Radio frequency regenerative oscillations in monolithic high-Q/V heterostructured photonic crystal cavities

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates regenerative oscillations in silicon photonic crystal cavities with high Q/V ratios, analyzing their dynamics through coupled mode theory and showing tunability via laser parameters.

Contribution

It presents the first experimental observation of RF regenerative oscillations in monolithic silicon heterostructured photonic crystal cavities with high Q/V ratios, supported by theoretical modeling.

Findings

Regenerative oscillations observed in silicon photonic crystal cavities.

Oscillation frequency tunable by laser detuning and power.

Coupled mode theory accurately models the observed dynamics.

Abstract

We report temporal and spectral domain observation of regenerative oscillation in monolithic silicon heterostructured photonic crystals cavities with high quality factor to mode volume ratios (Q/V). The results are interpreted by nonlinear coupled mode theory (CMT) tracking the dynamics of photon, free carrier population and temperature variations. We experimentally demonstrate effective tuning of the radio frequency (RF) tones by laser-cavity detuning and laser power levels, confirmed by the CMT simulations with sensitive input parameters.