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Soliton microcombs -- phase-locked microcavity frequency combs -- have become the foundation of several classical technologies in integrated photonics, including spectroscopy, LiDAR, and optical computing. Despite the predicted multimode entanglement across the comb, experimental study of the quantum optics of the soliton microcomb has been elusive. In this work, we use second-order photon correlations to study the underlying quantum processes of soliton microcombs in an integrated silicon carbide microresonator. We show that a stable temporal lattice of solitons can isolate a multimode below-threshold Gaussian state from any admixture of coherent light, and predict that all-to-all entanglement can be realized for the state. Our work opens a pathway toward a soliton-based multimode quantum resource.

We demonstrate non-reciprocal continuous-wave transmission through integrated Si3N4 and LiNbO3 micro-resonators using the Kerr nonlinearity. We achieve a 5 dB non-reciprocal transmission ratio with 30 mW input power on Si3N4, a significant step towards integrated passive isolators.

We experimentally demonstrate inverse-designed foundry-fabricated vortex beam emitters that take advantage of multi-layer heterogeneous integration to achieve wide bandwidths and high efficiencies.

We implement inverse-designed nano-resonators in 4H-Silicon-Carbide-on-Insulator and demonstrate high quality factors and quantum frequency comb generation.

We generate soliton microcombs in silicon-carbide-on-insulator microrings with a minimum operation power of 2.3 mW in the input waveguide. Using a single-photon optical spectrum analyzer, we study the multimode quantum correlations of soliton micro-combs.

Non-reciprocal devices such as isolators and circulators are key enabling technologies for communication systems, both at microwave and optical frequencies. Although non-reciprocal devices based on magnetic effects are available for free-space and fibre-optic communication systems, their on-chip integration has been challenging, primarily due to the concomitant high insertion loss, weak magneto-optical effects and material incompatibility. We show that χ(3) nonlinear resonators can be used to achieve all-passive, low-loss, bias-free non-reciprocal transmission for applications in photonic systems such as chip-scale LiDAR. A multi-port nonlinear Fano resonator is used as an on-chip, non-reciprocal pulse router for frequency comb-based optical ranging. Because time-reversal symmetry imposes stringent limitations on the operating power range and transmission of a single nonlinear resonator, we implement a cascaded Fano–Lorentzian resonator system that overcomes these limitations and substantially improves the insertion loss and operating power range of current state-of-the-art devices. This work provides a platform-independent design for non-reciprocal transmission and routing that is ideally suited for photonic integration. Optical nonlinearity is exploited for non-reciprocal transmission and integrated frequency comb-based optical ranging.

Optical gyroscopes are among the most accurate rotation measuring devices and are widely used for navigation and accurate pointing. Since the advent of photonic integrated components for communications, and with their increasing complexity, there has been interest in the possibility of chip-scale optical gyroscopes1. Besides the potential benefits of integration, such solid-state systems would be robust and resistant to shock. Here, we report a gyroscope using Brillouin ring lasers on a silicon chip. Its stability and sensitivity enable measurement of Earth’s rotation, representing a major milestone for this new class of gyroscope. A Sagnac gyroscope based on Brillouin ring lasers on a silicon chip is presented. The stability and sensitivity of this on-chip planar gyroscope allow measurement of the Earth’s rotation, with an amplitude sensitivity as small as 5 deg h−1 for a sinusoidal rotation, an angle random walk of 0.068 deg h−1/2 and bias instability of 3.6 deg h−1.

Optical quantum information processing will require highly efficient photonic circuits to connect quantum nodes on-chip and across long distances. This entails the efficient integration of optically addressable qubits into photonic circuits, as well as quantum frequency conversion to the telecommunications band. 4H-silicon carbide (4H-SiC) offers unique potential for on-chip quantum photonics, as it hosts a variety of promising colour centres and has a strong second-order optical nonlinearity. Here, we demonstrate within a single, monolithic platform the strong enhancement of emission from a colour centre and efficient optical frequency conversion. We develop a fabrication process for thin films of 4H-SiC, which are compatible with industry-standard, CMOS nanofabrication. This work provides a viable route towards industry-compatible, scalable colour-centre-based quantum technologies, including the monolithic generation and frequency conversion of quantum light on-chip. Monolithic photonics devices based on SiC are fabricated by a wafer bonding and thinning technique. The strong enhancement of single-photon emission from a colour centre and optical frequency conversion with an efficiency of 360% W−1 are demonstrated.

Non-linear wave mixing in optical microresonators offers new perspectives for the realization of compact optical frequency ‘microcombs’, holding many promising applications. These typically rely on dissipative soliton formation in driven nonlinear passive cavities with anomalous dispersion, yielding a sech pulse shape. Here, we use a genetic algorithm to ‘invert’ the Lugiato-Lefever equation that models these systems, in order to find the optimum arbitrary dispersion profile needed to achieve a microcomb with a targeted spectral shape. We consider several use cases, such as generating near gaussian pulses, or a telecom-optimized microcomb, as well as optimize a dispersive wave position and power.

