Isolator-Free Laser Operation Enabled by Chip-Scale Reflections in Zero-Process-Change SOI
The isolation-free operation of photonic integrated circuits enables dense integration, reducing packaging costs and complexity. Most isolator replacements require a change in the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) foundry process and suffer from large insertion loss. Most solutions did not integrate the laser, leaving the verification incomplete, and measurements with modulated reflections have also been missing. In this work, we present, for the first time, a zero-process-change silicon photonic (SiP) circuit that, when paired with an integrated distributed-feedback laser (DFB), enhances the DFB's immunity to continuous-wave and modulated parasitic reflections from multiple reflectors. The circuit generates intentional, controlled self-injection to stabilize laser dynamics and maintain operation. The SiP circuit is complemented by an electro-optic feedback loop that dynamically adjusts the self-injection to preserve laser stability. The proposed circuit introduces an insertion loss of 1.5 dB and enables the DFB laser to tolerate back reflections as large as -7 dB and -12 dB from on-chip and off-chip reflectors, respectively. The DFB is hybrid integrated with the SiP chip using a photonic wire bond (PWB). The isolator-free operation of the integrated laser in a high-speed optical link has been demonstrated, highlighting its potential for data communication applications.