Monolithic thin-film lithium niobate broadband spectrometer with one nanometre resolution

Nat Commun. 2024 Mar 14;15(1):2330. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46512-4.

Abstract

Miniaturised optical spectrometers are attractive due to their small footprint, low weight, robustness and stability even in harsh environments such as space or industrial facilities. We report on a stationary-wave integrated Fourier-transform spectrometer featuring a measured optical bandwidth of 325 nm and a theoretical spectral resolution of 1.2 nm. We fabricate and test on lithium niobate-on-insulator to take full advantage of the platform, namely electro-optic modulation, broad transparency range and the low optical loss achieved thanks to matured fabrication techniques. We use the electro-optic effect and develop innovative layouts to overcome the undersampling limitations and improve the spectral resolution, thus providing a framework to enhance the performance of all devices sharing the same working principle. With our work, we add another important element to the portfolio of integrated lithium-niobate optical devices as our spectrometer can be combined with multiple other building blocks to realise functional, monolithic and compact photonic integrated circuits.