Two-Stage Lithium Niobate Nonlinear Photonic Circuits for Low-Crosstalk and Broadband All Optical Wavelength Conversion

Abstract: All optical wavelength converters (AOWCs) that can effectively and flexibly switch optical signals between different wavelength channels are essential elements in future optical fiber communications and quantum information systems. A promising strategy for achieving high-performance AOWCs is to leverage strong three-wave mixing processes in second-order nonlinear nanophotonic devices, specifically thin-film periodically poled lithium niobate (TF-PPLN) waveguides. By exploiting the advantages of sub-wavelength light confinement and dispersion engineering compared with their bulk counterparts, TF-PPLN waveguides provide a viable route for realizing highly efficient and broadband wavelength conversion. Nevertheless, most existing approaches rely on a single TF-PPLN device to perform both frequency doubling of the telecom pump and the wavelength conversion process, resulting in significant crosstalk between adjacent signal channels. Here, we address this challenge by demonstrating a two-stage TF-PPLN nonlinear photonic circuit that integrates a second-harmonic generation module, a signal wavelength conversion module, and multiple adiabatic directional coupler-based pump filters, on a single chip. By decoupling the two nonlinear processes and leveraging the high pump-filtering extinction ratio, we achieve low-crosstalk AOWC with a side-channel suppression ratio exceeding 25 dB, substantially surpassing the performance of single-stage devices. Furthermore, our device exhibits an ultra-broad conversion bandwidth of 110 nm and a relatively high conversion efficiency of -15.6 dB, making it an attractive solution for future photonic systems. The two-stage AOWC design shows promise for low-noise phase-sensitive amplification and quantum frequency conversion in future classical and quantum photonic systems.