Optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) can downconvert the pump laser to longer wavelengths with octave separation via
χ
(
2
)
, which is widely used for laser wavelength extension including mid-infrared (MIR) generation. Such a process can be integrated in monolithic resonators, being compact and low in threshold. In this work, we show that the monolithic
χ
(
2
)
mini-OPO can also be used for optical frequency comb generation around 2096 nm and enters the boundary of MIR range. A new geometry called an optical superlattice box resonator is developed for this realization with near-material-limited quality factor of
4.0
×
10
7
. Only a continuous-wave near-infrared pump laser is required, with OPO threshold of 80 mW and output power up to 340 mW. Revival temporal profiles are measured at a detectable repetition frequency of 1.426 GHz, and narrow beat note linewidth of less than 10 Hz shows high comb coherence. These results are in good agreement with our simulation for a stable comb generation. Such an OPO-based comb source is useful for carbon dioxide sensing or the mine prospect applications and can be generalized to longer MIR wavelengths for general gas spectroscopy.
In this Letter, we report thermo-optic tunable and efficient second-harmonic generation (SHG) based on an X-cut periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide. By applying an on-chip heater with thermo-isolation trenches and combining a type-0 quasi-phase matching mechanism, we experimentally achieve a high on-chip SHG conversion efficiency of 2500–3000% W−1 cm−2 and a large tuning power efficiency of 94 pm/mW inside a single 5-mm-long straight PPLN waveguide. Our design is for energy-efficient, high-performance nonlinear applications, such as wavelength conversion, highly tunable coherent light sources, and photon-pair generation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.