Kerr optical frequency division with integrated photonics for stable microwave and mmWave generation

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates an ultra-low phase noise mmWave oscillator using integrated photonics and Kerr optical frequency division, achieving high stability transfer from optical to microwave frequencies on a chip scale.

Contribution

It introduces a novel integrated photonic mmWave oscillator leveraging Kerr frequency division with CMOS-compatible SiN microresonators, achieving record-low phase noise.

Findings

Achieved record-low phase noise in integrated mmWave oscillators

Demonstrated stable frequency transfer from optical to microwave frequencies

Simplified implementation of integrated OFD oscillators

Abstract

Optical frequency division (OFD) has revolutionized microwave and mmWave generation and set spectral purity records owing to its unique capability to transfer high fractional stability from optical to electronic frequencies. Recently, rapid developments in integrated optical reference cavities and microresonator-based optical frequency combs (microcombs) have created a path to transform OFD technology to chip scale. Here, we demonstrate an ultra-low phase noise mmWave oscillator by leveraging integrated photonic components and Kerr optical frequency division. The oscillator derives its stability from an integrated CMOS-compatible SiN coil cavity, and the optical frequency division is achieved spontaneously through Kerr interaction between the injected reference lasers and soliton microcombs in the integrated SiN microresonator. Besides achieving record-low phase noise for integrated mmWave oscillators, our demonstration greatly simplifies the implementation of integrated OFD oscillators and could be useful in applications of Radar, spectroscopy, and astronomy.