Method and apparatus for optical frequency comb generation using a monolithic micro-resonator

Abstract

An optical frequency comb generator includes a laser device arranged for generating input laser light having a predetermined input light frequency, a dielectric micro-resonator having a cavity exhibiting a third order nonlinearity, so that the micro-resonator is capable of optical parametric generation providing parametrically generated light, and a waveguide optically coupled to the micro-resonator, the waveguide being arranged for in-coupling the input laser light into the micro-resonator and out-coupling the parametrically generated light out of the micro-resonator, wherein the laser device, the waveguide and the micro-resonator being arranged for resonantly in-coupling the laser input light to a mode of the micro-resonator with a minimum power level so that an optical field inside the cavity exceeds a predetermined cascaded parametric oscillation threshold at which the parametrically generated light includes frequencies of frequency sidebands of the input light frequency and of the sidebands thereof.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.