arXiv subjects

Renhong Gao

Publications and source records attributed to Renhong Gao.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Dual-comb generated in single thin-film lithium niobate microrings

Dual-comb technology has emerged as an essential tool for high-precision spectroscopy, real-time ranging, and high-sensitivity sensing. Integrating dual-comb sources into a single microresonator would substantially reduce pump power, footprint, system complexity, and cost, yet this remains a significant challenge. Here, we demonstrate, for the first time, integrated dual-comb generation in a single thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) microring, under single continuous-wave laser pumping. Rather than regarding TFLN's strong Raman nonlinearity as detrimental, as conventionally viewed, we harness it constructively. By engineering the dispersion of TFLN microrings, we leverage the fundamental and first-order transverse-electric mode families with loaded Q factors exceeding 5X10^6, comparable repetition rates, and suitable dispersion profiles, and bridge them through stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) processes. Pumping a first-order mode at 1551.28 nm initially excites both Stokes and anti-Stokes SRS in the fundamental mode family at low thresholds, and subsequently produces two independent, spectrally separated combs at a pump power of 320 mW via direct Kerr and Raman-assisted Kerr effects, respectively. The two combs span broad bandwidths, exhibit repetition rates of ~102 GHz with a slight difference of ~624 MHz, and do not merge spectrally. The broadest spectrum spans 654 nm, and the Raman-Kerr comb has a 3-dB bandwidth exceeding 29 nm. Further characterization confirms that the comb lines exhibit low phase noise, with an intrinsic linewidth of 410 Hz. This work establishes a robust pathway for on-chip dual-comb generation in a single-laser pumped microring, significantly advancing dual-comb systems toward simplified architectures, enhanced robustness, and scalable integration, while accelerating their practical deployment.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2026

Mid-infrared-to-ultraviolet supercontinuum generation in low-loss tantalum pentoxide nanophotonic waveguides

Optical frequency combs on photonic integrated platforms are revolutionizing precision metrology, bio-imaging, atomic and molecular sensing, and ultrafast photonics, yet most remain confined to the near-infrared. This restriction prevents access to the ultraviolet, visible, and mid-infrared bands critical for a vast array of quantum, atomic, and molecular systems. The fundamental obstacle has been the lack of a nanophotonic waveguide that simultaneously provides an ultra-broad transparency window, engineered dispersion, ultra-low propagation loss, and a strong Kerr nonlinearity, all while suppressing detrimental two-photon absorption at short wavelengths. Here, we overcome this challenge by exploring tantalum pentoxide for ultra-broadband supercontinuum spanning continuously from the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared, leveraging its broad transparency window (300-8000 nm), a high nonlinear refractive index three times larger than that of silicon nitride, and a wide bandgap that suppresses two-photon absorption. Critically, by using a photolithography assisted chemo-mechanical etching process that avoids a lossy SiO2 upper cladding, we achieve dispersion engineered waveguides with record-low propagation losses of 0.066 dB/cm at telecom wavelengths and 0.43 dB/cm at 780 nm, significantly facilitating the supercontinuum spectral extension into the ultraviolet and the mid-infrared. Pumping these anomalous-dispersion waveguides with femtosecond pulses at 1550 nm yields a gap-free, 3.2-octave supercontinuum spanning from 350 to 3200 nm via a soliton-based dynamics at only 54 pJ pulse energy, representing the broadest comb spectrum on this platform. We further demonstrate a relatively flat spectrum with a -30 dB bandwidth of 1182 nm by engineering normal dispersion, validate the comb coherence via heterodyne detection, and achieve soliton-effect pulse self-compression from 126.7 fs to 19.2 fs.

