Integrated Photonics Laboratory
Integrated Photonics is one of the frontier technologies with significant research value in the application areas of information processing, computation, detection, metrology, etc. In particular, integrated photonics plays a crucial role in many key applications of quantum information and quantum sensing, realizing key components such as quantum light sources and programmable photonic networks.
We aim to develop ultra-low-loss integrated photonic chip technology, build a mature and complete R&D platform for integrated optical devices covering design, simulation, foundry, and characterization, and carry out their applications in telecommunication, optical computing, metrology, microwave photonics, and quantum technology.
RESEARCH
Foundry manufacturing of tight-confinement, dispersion-engineered, ultralow-loss silicon nitride photonic integrated circuits
The foundry development of integrated photonics has revolutionized today’s optical interconnect and data centers. Over the last decade, we have witnessed the rising of silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) integrated photonics, which is currently transferring from laboratory research to foundry manufacturing. The development and transition are triggered by the ultimate need for low optical loss offered by Si₃N₄, which is beyond the reach of silicon and III-V semiconductors.
A wideband, high-resolution vector spectrum analyzer for integrated photonics
The analysis of optical spectra – emission or absorption – has been arguably the most powerful approach for discovering and understanding matters. The invention and development of many kinds of spectrometers have equipped us with versatile yet ultra-sensitive diagnostic tools for trace gas detection, isotope analysis, and resolving hyperfine structures of atoms and molecules. With proliferating data and information, urgent and demanding requirements have been placed today on spectrum analysis with ever-increasing spectral bandwidth and frequency resolution.
Frequency-comb-linearized, widely tunable lasers for coherent ranging
Tunable lasers, with the ability to continuously adjust their emission wavelengths, have found widespread applications across various fields such as biomedical imaging, coherent ranging, optical communications and spectroscopy. In these applications, a wide chirp range is advantageous for large spectral coverage and high frequency resolution. Besides, the frequency accuracy and precision also depend critically on the chirp linearity of the laser. While extensive efforts have been made on the development of many kinds of frequency-agile, widely tunable, narrow-linewidth lasers, wideband yet precise methods to characterize and to linearize laser chirp dynamics are also demanded.
Programmable access to microresonator solitons with modulational sideband heating
Dissipative Kerr solitons formed in high-Q optical microresonators provide a route to miniaturized optical frequency combs that can revolutionize precision measurements, spectroscopy, sensing, and communication. In the last decade, a myriad of integrated material platforms have been extensively studied and developed to create photonic-chip-based soliton combs. However, the photo-thermal effect in integrated optical microresonators has been a major issue preventing simple and reliable soliton generation. Several sophisticated techniques to circumvent the photo-thermal effect have been developed. In addition, instead of the single-soliton state, emerging applications in microwave photonics and frequency metrology prefer multi-soliton states.
