Platicon purification in self-injection locking regime via gain switching

Abstract

Integrated photonic devices leveraging optical frequency microcombs have emerged as essential instruments for modern photonic systems, prized for their chip-scale footprint, high energy efficiency, and inherent stability. This work introduces a novel approach to microwave photonic oscillator based on generation of a Kerr platicon microcomb by a gain-switched self-injection-locked distributed feedback (DFB) laser diode. The system leverages direct modulation of the current of the laser diode, generating optical sidebands around the pump line. The beatnote between the Kerr comb lines and sidebands of the modulated pump at a high-speed photodetector allows to obtain tunable, low-noise microwave signals at frequencies close to the platicon repetition rate, which is many times higher than used for gain switching. We experimentally demonstrate continuous microwave signal frequency tuning from 100 MHz to 3.6 GHz by sweeping the modulation frequency, thereby shifting the generated sidebands relative to a platicon beatnote. We match third harmonics of the modulation frequency of the gain-switch signal with the free spectral range of the microresonator simultaneously generating the platicon microcomb. That leads to significant spectral purification of the platicon beatnote decreasing its phase noise by more than 30 dB. The novel architecture proposed offers a robust and versatile method for microwave synthesis, presenting significant potential for the advancement of integrated microwave photonic systems and their applications in communications, sensing, and metrology.