A laser that could 'reshape the landscape of integrated photonics' - University of Rochester

2 years ago 54

October 21, 2022

jagged laser lines connected a tiny chip. A squad of researchers led by Qiang Lin, a prof of electrical and machine engineering astatine Rochester, has developed the archetypal multi-color integrated laser that emits high-coherence airy astatine telecommunication wavelengths, allows laser-frequency tuning astatine grounds speeds, and is the archetypal constrictive linewidth laser with accelerated configurability astatine the disposable band. (University of Rochester photograph / J. Adam Fenster)

Rochester researchers spot applications successful LiDAR, atomic physics, AR/VR.

How bash you integrate the advantages of a benchtop laser that fills a country onto a semiconductor spot the size of a fingernail?

A probe squad co-led by Qiang Lin, a prof of electrical and machine engineering astatine the University of Rochester, has acceptable caller milestones successful addressing this challenge, with the archetypal multi-color integrated laser that:

Emits high-coherence airy astatine telecommunication wavelengths
Allows laser-frequency tuning astatine grounds speeds
Is the archetypal constrictive linewidth laser with accelerated configurability astatine the disposable band

The project, described successful Nature Communications, was co-led by John Bowers, distinguished prof astatine University of California/Santa Barbara, and Kerry Vahala, prof astatine the California Institute of Technology. Lin Zhu, prof astatine Clemson University, besides collaborated connected the project.

The exertion “has the imaginable to reshape the scenery of integrated photonics,” constitute co-lead authors Mingxiao Li, a erstwhile PhD pupil successful Lin’s Laboratory for Nanophotonics astatine Rochester’s Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and Lin Chang, a erstwhile postdoctoral pupil astatine University of California/Santa Barbara.

It volition pave the mode for caller applications of integrated semiconductor lasers successful LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) distant sensing that is used, for example, successful self-driving cars. The exertion could besides pb to advances successful microwave photonics, atomic physics, and AR/VR.

A ‘fully on-chip laser solution’

Integrated semiconductor lasers person been astatine the halfway of integrated photonics, enabling galore advances implicit the past fewer decades successful accusation technologies and basal science.

schematic of a caller benignant of integrated semiconductor laser.

A schematic of a caller benignant of integrated semiconductor laser, developed by a squad of researchers led by Qiang Lin, which has the “potential to reshape the scenery of integrated photonics.” (Drawing by Mingxiao Li)

“However, contempt these awesome achievements, cardinal functions are missing successful existent integrated lasers,” Li says. “Two large challenges, the deficiency of accelerated reconfigurability and the constrictive spectral window, person go large bottlenecks that stall the progression of galore evolving applications,” Chang adds.

The researchers accidental they’ve flooded these challenges by creating a caller benignant of integrated semiconductor laser, based connected the Pockels effect. The laser is integrated with a lithium-niobate- on-insulator platform.

The caller exertion includes these beneficial features:

Fast frequence chirping, which volition beryllium invaluable successful LiDAR sensor systems, which measurement region by signaling the clip betwixt emanation of a abbreviated pulse and reception of reflected light.
Frequency conversion capabilities that flooded spectral bandwidth limitations of accepted integrated semiconductor lasers. This volition “significantly relieve” the difficulties successful processing caller wavelength lasers.
Narrow wavelength and accelerated reconfigurability, providing a “fully on-chip laser solution” to probe and manipulate atoms and ions successful atomic physics, and payment AR/VR and different applications astatine abbreviated wavelengths.

Other coauthors from Lin’s radical see postdoctoral subordinate Yang He and postgraduate students Jingwei Lin, Shixin Xue, Jeremy Staffa, Raymond Lopez-Rios, and Usman Javid.

The probe was supported by backing from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency-Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense, and the National Science Foundation.

Tags: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, photonics, Qiang Lin, research finding