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arXiv2026

Isotropic fabrication of centimeter-scale, low propagation-loss periodically poled lithium niobate nanophotonic waveguides for efficient second harmonic generation

Periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) nanophotonic waveguides that simultaneously feature low propagation-loss and uniform periodic poling are essential for a wide range of applications ranging from classical nonlinear frequency-conversion to scalable integrated quantum technology. However, fabrication imperfections have frequently limited the propagation loss of fully domain-inverted PPLN nanophotonic waveguides to a few dB/cm, primarily due to anisotropic etching issue, thereby restricting the absolute conversion efficiency and scale of photonic integration. Here, we present a fabrication approach that overcomes this challenge, yielding a 1.2-cm-long PPLN nanophotonic waveguide with low propagation loss via femtosecond-laser photolithography-assisted chemo-mechanical etching (PLACE). By carrying out domain inversion on a planar thin-film prior to waveguide definition, electric-field distortion is minimized during poling, while isotropic etching of the waveguide is achieved by PLACE with an average surface roughness of only 0.34 nm, resulting in uniform poling of duty cycle of 50% and a record-low propagation loss of 0.042 dB/cm in the telecom band. Under continuous-wave pumping at 1525 nm, the device demonstrates a high normalized quasi-phase-matched SHG conversion efficiency of 2021%/W, and an absolute conversion efficiency of 64% at a pump power of 86 mW which represents the state of the art for single-period PPLN nanophotonic waveguides.

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arXiv2026

Highly-efficient, narrow-linewidth Brillouin microlasers implemented in compact thin-film lithium niobate microresonators

Stimulated Brillouin microlasers offer chip-scale light sources with high spectral purity and low phase noise--key attributes for applications spanning precision metrology, quantum technologies, and coherent information processing. However, simultaneously bringing both pump and scattered waves into resonance often compromises photon confinement or modal volume, resulting in limited conversion efficiency and elevated thresholds. In this work, a novel approach is proposed to generate Brillouin microlasers with high efficiency, low threshold, and narrow linewidth, by combining a cross-polarized stimulated Brillouin scattering scheme with intentional Stokes mode splitting to compensate for mode detuning. Triple-resonance and phase-matching conditions are simultaneously achieved in a 114-um-diameter thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) microresonator, enabling precise alignment with both the ~10-GHz Brillouin shift and the ~100-MHz narrow gain bandwidth. The resulting Brillouin microlaser achieves a narrow intrinsic linewidth of 2.88 Hz, a short-term integral linewidth of 185 Hz, an on-chip conversion efficiency of 57.92%, and a pump threshold as low as 1.03 mW. Both the conversion efficiency and the lasing threshold represent record-high performance for the TFLN platform to date.

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arXiv2026

Monolithic tantalum pentoxide microrings with intrinsic Q factors exceeding 4X10(6)

Tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5), as a silicon-photonic-compatible material platform, has garnered significant attention for high-performance integrated photonics due to its exceptional properties: a broad transparency window spanning from 0.28 um to 8 um, a moderate refractive index of 2.05 at 1550 nm, and an impressive nonlinear refractive index of 7.2X10^(-19) m^2/W. Despite these advantages, achieving low-loss fabrication of monolithic microrings on the Ta2O5 platform remains challenging due to its inherent hardness and brittleness, which often result in rough sidewalls and significant scattering losses. In this work, we successfully demonstrated monolithic Ta2O5 microring resonators with exceptionally high intrinsic and loaded quality (Q) factors. This was accomplished through the innovative application of photolithography-assisted chemo-mechanical etching (PLACE) technology. By optimizing the coupling region between the microring and the bus waveguide, as well as meticulously controlling surface roughness during fabrication, we achieved near-critical coupling in the resulting microrings. The devices exhibited loaded Q factors of 2.74X10(6) in the telecom band without employing expensive electron-beam lithography, showing an intrinsic Q factor as high as 4.47X10(6) and a low propagation loss of only 0.0732 dB/cm - representing the highest results reported for strongly confined Ta2O5-based microring resonators to date. This work paves the way for the development of advanced photonic devices on the Ta2O5 platform with low manufacturing cost, including low-threshold microlasers, highly sensitive sensors, broad bandwidth supercontinuum sources, and optical frequency combs.

