Narrow-linewidth hybrid-integrated semiconductor lasers by exploiting feedback from Si3N4 circuits

Hybrid integration of semiconductor optical amplifiers with frequency-selective feedback circuits, implemented using low-loss Si3N4 waveguides, enables robust chip-sized lasers with outstanding properties. Deploying ring resonators as a tunable feedback filter provides single-mode operation over a wide wavelength range. Moreover, these rings resonantly enhance the cavity length, which results in ultra-narrow intrinsic linewidth, as low as 40 Hz. Here, we present an overview on state-of-the-art developments regarding these lasers. We compare linewidth and tuning results for different feedback circuit configurations. Finally, we report on the first demonstration of a hybrid-integrated semiconductor laser that operates in the visible wavelength range.