Methods, systems, and devices are described for generating an optical signal. An example device may comprise a chip and a waveguide disposed on the chip and comprising silicon nitride. The waveguide may be configured to generate, based on nonlinear effects applied to a pump signal from a pump laser, an optical signal having a broader spectrum than the pump signal. The waveguide may have a width and a height such that the optical signal has near zero group-velocity-dispersion.

Methods, systems, and devices are described for generating an optical signal. An example device may comprise a chip and a waveguide disposed on the chip and comprising silicon nitride. The waveguide may be configured to generate, based on nonlinear effects applied to a pump signal from a pump laser, an optical signal having a broader spectrum than the pump signal. The waveguide may have a width and a height such that the optical signal has near zero group-velocity-dispersion.

Improved architectures and related methods for enhancing entangled photon generation in optical systems are described. Photons from a light source are coupled from the fundamental mode into an optical resonator in a higher-order mode. The optical resonator comprises a photon generation portion configured to generate entangled photons from the coupled photons. The entangled photons are selectively extracted from the optical resonator in the fundamental mode while the remaining photons propagate through the optical resonator mode and combine with the source photons entering the optical resonator. While the source photons propagating or entering the optical resonator resonate within the optical resonator, the entangled photons are not resonant with the optical resonator, and are selectively extracted before traversing a complete cycle in the optical resonator. Extracted entangled photons can then be output for use in, for example, a communication system.

Improved architectures and related methods for enhancing entangled photon generation in optical systems are described. Photons from a light source are coupled from the fundamental mode into an optical resonator in a higher-order mode. The optical resonator comprises a photon generation portion configured to generate entangled photons from the coupled photons. The entangled photons are selectively extracted from the optical resonator in the fundamental mode while the remaining photons propagate through the optical resonator mode and combine with the source photons entering the optical resonator. While the source photons propagating or entering the optical resonator resonate within the optical resonator, the entangled photons are not resonant with the optical resonator, and are selectively extracted before traversing a complete cycle in the optical resonator. Extracted entangled photons can then be output for use in, for example, a communication system.

A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) includes a first microresonator that generates a two-mode squeezed vacuum using spontaneous four-wave mixing. Specifically, the first microresonator uses a nonlinear optical medium to convert two pump photons into a pair of entangled signal and idler photons. Due to imperfect conversion efficiency, some of the pump light may co-propagate with the signal light and idler light. To remove this “unconverted” pump light, the PIC includes a second microresonator that is tuned to resonate with only the pump light. The second microresonator is located after the first microresonator and couples the unconverted pump light into a waveguide that guide the light off the PIC. Thus, the second microresonator acts as a notch filter. Integrating this pump filter onto the PIC adds negligibly to the path length of the squeezed light, and therefore saves the propagation losses incurred when using a much larger off-chip filter.

A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) includes a first microresonator that generates a two-mode squeezed vacuum using spontaneous four-wave mixing. Specifically, the first microresonator uses a nonlinear optical medium to convert two pump photons into a pair of entangled signal and idler photons. Due to imperfect conversion efficiency, some of the pump light may co-propagate with the signal light and idler light. To remove this “unconverted” pump light, the PIC includes a second microresonator that is tuned to resonate with only the pump light. The second microresonator is located after the first microresonator and couples the unconverted pump light into a waveguide that guide the light off the PIC. Thus, the second microresonator acts as a notch filter. Integrating this pump filter onto the PIC adds negligibly to the path length of the squeezed light, and therefore saves the propagation losses incurred when using a much larger off-chip filter.

Even when excitation light having large power is used, damage at the end face of the optical fiber is suppressed, and reduction in wavelength conversion efficiency and reduction in phase sensitive amplification gain are prevented. An embodiment of the present invention relates to a wavelength conversion apparatus for performing a wavelength conversion operation by inputting a fundamental wave and a second-order harmonic into a second-order nonlinear optical medium, the wavelength conversion apparatus comprising: a second-order harmonic input optical fiber optically coupled to a waveguide of the second-order nonlinear optical medium, for inputting the second-order harmonic into the waveguide; and a second-order harmonic output optical fiber optically coupled to a waveguide, for outputting the second-order harmonic output from the waveguide, wherein the second-order harmonic input optical fiber and the second-order harmonic output optical fiber are polarization maintaining fibers.

A device for the generation of ultrashort pulses, wherein an oscillator is formed by: a first and a second non-overlapping transmission band-pass filter, which can serve as reflecting end element of the oscillator; optically transparent means with non-linear Kerr coefficient χ.sup.(3) different from zero configured to achieve a spectral broadening by self-phase modulation of the signal transiting through these means; an optical waveguide that produces a positive gain; a node configured to receive a trigger signal designed to activate the operation of the oscillator; a trigger signal generating device comprising: a laser source, for example a microchip, configured to generate a laser pulse, preferably with a minimum bandwidth, having a duration of hundreds of ps, up to the ns; a coupling system designed to introduce the pulse of the trigger laser into a waveguide made of an optically transparent material characterised by a non-linear Kerr coefficient χ.sup.(3) different from zero, which is configured to produce two distinct effects in order to spectrally broaden the pulse of the trigger laser, and precisely: a) self-phase modulation four-wave mixing; the output of the waveguide supplies the trigger signal to the node. The pulses produced by the oscillator typically have a duration of the order of the picosecond and are easily reduced to the Fourier limit of circa 100 femtoseconds by means of a dispersive device.

A device for the generation of ultrashort pulses, wherein an oscillator is formed by: a first and a second non-overlapping transmission band-pass filter, which can serve as reflecting end element of the oscillator; optically transparent means with non-linear Kerr coefficient χ.sup.(3) different from zero configured to achieve a spectral broadening by self-phase modulation of the signal transiting through these means; an optical waveguide that produces a positive gain; a node configured to receive a trigger signal designed to activate the operation of the oscillator; a trigger signal generating device comprising: a laser source, for example a microchip, configured to generate a laser pulse, preferably with a minimum bandwidth, having a duration of hundreds of ps, up to the ns; a coupling system designed to introduce the pulse of the trigger laser into a waveguide made of an optically transparent material characterised by a non-linear Kerr coefficient χ.sup.(3) different from zero, which is configured to produce two distinct effects in order to spectrally broaden the pulse of the trigger laser, and precisely: a) self-phase modulation four-wave mixing; the output of the waveguide supplies the trigger signal to the node. The pulses produced by the oscillator typically have a duration of the order of the picosecond and are easily reduced to the Fourier limit of circa 100 femtoseconds by means of a dispersive device.

A supercontinuum source, comprises a pump source and a supercontinuum generator configured for receiving electromagnetic radiation derived from the pump source and for generating supercontinuum radiation, the supercontinuum generator comprising a nonlinear microstructured optical fibre having a core region comprising silica. The core region includes a dopant selected to reduce light-induced non-bridging oxygen hole centre loss in the nonlinear microstructured optical fibre.