Resonator-enhanced distributed Bragg reflector lasers

Di Yu; Zhaoting Geng; Yuhao Huang; Yitian Tong; Yu Xia; Mingfei Liu; Yaoran Huang; Chao Xiang

doi:10.1038/s41377-026-02249-x

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Resonator-enhanced distributed Bragg reflector lasers

Original Articles

- Resonator-enhanced distributed Bragg reflector lasers
- Light: Science & Applications Vol. 15, Issue 5, Pages: 1594-1605(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Author bio：
  
  Chao Xiang (cxiang@eee.hku.hk)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-026-02249-x
  CLC：
- Received：17 July 2025，
  
  Revised：2026-02-11，
  
  Accepted：12 February 2026，
  
  Online First：03 March 2026，
  
  Published：31 May 2026
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Yu, D. et al. Resonator-enhanced distributed Bragg reflector lasers. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 1594-1605 (2026).
DOI：

Yu, D. et al. Resonator-enhanced distributed Bragg reflector lasers. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 1594-1605 (2026). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-026-02249-x.

摘要

Abstract

Narrow-linewidth lasers are pivotal components for advanced optical communications

precision metrology

and microwave photonics. The drive towards low-cost

high-volume manufacturing has fueled intense interest in integrated platforms for high-coherence optical sources. However

state-of-the-art integrated low-noise lasers are fundamentally constrained by trade-offs between linewidth

tunability

and operational robustness

often sacrificing one to achieve the others. Here

we introduce and experimentally demonstrate a new class of integrated lasers—resonator-enhanced distributed Bragg reflector

(RE-DBR) lasers—that overcome these limitations

simultaneously achieving ultra-narrow linewidths

wide mode-hop-free tunability

and universal turnkey operation. The RE-DBR laser architecture incorporates a grating-assisted ring resonator that serves as a compact external cavity

providing narrow-band optical feedback to enable single-wavelength lasing. Importantly

the resonator enhancement enables RE-DBR lasers to circumvent the traditional linewidth-tunability trade-off inherent to conventional DBR lasers. Furthermore

unlike self-injection-locked lasers

RE-DBR lasers maintain high optical coherence and stable operation across a broad current tuning range

enabling robust

turnkey performance. As a proof of concept

we demonstrate a RE-DBR laser with a 24 Hz Lorentzian linewidth

34 GHz mode-hop-free tuning range

and universal turnkey operability

all realized with an external cavity of only 0.56 million loaded

and a sub-4 mm

footprint. These results establish RE-DBR lasers as a cost-effective

high-performance integrated alternative to bulky

expensive benchtop lasers

enabling advancement in a wide variety of applications including telecommunications

sensing

and metrology.

关键词

Keywords

references

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