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Review
. 2024 Jun 26;13(18):3253-3278.
doi: 10.1515/nanoph-2024-0149. eCollection 2024 Aug.

Nonlinear photonics on integrated platforms

Wenpu Geng  1 , Yuxi Fang  1 , Yingning Wang  1 , Changjing Bao  2 , Weiwei Liu  1 , Zhongqi Pan  3 , Yang Yue  4
Affiliations
Review

Nonlinear photonics on integrated platforms

Wenpu Geng et al. Nanophotonics. .

Abstract

Nonlinear photonics has unveiled new avenues for applications in metrology, spectroscopy, and optical communications. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in integrated platforms, attributed to their fundamental benefits, including compatibility with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes, reduced power consumption, compactness, and cost-effectiveness. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the key nonlinear effects and material properties utilized in integrated platforms. It discusses the applications and significant achievements in supercontinuum generation, a key nonlinear phenomenon. Additionally, the evolution of chip-based optical frequency combs is reviewed, highlighting recent pivotal works across four main categories. The paper also examines the recent advances in on-chip switching, computing, signal processing, microwave generation, and quantum applications. Finally, it provides perspectives on the development and challenges of nonlinear photonics in integrated platforms, offering insights into future directions for this rapidly evolving field.

Keywords: frequency combs; integrated photonics; nonlinear photonics; supercontinuum generation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Typical applications of the nonlinear photonics on integrated platforms. SC, supercontinuum; OFC, optical frequency comb; WDM, wavelength division multiplexing; ONN, optical neural networks.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Schematic diagram of several integrated nonlinear photonic structures: (a) waveguide, (b) microring resonator, (c) periodically poled waveguide, and (d) microdisk resonator.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
Schematic illustration of (a) second-order nonlinear (χ (2)) and (b) third-order (χ (3)) nonlinear optical processes in integrated platforms. SHG, second-harmonic generation; SFG, sum frequency generation; DFG, difference frequency generation; SPM, self-phase modulation; FWM, four-wave mixing; XPM, cross-phase modulation; THG, third-harmonic generation; TPA, two-photon absorption.
Figure 4:
Figure 4:
Transparency window of different integrated platforms. UV, ultraviolet; VIS, visible; NIR, near infrared; MIR, mid infrared.
Figure 5:
Figure 5:
Typical applications based on SCG.
Figure 6:
Figure 6:
Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and output spectra of SCG based on different integrated platforms: (a) SOI platform with varying waveguide width W and pump power P [94]. Adapted with permission from [94] © Optica Publishing Group. (b) SOS platform with varying input peak power [96]. Adapted with permission from [96] © Optica Publishing Group. (c) Ge platform with different peak power [99]. Adapted from [99] under a CC-BY license. (d) AlGaAs with different pump pulse energies [105]. Adapted with permission from [105] © Optica Publishing Group. (e) Si3N4 platform [48]. From [48]. Adapted with permission from Springer Nature. (f) LiNbO3 platform [103]. Adapted with permission from [103] © Optica Publishing Group.
Figure 7:
Figure 7:
Typical applications based on OFC.
Figure 8:
Figure 8:
Integrated OFC generation technologies. Schematic configurations of devices for (a) microresonator-based OFC, (b) SC-based OFC, and (c) EO-based OFC.
Figure 9:
Figure 9:
History of OFC based on microresonator, SC, EO effect, and MLL.
Figure 10:
Figure 10:
SEM and output spectra of frequency comb based on different integrated platforms: (a) silica wedge resonator [188], (b) silicon nitride microring resonator [174], (c) silicon microring resonator [189], (d) silicon carbide microring resonator [190], (e) AlGaAs microring resonator [192], and (f) lithium niobate microring resonator [193]. (a) Adapted with permission from [188] © Optica Publishing Group. (b) From [174]. Reprinted with permission from AAAS. (c) From [189]. Adapted with permission from Springer Nature. (d) Adapted with permission from [190] © Optica Publishing Group. (e) Adapted from [192] under a CC-BY license. (f) Adapted with permission from [193] © Optica Publishing Group.
Figure 11:
Figure 11:
Integrated visible-to-near-infrared electro-optic frequency combs [226]. Adapted from [226] under a CC-BY license.
Figure 12:
Figure 12:
Structures and output spectra of on-chip MLLs. (a) Two combs generated in QCLs [238]. Reprinted from [238], with the permission of AlP Publishing. (b) A III–V-on-Si ultra-dense comb laser [239]. Adapted from [239] under a CC-BY license.
Figure 13:
Figure 13:
On-chip all-optical switching. (a) Basic concept of all-optical switching. (b) SEM and transmission spectra of a silicon-based ring resonator at different peak levels [245]. Adapted with permission from [245]. Copyright 2010 American Chemical Society. (c) Schematic of a InP/InAsP single-nanowire all-optical switch on a silicon photonic crystal [246]. Adapted with permission from [246]. Copyright 2020 American Chemical Society. (d) Schematic of the lithium niobate nanowaveguides for switching and its operation in the on state when the input pulse energy is high [247]. From [247]. Adapted with permission from Springer Nature.
Figure 14:
Figure 14:
Schematic of the integrated massively scalable silicon photonic data communication link [258]. Adapted from [258] under a CC-BY license.
Figure 15:
Figure 15:
Conceptual drawing of the fully integrated photonic processing unit for optical neural network [259]. Adapted from [259] under a CC-BY license.
Figure 16:
Figure 16:
Schematic and photograph of critical elements of integrated OFD [268]. Adapted from [268] under a CC-BY license.
Figure 17:
Figure 17:
Photograph of a multidimensional integrated quantum photonic platform [277]. From [277]. Reprinted with permission from AAAS.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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