Broadband mid-infrared frequency comb generation in a Si_3N_4 microresonator

Abstract

We demonstrate broadband frequency comb generation in the mid-infrared (MIR) from 2.3 to 3.5 μm in a Si(3)N(4) microresonator. We engineer the dispersion of the structure in the MIR using a Sellmeier equation we derive from experimental measurements performed on Si(3)N(4) films from the UV to the IR. We use deposition-anneal cycling to decrease absorption losses due to vibrational transitions in the MIR and achieve a Q-factor of 1.0×10(6). To our knowledge, this is the highest Q reported in this wavelength range for any on-chip resonator.