Integrated optical frequency division for microwave and mmWave generation.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38448598.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41586-024-07057-0 and PMC identifier 10954543.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The generation of ultra-low-noise microwave and mmWave in miniaturized, chip-based platforms can transform communication, radar and sensing systems<sup>1-3</sup>. Optical frequency division that leverages optical references and optical frequency combs has emerged as a powerful technique to generate microwaves with superior spectral purity than any other approaches<sup>4-7</sup>. Here we demonstrate a miniaturized optical frequency division system that can potentially transfer the approach to a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible integrated photonic platform. Phase stability is provided by a large mode volume, planar-waveguide-based optical reference coil cavity<sup>8,9</sup> and is divided down from optical to mmWave frequency by using soliton microcombs generated in a waveguide-coupled microresonator<sup>10-12</sup>. Besides achieving record-low phase noise for integrated photonic mmWave oscillators, these devices can be heterogeneously integrated with semiconductor lasers, amplifiers and photodiodes, holding the potential of large-volume, low-cost manufacturing for fundamental and mass-market applications<sup>13</sup>.