Ultra-narrow-linewidth erbium-doped lasers on a silicon photonics platform
Li, N; Purnawirman; Magden, ES; et al.Singh, G; Singh, N; Baldycheva, A; Hosseini, ES; Sun, J; Moresco, M; Adam, TN; Leake, G; Coolbaugh, D; Bradley, JDB; Watts, MR
Date: 22 February 2018
Conference proceedings
Publisher
Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers
Publisher DOI
Abstract
We report ultra-narrow-linewidth erbium-doped aluminum oxide (Al2O3:Er3+) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers with a
wavelength-insensitive silicon-compatible waveguide design. The waveguide consists of five silicon nitride (SiNx)
segments buried under silicon dioxide (SiO2) with a layer Al2O3:Er3+ deposited on top. This design has a ...
We report ultra-narrow-linewidth erbium-doped aluminum oxide (Al2O3:Er3+) distributed feedback (DFB) lasers with a
wavelength-insensitive silicon-compatible waveguide design. The waveguide consists of five silicon nitride (SiNx)
segments buried under silicon dioxide (SiO2) with a layer Al2O3:Er3+ deposited on top. This design has a high
confinement factor (> 85%) and a near perfect (> 98%) intensity overlap for an octave-spanning range across near infrared
wavelengths (950–2000 nm). We compare the performance of DFB lasers in discrete quarter phase shifted (QPS)
cavity and distributed phase shifted (DPS) cavity. Using QPS-DFB configuration, we obtain maximum output powers of
0.41 mW, 0.76 mW, and 0.47 mW at widely spaced wavelengths within both the C and L bands of the erbium gain
spectrum (1536 nm, 1566 nm, and 1596 nm). In a DPS cavity, we achieve an order of magnitude improvement in
maximum output power (5.43 mW) and a side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of > 59.4 dB at an emission wavelength
of 1565 nm. We observe an ultra-narrow linewidth of ΔνDPS = 5.3 ± 0.3 kHz for the DPS-DFB laser, as compared to
ΔνQPS = 30.4 ± 1.1 kHz for the QPS-DFB laser, measured by a recirculating self-heterodyne delayed interferometer (RSHDI).
Even narrower linewidth can be achieved by mechanical stabilization of the setup, increasing the pump
absorption efficiency, increasing the output power, or enhancing the cavity Q.
Engineering
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
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