Loading...
News Article

EPFL and IBM develop new laser

News

Combination of lithium niobate with silicon nitride produced laser with low frequency noise and fast wavelength tuning

Scientists at EPFL and IBM have developed a new type of laser based on lithium niobate that they think could have a significant impact on optical ranging technology.

Lithium niobate can handle a lot of optical power and has a high 'Pockels coefficient', which means that it can change its optical properties when an electric field is applied to it.

The researchers combined lithium niobate with silicon nitride, which allowed them to produce a new type of hybrid integrated tuneable laser. To do this, the team manufactured photonic integrated circuits (PICs) based on silicon nitride at EPFL, and then bonded them with lithium niobate wafers at IBM.

The approach produced a laser with low frequency noise and simultaneously with fast wavelength tuning – which is important for lasers used in light detection and ranging (LiDAR) applications. Then they performed an optical ranging experiment where they used the laser to measure distances with high precision.

Beyond integrated lasers, the hybrid platform has the potential to realise integrated transceivers for telecommunications as well as microwave-optical transducers for use in quantum computing.

"What is remarkable about the result is that the laser simultaneously provides low phase noise and fast petahertz-per-second tuning, something that has never before been achieved with such a chip-scale integrated laser," says Tobias J. Kippenberg, who led the EPFL side of the project.

The chip samples were fabricated in the EPFL center of MicroNanoTechnology (CMi) and the Binnig and Rohrer Nanotechnology Center (BRNC) at IBM Research.

Reference

'Ultrafast tunable lasers using lithium niobate integrated photonics' by Viacheslav Snigirev et al; Nature 615 (2023)

QD company Quantum Science expands into new facility
Innoscience files lawsuit against Infineon
Riber revenues up 5% to €41.2m
Forvia Hella to use CoolSiC for next generation charging
Photon Design to exhibit QD simulation tool
Ortel transfers CW laser fabrication to Canada
Luminus adds red and blue multi-mode Lasers
PseudolithIC raises $6M for heterogeneous chiplet tech
Mesa sidewall design improves HV DUV LEDs
IQE revenue to exceed expectations
'Game-changing' VCSEL system targets clinical imaging
German start-up secures finance for SiC processing tech
Macom signs preliminaries for CHIPS Act funding
IQE and Quintessent partner on QD lasers for AI
EU funds perovskite tandems for fuel-free space propulsion
EU to invest €3m in GeSi quantum project
Transforming the current density of AlN Schottky barrier diodes
Turbocharging the GaN MOSFET with a HfO₂ gate
Wolfspeed launches Gen 4 SiC MOSFET technology
Report predicts high growth for UK's North East
Element Six unveils Cu-diamond composite
SemiQ launches hi-rel 1700V SiC MOSFETs
Lynred to exhibit Eyesential SWIR sensor for machine vision
Thorlabs buys VCSEL firm Praevium Research
Advancing tuneable InP lasers on a heterogeneous platform
P-GaN gate HEMTs have record threshold voltage
Guerrilla RF releases GaN power amplifier dice
Narrow-linewidth DFB lasers now at 405 and 488nm
Researchers develop tech for future fast-charging stations
Vermont GaN Tech Hub awarded nearly $24M
Onsemi completes buy-out of Qorvo SiC JFET business
Quantum Science announces Innovate UK funding
×
Search the news archive

To close this popup you can press escape or click the close icon.
Logo
x
Logo
×
Register - Step 1

You may choose to subscribe to the Compound Semiconductor Magazine, the Compound Semiconductor Newsletter, or both. You may also request additional information if required, before submitting your application.


Please subscribe me to:

 

You chose the industry type of "Other"

Please enter the industry that you work in:
Please enter the industry that you work in: