Nonlinear Nanophotonic Devices in the Ultraviolet to Visible Wavelength Range

Although the first lasers invented operated in the visible, the first on-chip devices were optimized for near-infrared (IR) performance driven by demand in telecommunications. However, as the applications of integrated photonics has broadened, the wavelength demand has as well, and we are now returning to the visible (Vis) and pushing into the ultraviolet (UV). This shift has required innovations in device design and in materials as well as leveraging nonlinear behavior to reach these wavelengths. This review discusses the key nonlinear phenomena that can be used as well as presents several emerging material systems and devices that have reached the UV–Vis wavelength range

Nonlinear nanophotonic devices in the Ultraviolet to Visible wavelength range

Although the first lasers invented operated in the visible, the first on-chip devices were optimized for near-infrared (IR) performance driven by demand in telecommunications. However, as the applications of integrated photonics has broadened, the wavelength demand has as well, and we are now returning to the visible (Vis) and pushing into the ultraviolet (UV). This shift has required innovations in device design and in materials as well as leveraging nonlinear behavior to reach these wavelengths. This review discusses the key nonlinear phenomena that can be used as well as presents several emerging material systems and devices that have reached the UV-Vis wavelength range.Comment: 58 pages, 10 figure

On-Chip Ultra-High‑<i>Q</i> Silicon Oxynitride Optical Resonators

Ultra-high-quality-factor (UHQ) optical resonators have enabled numerous fundamental scientific studies and advanced integrated photonic device technology. While free-standing devices can be fabricated from many different materials, only silica (SiO₂) devices have been successfully integrated onto silicon wafers in large arrays. However, the UHQs (<i>Q</i> > 10⁸) are transient, gradually decaying over time due to the presence of hydroxyl groups on the silica surface that attract water. Here, we overcome this challenge by using silicon oxynitride (SiO_<i>x</i>N_<i>y</i>) instead of silica. Unlike SiO₂, SiO_<i>x</i>N_<i>y</i> presents a mixture of −OH and −F groups to the environment, thus inhibiting the formation of a high optical loss water layer. As a result, quality factors in excess of 100 million are able to be maintained for longer than 14 days with no environmental controls on device storage. Over the same time frame, quality factors for SiO₂ devices stored in the same manner degraded by approximately an order of magnitude

Nonlinear nanophotonic devices in the ultraviolet to visible wavelength range

Although the first lasers invented operated in the visible, the first on-chip devices were optimized for near-infrared (IR) performance driven by demand in telecommunications. However, as the applications of integrated photonics has broadened, the wavelength demand has as well, and we are now returning to the visible (Vis) and pushing into the ultraviolet (UV). This shift has required innovations in device design and in materials as well as leveraging nonlinear behavior to reach these wavelengths. This review discusses the key nonlinear phenomena that can be used as well as presents several emerging material systems and devices that have reached the UV–Vis wavelength range