Cascaded nonlinear down-conversion in poling-free lithium niobate nanophotonic waveguides

Congliao Yan, Xuan Mao, Song Zhu, Fakun Wang, Hui Ma, Shi Fang, Jianbo Yu, Jieyuan Cui, Ming Tian, Fei Huang, Sha Wang (), Yu Luo () and Qi Jie Wang ()
Additional contact information
Congliao Yan: Nanyang Technological University
Xuan Mao: Nanyang Technological University
Song Zhu: Nanyang Technological University
Fakun Wang: Nanyang Technological University
Hui Ma: Nanyang Technological University
Shi Fang: Nanyang Technological University
Jianbo Yu: Nanyang Technological University
Jieyuan Cui: Nanyang Technological University
Ming Tian: Nanyang Technological University
Fei Huang: Sichuan University
Sha Wang: Sichuan University
Yu Luo: Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Qi Jie Wang: Nanyang Technological University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract While cascaded second-order nonlinear processes have revolutionized shorter-wavelength light generation through up-conversion, their potential for longer-wavelength emission via parametric down-conversion remains fundamentally unexplored – constrained by narrow phase-matching bandwidths, insufficient parametric gain and stringent requirements on complex poling. Here, we break this paradigm through a reverse-polarization dual-layer lithium niobate nanophotonic waveguide that achieves broadband phase matching and record 15.3% conversion efficiency for mid-infrared (MIR) generation. Pumped at 1.03 μm, the cascaded optical parametric generation and difference frequency generation processes produce dynamically tunable MIR emissions spanning 2.06–3.09 μm – a relative bandwidth of 40%. By strategically engineering dispersion characteristics, we further extend the versatility of this platform: pumping at telecommunications-compatible wavelengths (1.3–1.6 μm) generates discrete MIR lines at 3.59, 3.93, 4.31, and 4.6 μm, penetrating the crucial molecular fingerprint region. This work not only establishes cascaded down-conversion as a viable strategy for efficient long-wavelength generation but also provides a blueprint for designing reconfigurable nonlinear photonic systems, with transformative implications for spectroscopy, sensing, and wavelength-division multiplexing technologies.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64912-y Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-64912-y

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64912-y

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().