Enhanced sum-frequency generation from etchless lithium niobate empowered by dual quasi-bound states in the continuum

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a highly efficient sum-frequency generation method using dual quasi-bound states in the continuum in a lithium niobate nanostructure, significantly enhancing nonlinear frequency conversion at the nanoscale.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach utilizing dual quasi-BICs in a resonant grating waveguide to achieve high-efficiency SFG in lithium niobate, surpassing previous film-based methods.

Findings

Achieved a SFG conversion efficiency of 3.66×10^{-2}

Generated a narrow linewidth SFG signal less than 0.2 nm

Maintained fixed-wavelength SFG via angle-dependent quasi-BICs

Abstract

The miniaturization of nonlinear light sources is central to the integrated photonic platform, driving a quest for high-efficiency frequency generation and mixing at the nanoscale. In this quest, the high-quality ($Q$) resonant dielectric nanostructures hold great promise, as they enhance nonlinear effects through the resonantly local electromagnetic fields overlapping the chosen nonlinear materials. Here, we propose a method for the enhanced sum-frequency generation (SFG) from etcheless lithium niobate (LiNbO$_{3}$) by utilizing the dual quasi-bound states in the continuum (quasi-BICs) in a one-dimensional resonant grating waveguide structure. Two high-$Q$ guided mode resonances corresponding to the dual quasi-BICs are respectively excited by two near-infrared input beams, generating a strong visible SFG signal with a remarkably high conversion efficiency of $3.66\times10^{-2}$ (five orders of magnitude higher than that of LiNbO$_{3}$ films of the same thickness) and a small full-width at half-maximum less than 0.2 nm. The SFG efficiency can be tuned via adjusting the grating geometry parameter or choosing the input beam polarization combination. Furthermore, the generated SFG signal can be maintained at a fixed wavelength without the appreciable loss of efficiency by selectively exciting the angle-dependent quasi-BICs, even if the wavelengths of input beams are tuned within a broad spectral range. Our results provide a simple but robust paradigm of high-efficiency frequency conversion on an easy-fabricated platform, which may find applications in nonlinear light sources and quantum photonics.