Self-injected quantum-dash lasers for broadband frequency comb generation and application to multi-Tbit/s data transmission (Invited Paper)

Chip-scale optical frequency combs have emerged as a promising approach towards compact and efficient light sources that provide a multitude of tones for parallel WDM transmission, spectroscopy, LiDAR or microwave photonics. Among various technical approaches, monolithic semiconductor mode-locked lasers stand for their compact chip design, low power consumption, wide optical bandwidth, low phase noise, and the ability to generate ultra-short pulses. In this talk, we will focus on quantum-dash based devices, and present photonic stabilization schemes that improve correlation between comb lines together with enlarging the optical bandwidth. Finally, we will demonstrate their capability to achieve over 10 Tb/s optical communication, highlighting their potential for the next-generation photonic systems.