Simultaneous generation of a broadband MIR and NIR frequency comb in a GaP microring

Appl Opt. 2022 Apr 1;61(10):2629-2633. doi: 10.1364/AO.454007.

Abstract

Midinfrared (MIR) optical frequency combs are of great significance as broadband coherent light sources used in extensive areas such as coherent communications and molecule detections. Conventional MIR combs are usually restricted in size and power, while most microcombs are focused in the near-infrared (NIR) region because of the limited accessible Q-factor of microrings and the poor performances of available pumps. In this paper, we numerically demonstrate the simultaneous generation of a broadband MIR and NIR comb in a GaP microring with an additive waveguide. The achieved octave-spanning (1890-4050 nm) MIR microcomb at a low pump power of 34 mW can be effectively converted to the second-harmonic NIR comb covering 1120-1520 nm with separate dispersion optimization of the ring cavity and straight waveguide. The proposed system has the advantage of simple structure and low power threshold, which could find potential in highly integrated MIR optical sources and related applications.