Efficient wavelength conversion with low operation power in a Ta_2O_5-based micro-ring resonator

Abstract

The Ta2O5-based micro-ring resonator with an unloaded quality factor of 182,000 has been demonstrated to realize efficient nonlinear wavelength generation. The propagation loss of the resonator is 0.5  cm−1, and the buildup factor of the ring resonator is estimated to be ∼50. With a high buildup factor of the ring structure, the four-wave-mixing (FWM) conversion efficiency of −30  dB is achieved in the resonator with a pump power of 6 mW. Based on power-dependent FWM results, the nonlinear refractive index of Ta2O5 is estimated to be 1.4×10−14  cm2/W at a wavelength of ∼1550  nm. The demonstration of an enhanced FWM process in the Ta2O5-based micro-ring cavity implies the possibility of realizing FWM-based optical parametric oscillation in a Ta2O5-based micro-ring resonator.