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arXiv2025

Highly efficient multi-chromatic Raman microlasers from cavity polygon modes on thin-film lithium niobate platform

The integration of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and second order nonlinearity in non-centrosymmetric photonic microresonators presents a highly promising solution for developing on-chip coherent light sources with exceptional bandwidth and flexible tunability. Our study introduces an innovative methodology leveraging cavity polygon modes within an X-cut thin-film lithium niobate microdisk to achieve highly efficient multi-chromatic Raman microlasers. Specifically, high-Q square modes characterized by two parallel sides oriented perpendicularly relative to the optical axis of lithium niobate crystal were excited. These modes offer distinct advantages, including enhancing both mode-field overlap and improved phase matching, achieved through the utilization of the largest second-order susceptibility component (d_33), which is critical for Raman-quadratic nonlinear interactions. The experimental results highlight significant advancements in multi-wavelength multi-wavelength laser generation, with forward stimulated Raman laser signals exhibiting a high conversion efficiency of up to 65.02% and an impressively narrow integral linewidth of only 5.2 kHz. Simultaneously, our system enables the generation of multi-wavelength Raman-quadratic laser signals across the ~800 nm and ~530 nm spectral bands. These findings are further underscored by an impressive absolute conversion efficiency of 1.33% for the 797.4-nm Raman laser, achieved at a remarkably low pump power of just 1.07 mW. This work not only extends the application scope of cavity polygon modes from single second/third-order nonlinear optical processes to cascaded processes but also establishes a foundation for realizing high-efficiency on-chip multi-chromatic laser sources with versatile functionalities.

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arXiv2025

On-chip electro-optically tunable narrow linewidth Brillouin microlasers implemented in thin film lithium niobate

On-chip narrow linewidth microlasers with real-time wavelength tunability are highly desirable for various applications including precision metrology, quantum technology, and coherent information processing. Realizing such laser remains a challenge despite significant advances made by various groups in recent years [Nat. Commun. 13, 5344 (2022); Nature 615, 411 (2023); Appl. Phys. Lett. 124, 131101 (2024); Nat. Photonics 13, 60 (2019)]. In this work, we overcome these hurdles and demonstrate on-chip electro-optically tunable Brillouin microlasers in compact lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) microdisks with diameters of 31.5 um and 117.0 um by using cross-polarized SBS arrangement. A quasi-continuum band of bound shear mechanical modes inside the suspended microdisk are revealed for the first time, allowing feasible phase matching of stimulated Brillouin lasing (SBL). We achieve efficient cross-polarized optomechanical coupling and SBL via the significant photoelastic tensors of lithium niobate (e.g., p41=-1.51). This approach yields a 118 Hz intrinsic linewidth and a comparatively low threshold power of 3.15 mW. A real-time electro-optic tuning of the cross-polarized Brillouin scheme with a tuning efficiency of ~93.1 kHz/V is also achieved, further showcasing potential of LNOI platform for next-generation tunable photonic systems.

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arXiv2025

Simultaneous generation of Raman-assisted Soliton Microcombs and Tunable Multi-chromatic Raman Microlasers in Single Monolithic Thin-film Lithium Niobate Microrings

High-performance integrated broadband coherent light sources are essential for advanced applications in high-bandwidth data processing and chip-scale metrology, yet remain challenging. In this study, we demonstrate a monolithic Z-cut lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) microring platform that enables simultaneous generation of tunable multi-chromatic microlasers and Raman-assisted soliton microcombs. Exploiting the strong Raman activity and high second-order nonlinearity of LNOI, we engineered a dispersion-optimized microring with a loaded Q factor of 3.86X10^6, facilitating on-chip efficient broadband coherent light source. A novel phase-matching configuration with all the waves of the same ordinary polarization was realized for the first time in this platform, feasibly enabling modal-phase matched Raman-quadratic nonlinear processes that extend lasing signals into the visible spectrum. Under continuous-wave laser pumping at 3.73 mW in the telecom band, we achieved a Raman-assisted soliton comb centered at 1624.49 nm with record-low pump threshold on the LNOI platform. Concurrently, multi-chromatic Raman lasing outputs were observed at ~1700, ~813, and ~535 nm within the same microring. The system exhibited efficient wavelength tuning of these multi-chromatic laser signals through a 5 nm shift in pump wavelength. This work represents a significant advance in integrated photonics for versatile optical signal generation.

