arXiv subjects

Mengjie Yu

Publications and source records attributed to Mengjie Yu.

53 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Turn-key, high-efficiency Kerr comb source

We demonstrate an approach for automated Kerr comb generation in the normal group-velocity dispersion (GVD) regime. Using a coupled-ring geometry in silicon nitride, we precisely control the wavelength location and splitting strength of avoided mode crossings to generate low-noise frequency combs with pump-to-comb conversion efficiencies of up to 41%, which is the highest reported to date for normal-GVD Kerr combs. Our technique enables on-demand generation of a high-power comb source for applications such as wavelength-division multiplexing in optical communications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Microwave-to-optical conversion using lithium niobate thin-film acoustic resonators

We demonstrate conversion of up to 4.5 GHz-frequency microwaves to 1500 nm-wavelength light using optomechanical interactions on suspended thin-film lithium niobate. Our method utilizes an interdigital transducer that drives a free-standing 100 $μ$m-long thin-film acoustic resonator to modulate light travelling in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer or racetrack cavity. Owing to the strong microwave-to-acoustic coupling offered by the transducer in conjunction with the strong photoelastic, piezoelectric, and electro-optic effects of lithium niobate, we achieve a half-wave voltage of $V_π$ = 4.6 V and $V_π$ = 0.77 V for the Mach-Zehnder interferometer and racetrack resonator, respectively. The acousto-optic racetrack cavity exhibits an optomechancial single-photon coupling strength of 1.1 kHz. Our integrated nanophotonic platform coherently leverages the compelling properties of lithium niobate to achieve microwave-to-optical transduction. To highlight the versatility of our system, we also demonstrate a lossless microwave photonic link, which refers to a 0 dB microwave power transmission over an optical channel.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Supercontinuum generation in angle-etched diamond waveguides

We experimentally demonstrate on-chip supercontinuum generation in the visible region in angle etched diamond waveguides. We measure an output spectrum spanning 670 nm to 920 nm in a 5mm long waveguide using 100 fs pulses with 187 pJ of incident pulse energy. Our fabrication technique, combined with diamonds broad transparency window, offers a potential route toward broadband supercontinuum generation in the UV domain.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Coherent two-octave-spanning supercontinuum generation in lithium-niobate waveguides

We demonstrate coherent supercontinuum generation (SCG) in a monolithically integrated lithium-niobate waveguide, under the presence of second- and third-order nonlinear effects. We achieve more than two octaves of optical bandwidth in a 0.5-cm-long waveguide with 100-picojoule-level pulses. Dispersion engineering of the waveguide allows for spectral overlap between the SCG and the second harmonic which enables direct detection of the carrier-envelope offset frequency fCEO using a single waveguide. We measure the fCEO of our femtosecond pump source with a 30-dB signal-to-noise ratio.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2018

Gas-phase microresonator-based comb spectroscopy without an external pump laser

We present a novel approach to realize microresonator-comb-based high resolution spectroscopy that combines a fiber-laser cavity with a microresonator. Although the spectral resolution of a chip-based comb source is typically limited by the free spectral range (FSR) of the microresonator, we overcome this limit by tuning the 200-GHz repetition-rate comb over one FSR via control of an integrated heater. Our dual-cavity scheme allows for self-starting comb generation without the need for conventional pump-cavity detuning while achieving a spectral resolution equal to the comb linewidth. We measure broadband molecular absorption spectra of acetylene by interleaving 800 spectra taken at 250-MHz per spectral step using a 60-GHz-coarse-resolution spectrometer and exploits advances of integrated heater which can locally and rapidly change the refractive index of a microresonator with low electrical consumption (0.9 GHz/mW), which is orders of magnitude lower than a fiber-based comb. This approach offers a path towards a simple, robust and low-power consumption CMOS-compatible platform capable of remote sensing.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2017

Counter-rotating cavity solitons in a silicon nitride microresonator

We demonstrate the generation of counter-rotating cavity solitons in a silicon nitride microresonator using a fixed, single-frequency laser. We demonstrate a dual 3-soliton state with a difference in the repetition rates of the soliton trains that can be tuned by varying the ratio of pump powers in the two directions. Such a system enables a highly compact, tunable dual comb source that can be used for applications such as spectroscopy and distance ranging.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Coherent, directional supercontinuum via cascaded dispersive wave generation

