Researchers from NIST and Purdue University have developed a new on-chip microresonator technology that converts continuous laser light into ultra-short, precisely controlled light pulses. The microresonator, made of silicon nitride, is just 80 micrometers in diameter and can generate a set of evenly spaced frequencies called “comb lines” when infrared light passes through it.
The generated optical frequency comb can be highly coherent, meaning individual frequency lines remain synchronized for long periods. By adjusting the phase of each comb line, researchers can compress the light into a train of ultra-short pulses with high repetition rates. This technology could potentially improve the performance of high-speed electron microscopes and compete with traditional mode-locked lasers for some laboratory measurement applications.
The key technical points are:
1. On-chip microresonator generates optical frequency comb
2. Comb lines are evenly spaced and highly coherent
3. Phase control allows compression into ultra-short pulses
4. High repetition rates enable potential applications in microscopy and metrology
5. Competes with traditional mode-locked lasers in some applications
Keywords: metrology, microresonator, frequency
