Methods and apparatus for mode-locking on-chip lasers
US10305253B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 11, 2017 |
| Grant date | May 28, 2019 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 20, 2037 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S3/1636
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An artificial saturable absorber uses additive pulse mode-locking to enable pulse operation of an on-chip laser operation. Four different artificial saturable absorbers are disclosed. The first includes an integrated coupler, two arms each containing some implementation of the end-reflector, and a phase bias element in one arm. The second includes an integrated directional coupler, two integrated waveguide arms, and another integrated coupler as an output. The third includes an integrated birefringent element, integrated birefringent-free waveguide, and integrated polarizer. And the fourth includes a multimode waveguide that allows for different modes to propagate in such a way that the difference in the spatial distribution of intensity causes a nonlinear phase difference between the modes. These are just some examples of an on-chip fully integrated artificial saturable absorber with instantaneous recovery time that allow for generation of sub-femtosecond optical pulses at high repetition rates using passive mode-locking.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.