Inverse-designed silicon carbide quantum and nonlinear photonics

Abstract

Inverse design has revolutionized the field of photonics, enabling automated development of complex structures and geometries with unique functionalities unmatched by classical design. However, the use of inverse design in nonlinear photonics has been limited. In this work, we demonstrate quantum and classical nonlinear light generation in silicon carbide nanophotonic inverse-designed Fabry-Pérot cavities. We achieve ultra-low reflector losses while targeting a pre-specified anomalous dispersion to reach optical parametric oscillation. By controlling dispersion through inverse design, we target a second-order phase-matching condition to realize second- and third-order nonlinear light generation in our devices, thereby extending stimulated parametric processes into the visible spectrum. This first realization of computational optimization for nonlinear light generation highlights the power of inverse design for nonlinear optics, in particular when combined with highly nonlinear materials such as silicon carbide.

Photon-pair generation using inverse-designed thin-film lithium niobate mode converters

“…Furthermore, the introduction of inverse design methods represents a new avenue in the field of quantum photonics. These introductions are still in their early stages, even in silicon or silicon-based materials platforms, 47,49 and we anticipate rapid adoption of inverse design methods within the broad quantum photonics communities, similar to those in classical photonics communities.…”

A novel FDFD method for electromagnetic simulation based on adaptive grids

“…The method is based on the Yee grid theory to discretize the field components in space. It has great advantages in dealing with electromagnetic scattering problems of complex structures and complex media [6][7][8] . However, when there are some fine structures in the simulation area, high-resolution grids are often used to ensure simulation accuracy.…”