Ultra-wideband electrically-tuned mid-infrared on-chip parametric oscillator

TL;DR

This paper presents a compact, electrically tunable mid-infrared on-chip parametric oscillator based on lithium niobate, enabling broad wavelength tuning for sensing applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel on-chip tunable optical parametric oscillator using the Vernier effect for electrical control of mid-infrared wavelengths.

Findings

Generates 22 THz of tunable mid-infrared radiation from 2.7-3.4 microns.

Achieves voltage-controlled tuning from multi-THz to sub-100-GHz ranges.

Demonstrates a scalable platform for compact, widely tunable mid-infrared sources.

Abstract

Developing compact, broadband mid-infrared coherent sources for applications in spectroscopy and sensing remains a pressing challenge in photonics. However, material limitations and integration constraints have restricted the accessible wavelengths and operation bandwidths of current mid-infrared lasers. Here, we address these challenges by developing a nonlinear integrated photonic device that converts a fixed-wavelength near-infrared pump laser into broadly tunable mid-infrared light. Our device, an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) integrated on thin-film lithium niobate, generates 22 THz of multi-milliwatt, voltage-tunable radiation from 2.7-3.4 microns, a region typically difficult to access but vital for environmental, chemical, and biological sensing. By introducing an on-chip-tunable OPO architecture taking advantage of the Vernier effect, we obtain electrical control of the emission wavelengths from coarse, multi-THz scales down to continuous, sub-100-GHz mode-hop-free tuning ranges. This work establishes a robust platform for a new class of compact, widely tunable mid-infrared sources with potential for future scaling.