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arXiv2025

Visible Brillouin-quadratic microlaser in a high-Q thin-film lithium niobate microdisk

Narrow-linewidth lasers at short/visible wavelengths are crucial for quantum and atomic applications, such as atomic clocks, quantum computing, atomic and molecular spectroscopy, and quantum sensing. However, such lasers are often only accessible in bulky tabletop systems and remain scarce in integrated photonic platform. Here, we report an on-chip visible Brillouin-quadratic microlaser in a 117-um-diameter thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) microdisk via dispersion engineering. Enabled by the ultra-high Q factor of 4.0X10(6) and small mode volume, strong photon-phonon interaction and high second-order nonlinearity of the TFLN microdisk, narrow-linewidth Stokes Brillouin lasing (SBL) is demonstrated with 10.17 GHz Brillouin shift under a 1560-nm pump, exhibiting a short-term narrow linewidth of 254 Hz and a low threshold of only 1.81 mW. Meanwhile, efficient second harmonic generation (SHG) of the SBL signal is also observed at 780 nm, with a normalized conversion efficiency of 3.61%/mW, made possible by simultaneous phase matching fulfillments for both narrow-linewidth SBL and its SHG. This demonstration of an integrated ultra-narrow linewidth visible wavelength Brillouin-quadratic lasers opens new avenues toward chip-scale quantum information processing and precise metrology.

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arXiv2025

Low-loss thin-film periodically poled lithium niobate waveguides fabricated by femtosecond laser photolithography

Periodically poled lithium niobate on insulator (PPLNOI) ridge waveguides are critical photonic components for both classical and quantum information processing. However, dry etching of PPLNOI waveguides often generates rough sidewalls and variations in the etching rates of oppositely poled lithium niobate ferroelectric domains, leading a relatively high propagation losses (0.25 - 1 dB/cm), which significantly limits net conversion efficiency and hinders scalable photonic integration. In this work, a low-loss PPLNOI ridge waveguide with a length of 7 mm was fabricated using ultra-smooth sidewalls through photolithography-assisted chemo-mechanical etching (PLACE) followed by high-voltage pulse poling with low cost. The average surface roughness was measured at just 0.27 nm, resulting in record-low propagation loss of 0.106 dB/cm in PPLNOI waveguides. Highly efficient second-harmonic generation was demonstrated with a normalized efficiency of 1643%/(W*cm^2) without temperature tuning, corresponding to a conversion efficiency of 805%/W, which is closed to the best conversion efficiency (i.e., 814%/W) reported in nanophotonic PPLNOI waveguide fabricated by expensive electron-beam lithography followed by dry etching. The absolute conversion efficiency reached 15.8% at a pump level of 21.6 mW. And the normalized efficiency can be even improved to 1742%/(W*cm^2) at optimal temperature of 59°C.

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arXiv2025

Simultaneously generating Brillouin microlaser and second harmonic within a lithium niobate microdisk

We report the simultaneous generation of second-harmonic generation (SHG) and Brillouin microlaser in a high-quality thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) microdisk resonator. The microdisk is fabricated with ultrahigh-Q factor of 4X10(6) by photolithography-assisted chemo-mechanical etching, enabling significant cavity-enhancement effect for boosting nonlinear frequency conversion. Under 1559.632 nm pumping, Brillouin microlaser is demonstrated in the microdisk with Stokes Brillouin shift of 10 GHz, a low threshold of 1.81 mW, and a fundamental linewidth of 254.365 Hz. Meanwhile, efficient SHG is observed at 779.816 nm with an absolute conversion efficiency of 3.8% at pump level of 3.028 mW. The coexistence of these two nonlinear processes is enabled by the simultaneous confinement of the light and acoustic fileds for effect coupling in the microdisk, which enhances both optomechanical and second-order nonlinear interactions. This research provides new possibilities for integrated multi-frequency laser sources and multifunctional nonlinear photonic devices.

