UT develops narrow-band laser on a chip for photonics

Scientists from the University of Twente have developed a small accurate laser on a chip with a deviation of 290 Hertz compared to the standard frequency. The invention could play a role in future photonic chips that replace traditional electronic chips.

According to the University of Twente, the laser is the most accurate on a chip to date. It is a tunable hybrid laser that consists of two optically connected chips in which the color of the laser is adjustable. The accuracy makes the laser a good candidate for photonics. Optical communication at chip level should eventually partly replace traditional chips based on electrical signals, which should significantly improve data speed and consumption.

“Our signal is more than ten times as coherent as that of the most narrow-band laser on a chip,” says Klaus Boller of the Laser Physics and Nonlinear Optics group of the UT research institute MESA+, Applied Nanophotonics. His research team collaborated on the development with the company LioniX. Boller presented the experimental demonstration of the small hybrid laser at a conference in Munich. The researchers have submitted their work for publication to the Optical Society of America under the title 290 Hz Intrinsic Linewidth from an Integrated Optical Chip-based Widely Tunable InP-Si3N4 Hybrid Laser.