Low phase noise hybrid silicon mode-locked lasers

Abstract

In this paper, we review recent results on hybrid silicon mode-locked lasers with a focus on low phase noise optical pulse generation. Taking a high level design approach to lowering phase noise, we show the need for long on-chip optical delay lines for mode-locked lasers to reach and overcome material limits. Key results include demonstration of the longest (cavity length 9 cm) integrated on-chip mode locked laser, 14 dB reduction of Lorentzian noise on a 20 GHz radio-frequency (RF) signal, and greater than 55 dB optical supermode noise suppression using harmonically mode locked long cavity laser, 10 GHz passively mode locked laser with 15 kHz linewidth using on-chip all optical feedback stabilization.

Keywords

optoelectronic devices / mode-locked lasers / semiconductor lasers

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Acknowledgement

The authors thank Josh Conway and Jag Shah of DARPA, Alex Fang and Eric Hall of Aurrion, Doug Baney and Steve Newton of Agilent, and Daryl Spencer and Jon Peters of UCSB for helpful discussions. The research was supported by DARPA MTO under an EPHI grant.

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2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg