OCTAVE PHOTONICS LLC — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: S16

Description

We are proposing Kerr-soliton On-chip Microcombs with Optimized Dispersion for Octave-spanning Output (KOMODO). The KOMODO platform will be a chip-scale optical frequency comb compatible with compact, deployable, next-generation optical atomic clocks and quantum sensors. Our proposed solution brings together engineered nano-scale waveguides, precision laser stabilization techniques, and advanced photonic packaging to realize true chip-integrated comb sources for demanding terrestrial and space-based applications in timing, spectroscopy, and quantum sensing. The project will translate directly into a commercial device that will provide a stabilized broadband frequency-comb output with low size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements.nbsp;Frequency combs are extremely stable multi-wavelength laser systems that provide a coherent link between the optical and microwave domains. Octave-spanning combs are essential for modern atomic timekeeping, where the comb is required to read out an optical atomic clock laser. The current state-of-the-art in compact frequency combs are fiber-based mode-locked lasers. While such systems have been instrumental in starting the transition of frequency combs outside of the laboratory, the SWaP requirements are still incompatible with many uses, especially space-based applications.nbsp;In contrast, microcombs offer a path towards reducing the SWaP of these systems by an order of magnitude, opening possibilities for the integration of combs into hand-held devices and low-power spacecraft. The proposed KOMODO platform represents a new paradigm for fully stabilized microresonator frequency combs with low SWaP. We will achieve this by improving the TRL of four key technologies in this program: 1) turn-key comb generation with hybrid-integrated pump lasers, 2) advanced dispersion control through engineered photonic-crystal ring resonators, 3) self-referenced microcomb stabilization, and 4) environmentally robust photonic packaging. nbsp;