Optimizing frequency conversion based on three-wave mixing in a microring with pulse driving

Abstract High-quality Kerr-nonlinear optical microresonators driven by continuous-wave lasers have enabled the generation of coherent frequency conversion. Here, we take an alternative approach by using different types of pulses to drive a nonlinear microring resonator and leveraging the three-wave mixing process to generate and shape the converted pulses. The results reveal that the conversion efficiency and the shape quality of the converted pulse are collectively determined by the pump pulse profile, the external coupling rate between the resonator and waveguide, and the temporal offset between the two driving pulses. For a given pump energy, the optimized pump pulse that achieves the highest shape quality in the converted pulses does not necessarily yield the maximum conversion efficiency. Furthermore, we propose a genetic iterative algorithm to determine the optimal pump pulse shape for maximizing conversion efficiency under fixed coupling and signal light conditions. Meanwhile, this scheme, proposed to determine the optimal conditions for achieving maximum conversion efficiency, can be extended to investigate other pulse-driven nonlinear optical processes.