Ultrafast-nonlinear ultraviolet pulse modulation in an AlInGaN polariton waveguide operating up to room temperature
Journal article, 2021
Ultrafast nonlinear photonics enables a host of applications in advanced on-chip spectroscopy and information processing. These rely on a strong intensity dependent (nonlinear) refractive index capable of modulating optical pulses on sub-picosecond timescales and on length scales suitable for integrated photonics. Currently there is no platform that can provide this for the UV spectral range where broadband spectra generated by nonlinear modulation can pave the way to new on-chip ultrafast (bio-) chemical spectroscopy devices. We demonstrate the giant nonlinearity of UV hybrid light-matter states (exciton-polaritons) up to room temperature in an AlInGaN waveguide. We experimentally measure ultrafast nonlinear spectral broadening of UV pulses in a compact 100 μm long device and deduce a nonlinearity 1000 times that in common UV nonlinear materials and comparable to non-UV polariton devices. Our demonstration promises to underpin a new generation of integrated UV nonlinear light sources for advanced spectroscopy and measurement.
Author
D. M. Di Paola
University of Sheffield
P. M. Walker
University of Sheffield
R. P.A. Emmanuele
University of Sheffield
A. V. Yulin
ITMO University
Joachim Ciers
Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Photonics
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL)
Z. Zaidi
University of Sheffield
J. F. Carlin
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL)
Nicolas Grandjean
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL)
I. A. Shelykh
ITMO University
University of Iceland
M. S. Skolnick
University of Sheffield
ITMO University
R. Butté
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL)
D. N. Krizhanovskii
ITMO University
University of Sheffield
Nature Communications
2041-1723 (ISSN) 20411723 (eISSN)
Vol. 12 1 3504Subject Categories
Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics
Other Physics Topics
Condensed Matter Physics
DOI
10.1038/s41467-021-23635-6
PubMed
34108471