All-optical signal processing platforms for CMOS compatible integrated nonlinear optics

Abstract

Nonlinear photonic chips have enabled the generation and processing of signals using only light, with performance far superior to that possible electronically - particularly with respect to speed. Although silicon-on-insulator has been the leading platform for nonlinear optics, its high two-photon absorption at telecommunications wavelengths poses a fundamental limitation. We review recent progress in non-silicon CMOS-compatible platforms for nonlinear optics, with a focus on Si3N4 and Hydex. These material systems have opened up many new capabilities such as on-chip optical frequency comb generation and ultrafast optical pulse generation and measurement. This review highlights their potential impact as well as the challenges to achieving practical solutions for many key applications.

Review Paper, 31 pages, 129 references, 6 figures

References in corpus (8)

• Phase-sensitive optical pulse characterization on a chip via Spectral Phase Interferometry for Direct Electric-Field Reconstruction (SPIDER)
• Ultrafast modelocked nonlinear micro-cavity laser
• Ultra-pure RF tone from a micro-ring resonator based optical frequency comb source
• Optical performance monitoring at 640Gb/s via slow-light in a silicon nanowire
• Silicon nanowire based exclusive-OR gate using nonlinear optics for 40Gb/s DPSK signals
• High Kerr nonlinearity hydrogenated amorphous silicon nanowires with low two photon absorption and high optical stability
• Limiting Nature of Continuum Generation in Silicon
• Novel extraction algorithm for amplitude and phase measurement of ultrashort optical pulses via spectral phase interferometry

Cited by in corpus (11)

• CMOS-compatible, multiplexed source of heralded photon pairs: towards integrated quantum combs
• Mode-locked ultrashort pulse generation from on-chip normal dispersion microresonators
• Terahertz bandwidth integrated radio frequency spectrum analyzer via nonlinear optics
• Third-order chromatic dispersion stabilizes Kerr frequency combs
• High confinement, high yield Si3N4 waveguides for nonlinear optical application
• Molecular-absorption-induced thermal bistablity in PECVD silicon nitride microring resonators
• Refractometric sensing of Li salt with visible-light Si3N4 microdisk resonators
• Micro--structured crystalline resonators for optical frequency comb generation
• Hydex Glass: a New CMOS Compatible Platform for All-Optical Photonic Chips
• Hydex Glass and Amorphous Silicon for Integrated Nonlinear Optical Signal Processing
• New CMOS Compatible Platforms for Integrated Nonlinear Optical Signal Processing