We demonstrate a novel approach to producing coherent, directional supercontinuum via cascaded dispersive wave generation. By pumping in the normal group-velocity dispersion regime, pulse compression of the first dispersive wave results in the generation of a second dispersive wave, resulting in an octave-spanning supercontinuum generated primarily to one side of the pump spectrum. We theoretically investigate the dynamics and show that the generated spectrum is highly coherent. We experimentally confirm this dynamical behavior and the coherence properties in silicon nitride waveguides by performing direct detection of the carrier-envelope-offset frequency of our femtosecond pump source using an f-2f interferometer. Our technique offers a path towards a stabilized, high-power, integrated supercontinuum source with low noise and high coherence, with applications including direct comb spectroscopy.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Microresonator-based high-resolution gas spectroscopy

In recent years, microresonator-based optical frequency combs have created up opportunities for developing a spectroscopy laboratory on a chip due to its broadband emission and high comb power. However, with mode spacings typically in the range of 10 - 1000 GHz, the realization of a chip-based high-resolution spectrometer suitable for gas-phase spectroscopy has proven to be difficult. Here, we show mode-hop-free tuning of a microresonator-based frequency comb over 16 GHz by simultaneously tuning both the pump laser and the cavity resonance. We illustrate the power of this scanning technique by demonstrating gas-phase molecular fingerprinting of acetylene with a high-spectral-resolution of < 80 MHz over a 45-THz optical bandwidth in the mid-IR. Our technique represents a significant step towards on-chip gas sensing with an ultimate spectral resolution given by the comb linewidth.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Competition between Raman and Kerr effects in microresonator comb generation

We investigate the effects of Raman and Kerr gain in crystalline microresonators and determine the conditions required to generate modelocked frequency combs. We show theoretically that strong, narrowband Raman gain determines a maximum microresonator size allowable to achieve comb formation. We verify this condition experimentally in diamond and silicon microresonators and show that there exists a competition between Raman and Kerr effects that leads to the existence of two different comb states.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Silicon-chip-based mid-infrared dual-comb spectroscopy

On-chip spectroscopy that could realize real-time fingerprinting with label-free and high-throughput detection of trace molecules is one of the 'holy grails" of sensing. Such miniaturized spectrometers would greatly enable applications in chemistry, bio-medicine, material science or space instrumentation, such as hyperspectral microscopy of live cells or pharmaceutical quality control. Dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS), a recent technique of Fourier transform spectroscopy without moving parts, is particularly promising since it measures high-precision spectra in the gas phase using only a single detector. Here, we present a microresonator-based platform designed for mid-infrared (mid-IR) DCS. A single continuous-wave (CW) low-power pump source generates two mutually coherent mode-locked frequency combs spanning from 2.6 $μ$m to 4.1 $μ$m in two silicon micro-resonators. Thermal control and free-carrier injection control modelocking of each comb and tune the dual-comb parameters. The large line spacing of the combs (127 GHz) and its precise tuning over tens of MHz, unique features of chip-scale comb generators, are exploited for a proof-of-principle experiment of vibrational absorption DCS in the liquid phase, with spectra of acetone spanning from 2870 nm to 3170 nm at 127-GHz (4.2-cm$^{-1}$) resolution. We take a significant step towards a broadband, mid-IR spectroscopy instrument on a chip. With further system development, our concept holds promise for real-time and time-resolved spectral acquisition on the nanosecond time scale.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2017

Low-Loss Silicon Platform for Broadband Mid-Infrared Photonics

Broadband mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy applications could greatly benefit from today's well-developed, highly scalable silicon photonics technology; however, this platform lacks broadband transparency due to its reliance on absorptive silicon dioxide cladding. Alternative cladding materials have been studied, but the challenge lies in decreasing losses while avoiding complex fabrication techniques. Here, in contrast to traditional assumptions, we show that silicon photonics can achieve low-loss propagation in the mid-IR from 3 - 6 um wavelength, thus providing a highly scalable, well-developed technology in this spectral range. We engineer the waveguide cross section and optical mode interaction with the absorptive cladding oxide to reduce loss at mid-IR wavelengths. We fabricate a microring resonator and measure an intrinsic quality (Q) factor of 10^6 at wavelengths from 3.5 to 3.8 um. This is the highest Q demonstrated on an integrated mid-IR platform to date. With this high-Q silicon microresonator, we also demonstrate a low optical parametric oscillation threshold of 5.2 mW, illustrating the utility of this platform for nonlinear chip-scale applications in the mid-IR.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Dynamics of mode-coupling-induced microresonator frequency combs in normal dispersion

