Streamlined Microcomb Design Provides Control With The Flip of a Switch

Lasers developed at the University of Rochester offer a new path for on-chip frequency comb generators.

University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

Light measurement devices called optical frequency combs have revolutionized metrology, spectroscopy, atomic clocks, and other applications. Yet challenges with developing frequency comb generators at a microchip scale have limited their use in everyday technologies such as handheld electronics.

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers at the University of Rochester describe new microcomb lasers they have developed that overcome previous limitations and feature a simple design that could open the door to a broad range of uses.