High-power and widely tunable laser integrated with a multichannel SOA array on a silicon nitride platform

Hybrid integration of Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (SOAs) with silicon nitride (Si3N4) waveguides enables compact on-chip light sources with outstanding properties for integrated photonics applications. For example, LiDAR systems used in robotics, drones, and autonomous vehicles, require high coherence, compactness, and power-scalability over multiple channels. To meet these requirements, we present a widely tunable and narrow-linewidth InP/Si3N4 hybrid-integrated laser, which is co-integrated with a 4-channel SOA array for power amplification across multiple output channels. The co-integrated device is compact, with a total footprint of only 6 × 4.7 mm2. The laser features a wavelength tuning range of 90 nm, ranging from 1490-1585 nm and exhibits an intrinsic linewidth of 552 Hz. The SOA array provides amplification for a total output power of 187 mW added up over four fiber-coupled output channels.