Revolutionary Optical Device Enabled by Conjoined 'Racetracks'

Researchers at Caltech and UC Santa Barbara have developed a new microcomb device that overcomes the optical limitations of ultra-low-loss silicon nitride (ULL nitride) by generating pulses in pairs. By creating multiple conjoined racetracks, the paired laser pulses bunch up, counteracting the dispersion and allowing the microcombs to work properly. This breakthrough could lead to the integration of microcombs into handheld devices and the creation of large photonic circuit arrays for soliton pulses. The manufacturing scalability of the complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) process makes it easier and more economical to produce these short-pulse microcombs.