Scientists from EPFL and IBM have developed an innovative hybrid integrated tunable laser by merging lithium niobate with silicon nitride, achieving low frequency noise and rapid wavelength tuning. This breakthrough laser has significant implications for LiDAR, telecommunications, and quantum computing due to its desirable characteristics.
Lithium niobate is a key material for optical modulators, known for its capability to handle high optical power and its high Pockels coefficient that allows modulation of its optical properties when exposed to an electric field. The integration of silicon nitride-based photonic circuits with lithium niobate led to a laser that excels in both stability and speed, achieving unprecedented low phase noise while also allowing fast petahertz-per-second tuning, crucial for high-precision optical ranging experiments.
The researchers demonstrated the laser’s potential by using it for precise distance measurements. Beyond advanced lasers, this hybrid platform opens avenues for integrated transceivers in telecommunications and microwave-optical transducers for quantum applications. Professor Tobias J. Kippenberg highlighted the significance of the achievement, calling it a first for chip-scale integrated lasers. The study received funding from several organizations, and contributions were made at both EPFL and IBM’s research facilities.