The ability of photonic crystal waveguides (PCWs) to confine and slow down light makes them an ideal component to enhance the performance of various photonic devices, such as optical modulators or sensors. However, the integration of PCWs in photonic applications poses design challenges, most notably, engineering the PCW mode dispersion and creating efficient coupling devices. Here, we solve these challenges with photonic inverse design, and experimentally demonstrate a slow-light PCW optical phased array (OPA) with a wide steering range. Even and odd mode PCWs are engineered for a group index of 25, over a bandwidth of 20nm and 12nm, respectively. Additionally, for both PCW designs, we create strip waveguide couplers and free-space vertical couplers. Finally, also relying on inverse design, the radiative losses of the PCW are engineered, allowing us to construct OPAs with a 20{\deg} steering range in a 20nm bandwidth.

We experimentally demonstrate a suite of integrated inverse-designed optical vortex beam emitters. As these emitters are extremely compact, 3×3 µm, they are capable of operating over a 60 nm uninterrupted band.

We experimentally demonstrate controllable nontrivial complex-energy windings of a non-Hermitian band by implementing lattices in a frequency synthetic dimension using a modulated ring resonator and directly measure the complex band structures and winding numbers.

Topology in the open Controlling the topology of a system provides a route to develop devices that are robust against defects. Whereas earlier developments of topological band theory focused on Hermitian (closed) systems, recent efforts have been toward non-Hermitian (open) systems. K. Wang et al. report on the measurement and control of topologically nontrivial windings of a non-Hermitian energy band. By implementing non-Hermitian lattice Hamiltonians along a frequency synthetic dimension formed by optical frequency modes in a modulated ring-resonator, they directly visualized the nontrivial topological band winding and showed that the winding can be controlled. Such control provides a route for the experimental synthesis, characterization, and control of topologically nontrivial phases in open physical systems. Science , this issue p. 1240

We use inverse-design to experimentally demonstrate compact devices for multimode integrated silicon photonic systems. Inverse-design enables spatial mode conversion and mode-division splitting with compact footprint and low insertion loss, showing promise for use in implementing high-bandwidth on-chip or chip-to-chip optical interconnects.

Silicon carbide (SiC) is rapidly emerging as a leading platform for the implementation of nonlinear and quantum photonics. Here, we find that commercial SiC, which hosts a variety of spin qubits, possesses low optical absorption that can enable SiC integrated photonics with quality factors exceeding $10^7$. We fabricate microring resonators with quality factors as high as 1.1 million, and observe low-threshold (8.5 $\pm$ 0.5 mW) optical parametric oscillation as well as optical microcombs spanning 200 nm. Our demonstration is an essential milestone in the development of photonic devices that harness the unique optical properties of SiC, paving the way toward the monolithic integration of nonlinear photonics with spin-based quantum technologies., 5 pages, 3 figures

Inspired by the success of semiconductor-chip-based MEMs rotation sensors, there has long been interest in the possible realization of chip-based optical gyroscopes. Such devices could potentially be lightweight and rugged, while featuring some of the sensitivity advantages of Sagnac-based sensing devices. However, the performance of integrated-optical gyroscopes has lagged behind MEMS devices on account of difficult-to-achieve requirements for low-optical-loss chip-based waveguides and optical resonators. Here, a chip-based ring laser gyroscope is described. Its sensitivity is high enough to measure the Earth's rotation. The physical principles of its operation and its current performance will be reviewed.

We present the first demonstration of a waveguide-integrated dielectric laser accelerator. This structure and associated grating coupler are designed using a gradient-based inverse design approach. A waveguide is directly interfaced with an accelerator structure which is patterned with sub-wavelength features to produce near-fields phase-matched to electrons travelling through a 250 nm gap in the structure. We have experimentally demonstrated these waveguide-integrated accelerators by showing acceleration of subrelativistic electrons of initial energy 83.5 keV. We observe a maximum energy modulation of 1.19 keV over 30 μm. These results represent a significant step toward scalable and integrable on-chip dielectric laser accelerators for applications in ultrafast, medical, and high-energy technologies.

We experimentally demonstrate 22 mW-threshold on-chip optical parametric oscillation using 4H-SiC-on-insulator microring resonators. Low-loss, high-confinement resonators may exhibit threshold powers as low as 6 mW.

Inverse design optimizes microcavity structures for desired dispersion properties and fabrication constraints. We experimentally demonstrate robust control of cavity dispersion at the telecommunication band on foundry compatible photonic platform.

We experimentally demonstrate inverse-designed multimode silicon photonics for on-chip interconnect. Inverse design enables spatial mode conversion, multimode waveguide bending, and mode-division beam splitting with compact footprint and low insertion loss.

