Efficient terahertz generation scheme in a thin-film lithium niobate-silicon hybrid platform

Jingwei YANG, Cheng WANG*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and ReviewsRGC 21 - Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)
149 Downloads (CityUHK Scholars)

Abstract

The terahertz (THz) spectral window is of unique interest for plenty of applications, yet we are still searching for a low-cost, continuous-wave, room-temperature THz source with high generation efficiency. Here, we propose and investigate a hybrid lithium niobate/silicon waveguide scheme to realize such an efficient THz source via difference-frequency generation. The multi-layer structure allows low-loss and strong waveguide confinements at both optical and THz frequencies, as well as a reasonable nonlinear interaction strength between the three associated waves. Our numerical simulation results show continuous-wave THz generation efficiencies as high as 3.5×10-4 W-1 at 3 THz with high tolerance to device fabrication variations, three orders of magnitude higher than current lithium-niobate-based devices. Further integrating the proposed scheme with an optical racetrack resonator could improve the conversion efficiency to 2.1×10-2 W-1. Our proposed THz source could become a compact and cost-effective solution for future spectroscopy, communications and remote sensing systems.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)16477-16486
JournalOptics Express
Volume29
Issue number11
Online published13 May 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 24 May 2021

Publisher's Copyright Statement

  • © 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement.

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