I-Corps: A Compact Silicon Chip for Laser Injection Locking and Optical Parametric Oscillation

The broader impact potential of this I-Corp project is the development of a compact chip technology for generating coherent lasers from visible to infrared. The proposed technology is designed to turn an inexpensive, limited performance laser diode into a top-of-the-line diode with a broad color range. The resulting product may be an affordable alternative to high-end laser products and extend laser emission wavelengths to a wide range of interest. In addition, the chip technology based on silicon nitride photonics may be produced by wafer-scale CMOS-compatible fabrication and may support laser light generation from 350 nm to 4500 nm, which would help solve existing scalability challenges in a variety of application fields. The proposed technology may provide a universal and scalable silicon photonics solution for integrated lasers for a variety of applications including quantum science, biochemical sensing, autonomous driving and LiDAR, and augmented/virtual reality. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a compact chip-integrated laser for generating coherent laser sources that can produce light from visible to infrared. The goal is to combine laser injection locking and optical parametric oscillation (OPO) based on a photonic crystal ring (PhCR). The proposed technology takes advantages of two nanophotonics technologies: on-chip OPO and high-quality PhCR, to solve the challenge of integrating chip laser with ultra-broad spectral coverage from visible to infrared. Lasers with such a wide range have not been proposed or demonstrated previously by existing technologies. The proposed chips may be produced in large scale, hence low-cost, by wafer scale CMOS compatible fabrication. In addition, the proposed technology may be compatible with other existing laser technologies, providing a versatile platform to generate high quality laser sources and a wider wavelength range. Such a device may significantly improve the ability of existing microcavities to enhance the interaction between light and matter and improve integrated commercial and research activities, particularly for integrated quantum science. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.