Photonic bandgap microcombs at 1064 nm

Abstract

Microresonator frequency combs and their design versatility have revolutionized research areas from data communication to exoplanet searches. While microcombs in the 1550 nm band are well documented, there is interest in using microcombs in other bands. Here, we demonstrate the formation and spectral control of normal-dispersion dark soliton microcombs at 1064 nm. We generate 200 GHz repetition rate microcombs by inducing a photonic bandgap of the microresonator mode for the pump laser with a photonic crystal. We perform the experiments with normal-dispersion microresonators made from Ta2O5 and explore unique soliton pulse shapes and operating behaviors. By adjusting the resonator dispersion through its nanostructured geometry, we demonstrate control over the spectral bandwidth of these combs, and we employ numerical modeling to understand their existence range. Our results highlight how photonic design enables microcomb spectra tailoring across wide wavelength ranges, offering potential in bioimaging, spectroscopy, and photonic-atomic quantum technologies.