Photonic-Crystal Microresonator Frequency Combs in the O-Band

Photonic-crystal microresonators (PhCRs) are a powerful platform for generating Kerr frequency combs. Because Kerr-soliton dynamics in PhCRs are largely decoupled from the operating wavelength, the comb output can be engineered through customization of the device layer. Here, we demonstrate a tantalum pentoxide (tantala) PhCR platform that supports operation in the 1310 and 1550 nm bands, and we explore high-efficiency O-band soliton microcombs using all-semiconductor laser pumps. We engineer the PhCRs with silicon dioxide cladding and normal dispersion, achieving intrinsic quality factors exceeding 7 × 106. By pumping bandgap modes, we obtain robust and efficient soliton comb formation at a 200 GHz mode spacing. Our PhCRs enable systematic tuning from narrowband to broadband comb states within a single device geometry. The combs exhibit low relative intensity noise approaching the shot-noise limit, indicating stable phase-matching in the PhCR. Using a drop-port coupler, we amplify the comb output off-chip, demonstrating a pathway to high-power O-band sources. These results establish PhCR engineering in the tantala platform as a scalable approach to wavelength-agile, low-noise microcombs for applications in communications, sensing, and signaling.