Frequency combs have applications that extend from the ultra-violet into the mid-infrared bands. Microcombs, a miniature and often semiconductor-chip-based device, can potentially access most of these applications, but are currently more limited in spectral reach. Here, we demonstrate mode-locked silica microcombs with emission near the edge of the visible spectrum. By using both geometrical and mode-hybridization dispersion control, devices are engineered for soliton generation while also maintaining optical $Q$ factors as high as 80 million. Electronics-bandwidth-compatible (20 GHz) soliton mode locking is achieved with low pumping powers (parametric oscillation threshold powers as low as 5.4 mW). These are the shortest wavelength soliton microcombs demonstrated to date and could be used in miniature optical clocks. The results should also extend to visible and potentially ultra-violet bands., Seung Hoon Lee, Dong Yoon Oh, Qi-Fan Yang, Boqiang Shen and Heming Wang contributed equally to this work

Solitons occur in many physical systems when a nonlinearity compensates wave dispersion. Their recent formation in microresonators opens a new research direction for nonlinear optical physics and provides a platform for miniaturization of spectroscopy and frequency metrology systems. These microresonator solitons orbit around a closed waveguide path and produce a repetitive output pulse stream at a rate set by the round-trip time. In this work counter-propagating solitons that simultaneously orbit in an opposing sense (clockwise/counter-clockwise) are studied. Despite sharing the same spatial mode family, their round-trip times can be precisely and independently controlled. Furthermore, a state is possible in which both the relative optical phase and relative repetition rates of the distinct soliton streams are locked. This state allows a single resonator to produce dual-soliton frequency-comb streams having different repetition rates, but with high relative coherence useful in both spectroscopy and laser ranging systems., Qi-Fan Yang and Xu Yi contributed equally to this work

Short duration, intense pulses of light can experience dramatic spectral broadening when propagating through lengths of optical fibre. This continuum generation process is caused by a combination of nonlinear optical effects including the formation of dispersive waves. Optical analogues of Cherenkov radiation, these waves allow a pulse to radiate power into a distant spectral region. In this work, efficient and coherent dispersive wave generation of visible to ultraviolet light is demonstrated in silica waveguides on a silicon chip. Unlike fibre broadeners, the arrays provide a wide range of emission wavelength choices on a single, compact chip. This new capability is used to simplify offset frequency measurements of a mode-locked frequency comb. The arrays can also enable mode-locked lasers to attain unprecedented tunable spectral reach for spectroscopy, bioimaging, tomography and metrology., Continuum generation in optical fibres has enabled many applications, like optical frequency combs. Here, Oh et al. demonstrate controlled dispersive-wave generation in on-chip silica waveguides, which could have a similar impact on integrated devices.

Diamond hosts optically active color centers with great promise in quantum computation, networking, and sensing. Realization of such applications is contingent upon the integration of color centers into photonic circuits. However, current diamond quantum optics experiments are restricted to single devices and few quantum emitters because fabrication constraints limit device functionalities, thus precluding color center integrated photonic circuits. In this work, we utilize inverse design methods to overcome constraints of cutting-edge diamond nanofabrication methods and fabricate compact and robust diamond devices with unique specifications. Our design method leverages advanced optimization techniques to search the full parameter space for fabricable device designs. We experimentally demonstrate inverse-designed photonic free-space interfaces as well as their scalable integration with two vastly different devices: classical photonic crystal cavities and inverse-designed waveguide-splitters. The multi-device integration capability and performance of our inverse-designed diamond platform represents a critical advancement toward integrated diamond quantum optical circuits., Current diamond quantum optics experiments are restricted to single devices and few quantum emitters due to fabrication constraints. Here, the authors utilize inverse design to overcome constraints of diamond nanofabrication methods and fabricate compact and robust diamond devices with unique specifications.

We demonstrate a computational, optimization-based approach to inverse-design photonic devices meeting desired performance specifications. Several applications range from compact wavelength-demultiplexer devices to quantum optics and chip-scale LIDAR.

Miniaturizing particle accelerators Particle accelerators are usually associated with large national facilities. Because photons are able to impart momentum to electrons, there are also efforts to develop laser-based particle accelerators. Sapra et al. developed an integrated particle accelerator using photonic inverse design methods to optimize the interaction between the light and the electrons. They show that an additional kick of around 0.9 kilo–electron volts (keV) can be given to a bunch of 80-keV electrons along just 30 micrometers of a specially designed channel. Such miniaturized dielectric laser accelerators could open up particle physics to a number of scientific disciplines. Science , this issue p. 79

A spectrometer is demonstrated using self-locked counter-propagating soliton frequency combs in a high-Q silica microresonator. Fast tuning laser waveforms and molecular absorption features are measured with kiloHertz to MegaHertz resolution.