CAREER: Integrated Lithium Niobate Femtosecond Mode-Locked Lasers and Ultrafast Photonic Systems

职业：集成铌酸锂飞秒锁模激光器和超快光子系统

• 批准号: 2338798
• 负责人: Qiushi Guo
• 金额: $ 55万
• 依托单位: Research Foundation CUNY - Advanced Science Research Center
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-07-01 至 2029-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2338798&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Integrated; Lithium; Niobate; Femtosecond

The key to unlocking the secrets of the fastest timescales in nature lies with femtosecond mode-locked lasers (MLLs) - powerful devices that emit ultrashort, coherent optical pulses at an astonishing quadrillionth of a second. Realizing femtosecond MLLs and ultrafast photonic systems on chip-scale, integrated photonic circuits can unlock a multitude of applications previously beyond the reach of conventional tabletop setups. These applications, such as portable atomic clocks and advanced biological imaging tools, have the potential to bring transformative impacts across biomedical science, national defense, and information processing. However, existing chip-scale integrated MLLs lack the peak intensities and degrees of controllability, which impede the realization of integrated ultrafast photonic systems. This project addresses these challenges by leveraging novel laser gain media and the emerging thin-film lithium niobate integrated photonic material platform, with the goal of realizing high-power, reconfigurable femtosecond MLL and novel integrated ultrafast photonic systems. In addition, the PI and his team will establish several new outreach activities and training programs that prepare students of diverse backgrounds for the nation’s semiconductor and optoelectronic workforce. These include (1) new modules and remotely accessible teaching labs on semiconductor devices and integrated photonics; (2) a workshop series empowering science teachers at disadvantaged local high schools with cutting-edge advances in semiconductor and photonics and collaborating on effective teaching strategies for physics; (3) “Science Night” events to promote scientific exploration among high school students and nurture their interest and (4) Summer Internship at the PI’s lab at CUNY’s Advanced Science Research Center, which exposes high school students from underrepresented groups to state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge research projects in semiconductor and integrated photonics.Technical description:In this CAREER program, the principle investigator and his team aims to (1) develop chip-scale, fully-integrated mode-locked lasers (MLL) on thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) that can generate femtosecond pulses at microwave repetition rate with a high on-chip peak power exceeding 10 watts, and to (2) realize fully integrated ultrafast photonic systems such as integrated supercontinuum lasers and self-referenced frequency combs by seamlessly integrating high-peak power MLL with other TFLN-based nonlinear photonic devices. At the core of these innovations lies the investigation and utilization of a novel laser gain medium, and an unexplored regime of light-matter interaction in integrated photonics. Within this new regime, the on-chip laser gain interplays with the energy-efficient, and instantaneous quadratic optical nonlinearity of TFLN nanophotonics, promising efficient, stable, and reconfigurable femtosecond light pulse formation. The successful development of high peak power integrated MLLs and their seamless integration with other TFLN-based nonlinear photonic devices can enable a suite of system-level functionalities that have not yet been realized in integrated photonics, which will play major roles in next-generation optical imaging, metrology, and photonic information processing.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

自然界中最快的时间尺度的秘密的关键在于飞秒模式锁定激光器（MLLS） - 强大的设备，它们在一秒钟的惊人四亿分之一中散发出超短的光学脉冲。实现飞秒MLL和芯片尺度上的超快光子系统，集成的光子电路可以解锁以前超出传统桌面设置的多种应用。这些应用，例如便携式原子钟和先进的生物成像工具，有可能在生物医学科学，国防和信息处理中带来变革性的影响。但是，现有的芯片尺度集成的MLL缺乏可控性的峰值强度和程度，这阻碍了综合超快光子系统的实现。该项目通过利用新颖的激光增益媒体和新兴的薄膜锂Niobate Integrated Photonic材料平台来解决这些挑战，其目的是实现高功率，可重新配置的飞秒MLL和新型的Integrated Ulteraf stultrated Ultrafast Photonic Systems。此外，PI和他的团队还将建立几项新的外展活动和培训计划，为美国半导体和光电劳动力的潜水员背景的学生做好准备。其中包括（1）在半导体设备和集成光子学上的新模块和远程访问的教学实验室； （2）一个研讨会系列，赋予不利的当地高中科学教师，并在半导体和光子学方面取得了尖端的进步，并合作就物理学的有效教学策略进行了合作； (3) “Science Night” events to promote scientific exploration among high school students and nurse their interest and (4) Summer Internship at the PI’s lab at CUNY’s Advanced Science Research Center, which exposes high school students from underrepresented groups to state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge research projects in semiconductor and integrated photonics.Technical description:In this CAREER program, the principle investigator and his team aims to (1) develop薄膜锂锂（TFLN）上的芯片尺度，完全集成的模式锁定激光器（MLL），可以以微波重复速率生成飞秒脉冲，其芯片峰值较高，超过10瓦的芯片峰值，并通过（2）通过（2）实现（2）通过（2）实现全面的超级超级超级元素，并自在高峰值功率MLL与其他基于TFLN的非线性光子设备。这些创新的核心在于新型激光增益培养基的投资和利用，以及集成光子学中光结合相互作用的意外状态。在这个新的制度中，片上激光与TFLN纳米素化学的节能和瞬时二次光学非线性相互作用，有效的，稳定和可重构的飞秒端光脉冲形成。高峰值集成MLL的成功开发及其与其他基于TFLN的非线性光子设备的无缝集成可以使一套系统级功能尚未实现，这些功能尚未实现，这些功能在集成光子学中尚未实现，该功能将在下一代光学成像，Metro-Informent Crocessing中扮演重要的Intervient ofertional Internition。优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。