) > 45 dB.
• Demonstrated a laser output power of 16.4 mW.
• Obtained a narrow laser linewidth of 2.79 kHz and low RIN of -135 dB/Hz.
• Successfully demonstrated optical data transmission at 12.5 Gb/s with an SNR of 10 dB.

Conclusions:

• The developed hybrid III-V/silicon laser offers a streamlined architecture with simplified control.
• The laser's performance characteristics (narrow linewidth, low RIN) are suitable for demanding applications.
• This technology facilitates industrial adoption by reducing complexity in laser characterization and control.