Generating few-cycle pulses with integrated nonlinear photonics

Abstract

Ultrashort laser pulses that last only a few optical cycles have been transformative tools for studying and manipulating light–matter interactions. Few-cycle pulses are typically produced from high-peak-power lasers, either directly from a laser oscillator or through nonlinear effects in bulk or fiber materials. Now, an opportunity exists to explore the few-cycle regime with the emergence of fully integrated nonlinear photonics. Here, we experimentally and numerically demonstrate how lithographically patterned waveguides can be used to generate few-cycle laser pulses from an input seed pulse. Moreover, our work explores a design principle in which lithographically varying the group-velocity dispersion in a waveguide enables the creation of highly constant-intensity supercontinuum spectra across an octave of bandwidth. An integrated source of few-cycle pulses could broaden the range of applications for ultrafast light sources, including supporting new lab-on-a-chip systems in a scalable form factor.