High-power heterogeneously integrated mode-locked laser enabled by a booster amplifier

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Semiconductor Device Physics

Background:

• Integrated mode-locked lasers are crucial for applications like telecommunications and spectroscopy.
• Current integrated laser designs suffer from low output power, limiting their practical use.
• Heterogeneous integration offers a path to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a heterogeneously integrated III/V-on-silicon nitride mode-locked laser with improved output power.
• To address the power limitations of current integrated comb sources.
• To showcase the potential of micro-transfer printing for advanced photonic integration.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a two-step micro-transfer printing approach for heterogeneous integration.
• Integrated a III/V semiconductor optical amplifier and a silicon interposer coupon.
• Incorporated a booster amplifier at the mode-locked laser output.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 3 GHz repetition frequency mode-locked laser.
• Amplified output power by up to 10.5 dB using the integrated booster amplifier.
• Reached average on-chip output powers of 11 dBm.

Conclusions:

• Heterogeneous integration via micro-transfer printing effectively enhances output power in mode-locked lasers.
• The demonstrated approach overcomes a key limitation for integrated photonic comb sources.
• This technology paves the way for more powerful integrated lasers in various applications.