Mid-IR supercontinuum generation in a silicon nitride loaded lithium niobate on sapphire waveguide

Abstract

In spectroscopy, having access to a wide range of wavelengths within the mid-infrared region is crucial for conducting thorough and versatile analyses. In our research, we successfully demonstrate numerically the generation of supercontinuum within a waveguide made of silicon nitride loaded onto lithium niobate on a sapphire substrate, with a specific focus on the mid-infrared wavelength range. By implementing effective lateral leakage and dispersion engineering techniques, we have significantly broadened our system’s spectral range, covering wavelengths from the near-infrared (near-IR) to the mid-infrared (mid-IR) regions. Our results indicate that when a silicon nitride-loaded lithium niobate waveguide is excited with a commercially available femtosecond fiber laser pump at 2070 nm, it has the capability to produce a supercontinuum that spans more than one octave within the mid-infrared wavelength range.