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arXiv2025

Efficient transverse multi-wave interactions up to six-wave mixing in a high-Q lithium niobate microresonator

High-order nonlinear optical processes beyond four-wave mixing serve as fundamental tools for advancing photonic technologies, yet their practical implementation remains challenging due to stringent phase-matching requirements and inherently weak high-order nonlinear susceptibilities - limitations that persist even in state-of-the-art high-Q microresonators. In this work, we demonstrate a breakthrough in synthesizing transverse nonlinear processes up to six-wave mixing in an integrated lithium niobate microresonator, under single continuous-wave (CW) telecom-band laser pump. Our approach leverages self-organized subwavelength photorefractive gratings (SPGs) generated through bidirectional stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) process in the microresonator, without using two external counterpropagating lasers. Under 1546 nm pumping, bidirectional SRS at 1713 nm creates two counterpropagating light waves that spontaneously form SPGs. These SPGs critically enable broadband phase-matching compensation across 500 nm spectral range by providing additional momentum matching for transverse nonlinear processes while maintaining ultrahigh-Q factor. Moreover, cascaded SRS process is simultaneously activated to generate light signal for subsequent nonlinear interactions. This novel approach enables, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of single-pump phase-matched transverse sum-frequency generation (SFG) with record conversion efficiency (590%/W). Furthermore, transverse multi-wave mixing processes from four-wave to six-wave mixing processes are achieved with high conversion efficiencies for the first time using only the single CW pump, representing a notable advance in nonlinear integration.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Second harmonic generation with 48% conversion efficiency from cavity polygon modes in a monocrystalline lithium niobate microdisk resonator

Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) based optical microresonators offer large nonlinear coefficient d_33 and high light-wave confinement, allowing highly efficient second-order optical nonlinear frequency conversion. Here, we achieved ultra-efficiency second harmonic generation (SHG) from high-Q polygon modes by maximizing the utilization of the highest nonlinear coefficient d_33 in a monocrystalline X-cut TFLN microdisk resonator for the first time. The polygon modes are designed and formed with two parallel sides perpendicular to the optical axis of the lithium niobate crystal by introducing weak perturbations into the microdisk of a tapered fiber, which maximizes the utilization of d_33. The polygon modes exhibit ultrahigh intrinsic Q factors of ~3.86X10(7), due to the fact that polygon modes are located far from the relatively rough sidewall of the microdisk. Moreover, the pump and second harmonic polygon modes share high modal overlap factor of ~80%. Consequently, SHG from cavity polygon modes with absolute conversion efficiency as high as 48.08% was realized at an on-chip pump level of only 4.599 mW without fine domain structures, surpassing the best results (23% and 30%) reported in other two domain-inversion-free phase matching schemes and even approaching the record (52%) in PPLN microresonators.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2024

Frequency stabilization based on H13C14N absorption in lithium niobate micro-disk laser

We demonstrate an on-chip lithium niobate micro-disk laser based on hydrogen cyanide (H13C14N) gas saturation absorption method for frequency stabilization. The laser chip consists of two main components: a micro-disk laser and a combined racetrack ring cavity. By operating on the H13C14N P12 absorption line at 1551.3 nm, the laser frequency can be precisely stabilized. The laser demonstrates remarkable stability, achieving a best stability value of 9*10^-9. Furthermore, the short-term stability, evaluated over continuous time intervals of 35 seconds, showcases exceptional performance. Additionally, the residual drift remains well below 30 MHz.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Integrated multi-color Raman microlasers with ultra-low pump levels in single high-Q lithium niobate microdisks

Photonic integrated Raman microlasers, particularly discrete multi-color lasers which are crucial for extending the emission wavelength range of chip-scale laser sources to much shorter wavelength, are highly in demand for various spectroscopy, microscopy analysis, and biological detection. However, integrated multi-color Raman microlasers have yet to be demonstrated because of the requirement of high-Q microresonators possessing large second-order nonlinearity and strong Raman phonon branches and the challenging in cavity-enhanced multi-photon hyper-Raman scattering parametric process. In this work, integrated multi-color Raman lasers have been demonstrated for the first time at weak pump levels, via the excitation of high-Q (>6 X 10^6) phase-matched modes in single thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) microresonators by dispersion engineering. Raman lasing was observed at 1712 nm for a 1546-nm pump threshold power of only 620 uW. Furthermore, multi-color Raman lasers were realized at discrete wavelengths of 1712 nm, 813 nm, 533 nm and 406 nm with pump levels as low as 1.60 mW, which is more than two order of magnitude lower than the current records (i.e., 200 mW) in bulk resonators, allowed by the fulfillment of the requisite conditions consisting of broadband natural phase match, multiple-resonance and high Q-factors.

