Mid-infrared spectroscopy with a broadly tunable thin-film lithium niobate optical parametric oscillator

• DOI: 10.1364/optica.502487
• Publication Date: 2023-10-18T15:00:07Z
• Authors: Alexander Y. Hwang; Hubert S. Stokowski; Taewon Park; Marc Jankowski; Timothy P. McKenna; Carsten Langrock; Jatadhari Mishra; Vahid Ansari; Martin M. Fejer; Amir H. Safavi-Na...
• Keywords: Optical parametric amplifier

Mid-infrared spectroscopy, an important technique for sensing molecules, has encountered barriers from sources either limited in tuning range or excessively bulky widespread use. We present a compact, efficient, and broadly tunable optical parametric oscillator surmounting these challenges. Leveraging dispersion-engineered thin-film lithium niobate-on-sapphire photonics singly resonant cavity allows broad, controlled over octave 1.5–3.3 µm. The device generates >25mW of mid-infrared light at 3.2 µm with 15% conversion efficiency. ability to precisely control the device’s emission enables spectroscopy methane ammonia, demonstrating our approach’s relevance sensing. Our work signifies advance nonlinear miniaturization, bringing practical field applications high-speed, broadband closer reality.