Hybrid external-cavity lasers (ECL) using photonic wire bonds as coupling elements
Abstract Combining semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) on direct-bandgap III–V substrates with low-loss silicon or silicon-nitride photonic integrated circuits (PIC) has been key to chip-scale external-cavity lasers (ECL) that offer wideband tunability along with small optical linewidths. However...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95981-w |
| _version_ | 1818430592814940160 |
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| author | Yilin Xu Pascal Maier Matthias Blaicher Philipp-Immanuel Dietrich Pablo Marin-Palomo Wladislaw Hartmann Yiyang Bao Huanfa Peng Muhammad Rodlin Billah Stefan Singer Ute Troppenz Martin Moehrle Sebastian Randel Wolfgang Freude Christian Koos |
| author_facet | Yilin Xu Pascal Maier Matthias Blaicher Philipp-Immanuel Dietrich Pablo Marin-Palomo Wladislaw Hartmann Yiyang Bao Huanfa Peng Muhammad Rodlin Billah Stefan Singer Ute Troppenz Martin Moehrle Sebastian Randel Wolfgang Freude Christian Koos |
| author_sort | Yilin Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Combining semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) on direct-bandgap III–V substrates with low-loss silicon or silicon-nitride photonic integrated circuits (PIC) has been key to chip-scale external-cavity lasers (ECL) that offer wideband tunability along with small optical linewidths. However, fabrication of such devices still relies on technologically demanding monolithic integration of heterogeneous material systems or requires costly high-precision package-level assembly, often based on active alignment, to achieve low-loss coupling between the SOA and the external feedback circuits. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel class of hybrid ECL that overcome these limitations by exploiting 3D-printed photonic wire bonds as intra-cavity coupling elements. Photonic wire bonds can be written in-situ in a fully automated process with shapes adapted to the mode-field sizes and the positions of the chips at both ends, thereby providing low-loss coupling even in presence of limited placement accuracy. In a proof-of-concept experiment, we use an InP-based reflective SOA (RSOA) along with a silicon photonic external feedback circuit and demonstrate a single-mode tuning range from 1515 to 1565 nm along with side mode suppression ratios above 40 dB and intrinsic linewidths down to 105 kHz. Our approach combines the scalability advantages of monolithic integration with the performance and flexibility of hybrid multi-chip assemblies and may thus open a path towards integrated ECL on a wide variety of integration platforms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T15:35:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d0dd495207b541ac8042fb8b51c49fcc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T15:35:52Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-d0dd495207b541ac8042fb8b51c49fcc2022-12-21T22:55:44ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222021-08-0111111010.1038/s41598-021-95981-wHybrid external-cavity lasers (ECL) using photonic wire bonds as coupling elementsYilin Xu0Pascal Maier1Matthias Blaicher2Philipp-Immanuel Dietrich3Pablo Marin-Palomo4Wladislaw Hartmann5Yiyang Bao6Huanfa Peng7Muhammad Rodlin Billah8Stefan Singer9Ute Troppenz10Martin Moehrle11Sebastian Randel12Wolfgang Freude13Christian Koos14Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI)Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Abstract Combining semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) on direct-bandgap III–V substrates with low-loss silicon or silicon-nitride photonic integrated circuits (PIC) has been key to chip-scale external-cavity lasers (ECL) that offer wideband tunability along with small optical linewidths. However, fabrication of such devices still relies on technologically demanding monolithic integration of heterogeneous material systems or requires costly high-precision package-level assembly, often based on active alignment, to achieve low-loss coupling between the SOA and the external feedback circuits. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel class of hybrid ECL that overcome these limitations by exploiting 3D-printed photonic wire bonds as intra-cavity coupling elements. Photonic wire bonds can be written in-situ in a fully automated process with shapes adapted to the mode-field sizes and the positions of the chips at both ends, thereby providing low-loss coupling even in presence of limited placement accuracy. In a proof-of-concept experiment, we use an InP-based reflective SOA (RSOA) along with a silicon photonic external feedback circuit and demonstrate a single-mode tuning range from 1515 to 1565 nm along with side mode suppression ratios above 40 dB and intrinsic linewidths down to 105 kHz. Our approach combines the scalability advantages of monolithic integration with the performance and flexibility of hybrid multi-chip assemblies and may thus open a path towards integrated ECL on a wide variety of integration platforms.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95981-w |
| spellingShingle | Yilin Xu Pascal Maier Matthias Blaicher Philipp-Immanuel Dietrich Pablo Marin-Palomo Wladislaw Hartmann Yiyang Bao Huanfa Peng Muhammad Rodlin Billah Stefan Singer Ute Troppenz Martin Moehrle Sebastian Randel Wolfgang Freude Christian Koos Hybrid external-cavity lasers (ECL) using photonic wire bonds as coupling elements Scientific Reports |
| title | Hybrid external-cavity lasers (ECL) using photonic wire bonds as coupling elements |
| title_full | Hybrid external-cavity lasers (ECL) using photonic wire bonds as coupling elements |
| title_fullStr | Hybrid external-cavity lasers (ECL) using photonic wire bonds as coupling elements |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hybrid external-cavity lasers (ECL) using photonic wire bonds as coupling elements |
| title_short | Hybrid external-cavity lasers (ECL) using photonic wire bonds as coupling elements |
| title_sort | hybrid external cavity lasers ecl using photonic wire bonds as coupling elements |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95981-w |
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