Sub-2W tunable laser based on silicon photonics power amplifier
2025

High-Power Tunable Laser Using Silicon Photonics

publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Neetesh Singh, Jan Lorenzen, Muharrem Kilinc, Kai Wang, Milan Sinobad, Henry Francis, Jose Carreira, Michael Geiselmann, Umit Demirbas, Mikhail Pergament, Sonia M. Garcia-Blanco, Franz X. Kärtner

Primary Institution: Center for Free-Electron Laser Science CFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany

Hypothesis

Can integrated photonics achieve high-power tunable lasers comparable to benchtop systems?

Conclusion

The study demonstrates a high-power tunable laser based on silicon photonics with an output power of 1.8 W.

Supporting Evidence

  • The device achieved an output power of 1.8 W over a tunability range of 60 nm.
  • The integrated LMA device can significantly increase the power of existing tunable lasers.
  • The power levels demonstrated surpass those of many benchtop systems.

Takeaway

This research shows that we can make really powerful lasers on tiny chips, which can be used for things like space exploration and medical procedures.

Methodology

The device was fabricated in two steps, involving a silicon substrate and a thulium-doped alumina gain layer.

Limitations

The power generation was limited by the seed laser and the passive film loss was higher than expected.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1038/s41377-024-01681-1

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