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arXiv2023

Erbium-ytterbium co-doped lithium niobate single-mode microdisk laser with an ultralow threshold of 1 uW

We demonstrate single-mode microdisk lasers in the telecom band with ultra-low thresholds on erbium-ytterbium co-doped thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN). The active microdisk were fabricated with high-Q factors by photo-lithography assisted chemo-mechanical etching. Thanks to the erbium-ytterbium co-doping providing high optical gain, the ultra-low loss nanostructuring, and the excitation of high-Q coherent polygon modes which suppresses multi-mode lasing and allows high spatial mode overlap factor between pump and lasing modes, single-mode laser emission operating at 1530 nm wavelength was observed with an ultra-low threshold, under 980-nm-band optical pump. The threshold was measured as low as 1 uW, which is one order of magnitude smaller than the best results previously reported in single-mode active TFLN microlasers. And the conversion efficiency reaches 0.406%, which is also the highest value reported in single-mode active TFLN microlasers.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Generation of Kerr soliton microcomb in a normally dispersed lithium niobate microdisk resonator by mode trimming

Anomalous microresonator dispersion is mandatory for Kerr soliton microcomb formation, which depends critically on the geometry of the microresonator and can hardly be tuned after the structure is made. To date, cavity-based microcombs have only been generated with fundamental whispering gallery modes (WGMs) of anomalous dispersion in microresonators. Moreover, microcomb generation in highly Raman-active platforms such as lithium niobate (LN) microresonators frequently suffers from stimulated Raman scattering and mode crossing due to the existence of multiple families of high-order WGMs. Here, we reveal a unique Kerr soliton microcomb generation mechanism through mode trimming in a weakly perturbed LN microdisk resonator. Remarkably, the soliton comb is generated with fundamental WGMs of normal dispersion and free from the mode crossing and Raman scattering effects. A robust soliton with a spectrum spanning from 1450 nm to 1620 nm at an on-chip pump power of 35 mW. Our discovery offers a powerful solution to circumvent the stringent requirements on high-precision dispersion engineering and termination of Raman excitation for soliton generation in the high-Q microdisk.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2023

Ultra-high Q lithium niobate microring monolithically fabricated by photolithography assisted chemo-mechanical etching

Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) has been considered as one of the most important platforms for constructing high-performance photonic integrated devices such as electro-optic modulators, frequency combs, classical/quantum light sources, and large-scale photonic integrated circuits, benefiting from its excellent optical properties of TFLN. The fabrication quality of TFLN photonic integrated devices plays an important role in the performance and the integration scale of these devices. As one of the element photonic structures, the state-of-the-art TFLN microrings reach an intrinsic Q factor higher than 10^7 with ultra-smooth sidewalls, fabricated by photolithography assisted chemo-mechanical etching (PLACE). However, it is isolated on the chip surface and a tapered fiber is required to couple the light into and out of the resonator. Furthermore, it is difficult to maintain such high-Q factors when the microrings are monolithically integrated with bus waveguides by PLACE, resulted from large coupling loss with biggish coupling gap. Here, a relatively narrow gap of an ultra-high Q microring monolithically integrated with the bus-waveguide is achieved with 3.8 um by optimizing PLACE process, and a high temperature annealing is carried out to improve the loaded (intrinsic) Q factor with 4.29 X 10^6 (4.04 X 10^7), leading an ultra-low propagation loss of less than 1 dB/m, which is approximately 3 times better than the best values previously reported in ion-slicing TFLN platform.

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