Work

Towards Monolithically Integrated Optical Kerr Frequency Comb with Low Relative Intensity Noise

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The dissipative Kerr soliton (DKS) microcomb has been regarded as a highly promising multi-wavelength laser source for optical fiber communication, due to its excellent frequency and phase stability. However, in some specific application scenarios, such as direct modulation and direct detection (DM/DD), the relative intensity noise (RIN) performance of Kerr optical combs still fails to meet the requirements. Here, we systematically investigate the key factors that contribute to the power fluctuations in DKS combs. By exploiting the gain saturation effect of the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), the RIN of an on-chip DKS microcomb is effectively suppressed, achieving a maximum reduction of about 30 dB (@600 kHz offset frequency) for all comb lines. Moreover, such DKS comb RIN suppression technology based on an SOA chip can eliminate the need for additional complex feedback control circuits, showcasing the potential for further chip integration of the ultra-low-RIN DKS microcomb system.

Source: Photonics

DOI: 10.3390/photonics12121180

Authors: Xiaoling Zhang, Qilin Yang, Zhengkai Li, Lilu Wang, Xinyu Li, Yong Geng

Institutions: Southwest China Institute of Electronic Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China