Monolithically integrated silicon photonic wavelength converter with on-chip widely tunable idler filtering

All-optical wavelength conversion is a key technology for resolving wavelength contention challenges in routing and switching in a format- and transmission-rate-transparent fashion. Silicon-on-insulator devices, with their high optical confinement and large Kerr coefficient, hold promise for the on-chip integration of efficient wavelength converters. However, integrated wavelength converters based on four-wave mixing still face challenges, such as the inefficiency of the process, which is exacerbated by the need for off-chip filtering. Such filtering is essential to suppress the residual pump(s) and signal, ensuring the output spectrum predominantly contains the newly generated idler. While on-chip filtering has already been demonstrated, aspects such as idler continuous tunability and system performance when operating with high-symbol-rate signals remain unexplored. We present a silicon photonic wavelength converter with an integrated filter that achieves widely tunable filtering over 25 nm, with a pump and modulated signal suppression ratio exceeding 52 dB. The operation of the device with telecommunication signals is demonstrated across the C-band.