Efficient second-harmonic emission via strong modal overlap in single-resonant lithium niobate nanocavity

Abstract

High-efficiency second-harmonic generation (SHG) in compact integrated photonic systems is crucial for advancing nonlinear optical technologies. However, achieving exceptional conversion efficiencies while maintaining stable performance remains a significant challenge. Here, we report a high-Q single-resonant photonic crystal nanobeam cavity (PCNBC) on a polymer-loaded lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI) platform, which enables bright second-harmonic (SH) emission. Through synergistic optimization of modal confinement and spatial overlap in a y-cut LN architecture, our device achieves a normalized SHG conversion efficiency of 163%/W, outperforming previous LN-based photonic crystal cavities LN-based photonic crystal cavities by over three orders of magnitude. The visible SH emission at 768.77 nm exhibits a single-lobe radiation pattern with precise spectral alignment between fundamental (FH) and second-harmonic (SH) modes, a critical feature for integrated photonic circuits. Remarkably, the conversion efficiency remains stable under thermal variations up to 20°C, addressing a key limitation of multi-resonant systems. High-order cavity modes are directly visualized via CCD imaging, confirming strong spatial overlap. This work establishes a record SHG conversion efficiency for LN microcavities and provides a scalable, temperature-insensitive architecture for nonlinear light sources, with immediate applications in quantum optics and chip-scale interconnects.