Integrated diode lasers for the generation of sub-GHz repetition rate frequency combs

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel integrated diode laser system that achieves sub-GHz repetition rate frequency combs through hybrid mode-locking, utilizing a long feedback circuit with microring resonators for spectral filtering and stability.

Contribution

It introduces a new integrated diode laser design with a long feedback circuit and microring resonators enabling stable sub-GHz frequency combs with hybrid mode-locking and RF stabilization.

Findings

Achieved passive mode-locking below 500 MHz with about 15 comb lines.

Demonstrated RF injection locking with an 80 MHz range at 1 mW power.

Reduced linewidth from 8.9 kHz to around 300 mHz with RF injection.

Abstract

We demonstrate absorber-free passive and hybrid mode-locking at sub-GHz repetition rates using a hybrid integrated extended cavity diode laser around 1550 nm. The laser is based on InP as gain medium and a long Si$_3$N$_4$ feedback circuit, with three highly frequency selective microring resonators. The feedback resonators not only increases the cavity length up to 0.6 m to achieve sub-GHz repetition rates but also serve as a dispersive narrowband mirror for sharp spectral filtering, which enables Fourier domain mode-locking. We observe passive mode-locking with repetition rates below 500 MHz, with $\approx$ 15 comb lines at around 0.2 mW total power. To stabilize the repetition rate, hybrid mode-locking is demonstrated by weak RF modulation of the diode current at frequencies around 500 MHz. The RF injection reduces the Lorentzian linewidth component from 8.9 kHz to a detection limited value around 300 mHz. To measure the locking range of the repetition rate, the injected RF frequency is tuned with regard to the passive mode-locking frequency and the injected RF power is varied. The locking range increases approximately as a square-root function of the injected RF power. At 1 mW injection a wide locking range of about 80 MHz is obtained. We observe the laser maintaining stable mode-locking also when the DC diode pump current is increased from 40 mA to 190 mA, provided that the cavity length is maintained constant with thermo-refractive tuning.