Frequency Multiplier for Pulsed Lasers Using PIC

Microwave photonics allows superior RF and microwave processing functionalities in comparison to all-electronic solutions. Optical Time Division Multiplexing and frequency multipliers are fundamental building blocks of microwave photonics for example in photonics implementations of radar systems. In this work we present the design and simulation of a frequency multiplier for a pulsed picosecond laser using silicon on insulator and silicon nitride technologies. We separately analyze the components of the multiplier and compare the performance for both technologies. The final circuits multiply the 100 MHz laser frequency by a factor of four obtaining a footprint of 1.65 cm
²
and 3.45 cm
²
for silicon and silicon nitride, respectively. The resultant circuits are optimized to reduce the losses and the footprint and provide a simple solution for frequency multiplication in both, silicon and silicon nitride, platforms.