We experimentally and theoretically investigate the dynamics of microresonator-based frequency comb generation assisted by mode coupling in the normal group-velocity dispersion (GVD) regime. We show that mode coupling can initiate intracavity modulation instability (MI) by directly perturbing the pump-resonance mode. We also observe the formation of a low-noise comb as the pump frequency is tuned further into resonance from the MI point. We determine the phase-matching conditions that accurately predict all the essential features of the MI and comb spectra, and extend the existing analogy between mode coupling and high-order dispersion to the normal GVD regime. We discuss the applicability of our analysis to the possibility of broadband comb generation in the normal GVD regime.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Breather soliton dynamics in microresonators

The generation of temporal cavity solitons in microresonators results in low-noise optical frequency combs which are critical for applications in spectroscopy, astronomy, navigation or telecommunications. Breather solitons also form an important part of many different classes of nonlinear wave systems with a localized temporal structure that exhibits oscillatory behavior. To date, the dynamics of breather solitons in microresonators remains largely unexplored, and its experimental characterization is challenging. Here, we demonstrate the excitation of breather solitons in two different microresonator platforms based on silicon nitride and on silicon. We investigate the dependence of the breathing frequency on pump detuning and observe the transition from period-1 to period-2 oscillation in good agreement with the numerical simulations. Our study presents experimental confirmation of the stability diagram of dissipative cavity solitons predicted by the Lugiato-Lefever equation and is importance to understanding the fundamental dynamical properties of solitons within the larger context of nonlinear science.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Raman-assisted coherent, mid-infrared frequency combs in silicon microresonators

We demonstrate the first low-noise mid-IR frequency comb source using a silicon microresonator. Our observation of strong Raman scattering lines in the generated comb suggests that Raman and four-wave mixing interactions play a role in assisting the transition to the low-noise state. In addition, we characterize, the intracavity comb generation dynamics using an integrated PIN diode, which takes advantage of the inherent three-photon absorption process in silicon.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2016

Modelocked mid-infrared frequency combs in a silicon microresonator

Mid-infrared (mid-IR) frequency combs have broad applications in molecular spectroscopy and chemical/biological sensing. Recently developed microresonator-based combs in this wavelength regime could enable portable and robust devices using a single-frequency pump field. Here, we report the first demonstration of a modelocked microresonator-based frequency comb in the mid-IR spanning 2.4 μm to 4.3 μm. We observe high pump-to-comb conversion efficiency, in which 40% of the pump power is converted to the output comb power. Utilizing an integrated PIN structure allows for tuning the silicon microresonator and controling modelocking and cavity soliton formation, simplifying the generation, monitoring and stabilization of mid-IR frequency combs via free-carrier detection and control. Our results significantly advance microresonator-based comb technology towards a portable and robust mid-IR spectroscopic device that operates at low pump powers.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Dual-pumped degenerate Kerr oscillator in a silicon nitride microresonator

We demonstrate a degenerate parametric oscillator in a silicon-nitride microresonator. We use two frequency-detuned pump waves to perform parametric four-wave mixing and operate in the normal group-velocity dispersion regime to produce signal and idler fields that are frequency degenerate. Our theoretical modeling shows that this regime enables generation of bimodal phase states, analogous to the \c{hi}(2)-based degenerate OPO. Our system offers potential for realization of CMOS-chip-based coherent optical computing and an all-optical quantum random number generator.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2014

Silicon-Chip Mid-Infrared Frequency Comb Generation

Optical frequency combs represent a revolutionary technology for high precision spectroscopy due to their narrow linewidths and precise frequency spacing. Generation of such combs in the mid-infrared (IR) spectral region (2-20 um) is of great interest due to the presence of a large number of gas absorption lines in this wavelength regime. Recently, frequency combs have been demonstrated in the MIR in several platforms, including fiber combs, mode-locked lasers, optical parametric oscillators, and quantum cascade lasers. However, these platforms are either relatively bulky or challenging to integrate on-chip. An alternative approach using parametric mixing in microresonators is highly promising since the platform is extremely compact and can operate with relatively low powers. However, material and dispersion engineering limitations have prevented the realization of a microresonator comb source past 2.55 um. Although silicon could in principle provide a CMOS compatible platform for on-chip comb generation deep into the mid-IR, to date, silicon's linear and nonlinear losses have prevented the realization of a microresonator-based comb source. Here we overcome these limitations and realize a broadband frequency comb spanning from 2.1 um to 3.5 um and demonstrate its viability as a spectroscopic sensing platform. Such a platform is compact and robust and offers the potential to be versatile and durable for use outside the laboratory environment for applications such as real-time monitoring of atmospheric gas conditions.

physics.optics↗