Integrated Pockels Laser
Abstract
The development of integrated semiconductor lasers has miniaturized traditional bulky laser systems, enabling a wide range of photonic applications. A progression from pure III-V based lasers to III-V/external cavity structures has harnessed low-loss waveguides in different material systems, leading to significant improvements in laser coherence and stability. Despite these successes, however, key functions remain absent. In this work, we address a critical missing function by integrating the Pockels effect into a semiconductor laser. Using a hybrid integrated III-V/Lithium Niobate structure, we demonstrate several essential capabilities that have not existed in previous integrated lasers. These include a record-high frequency modulation speed of 2 exahertz/s (2.010 Hz/s) and fast switching at 50 MHz, both of which are made possible by integration of the electro-optic effect. Moreover, the device co-lases at infrared and visible frequencies via the second-harmonic frequency conversion process, the first such integrated multi-color laser. Combined with its narrow linewidth and wide tunability, this new type of integrated laser holds promise for many applications including LiDAR, microwave photonics, atomic physics, and AR/VR.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2204.12078,
title = {Integrated Pockels Laser},
author = {Mingxiao Li and Lin Chang and Lue Wu and Jeremy Staffa and Jingwei Ling and Usman A. Javid and Yang He and Raymond Lopez-rios and Shixin Xue and Theodore J. Morin and Boqiang Shen and Heming Wang and Siwei Zeng and Lin Zhu and Kerry J. Vahala and John E. Bowers and Qiang Lin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2204.12078},
year = {2022}
}