We introduce a novel material for integrated photonics and investigate aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) on aluminum nitride (AlN) templates as a platform for developing reconfigurable and on-chip nonlinear optical devices. AlGaN combines compatibility with standard photonic fabrication technologies and high electro-optic modulation capabilities with low loss over a broad spectral range, from UVC to long-wave infrared, making it a viable material for complex photonic applications. In this work, we design and grow AlGaN/AlN heterostructures and integrate several photonic components. In particular, we fabricate edge couplers, low-loss waveguides, directional couplers, and tunable high-quality factor ring resonators. These devices will enable nonlinear light-matter interaction and quantum functionality. The comprehensive platform we present in this work paves the way for photon-pair generation applications, on-chip quantum frequency conversion, and fast electro-optic modulation for switching and routing classical and quantum light fields.

AlGaN on AlN/Sapphire stands out in photonics for its strong nonlinearity, electro-optic modulability, and low loss in the visible spectrum. We fabricate and characterize AlGaN photonic devices, including ring resonators, directional couplers, and tapers.

In the rapidly evolving area of integrated photonics, there is a growing need for materials that satisfy the particular requirements of increasingly complex and specialized devices and applications. Present photonic material platforms have made significant progress over the past years; however, each platform still faces specific material and performance challenges. We introduce a novel material for integrated photonics: Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) on Aluminum Nitride (AlN) as a platform for developing reconfigurable and nonlinear on-chip optical systems. AlGaN combines compatibility with standard semiconductor fabrication technologies, high electro-optic modulation capabilities, and large nonlinear coefficients while providing a broad and low-loss spectral transmission range, making it a viable material for advanced photonic applications. In this work, we design and grow AlGaN/AlN heterostructures and integrate fundamental photonic building blocks into these chips. In particular, we fabricate edge couplers, low-loss waveguides, directional couplers, and tunable high-quality factor ring resonators to enable nonlinear light-matter interaction and quantum functionality. The comprehensive platform we present in this work paves the way for nonlinear photon-pair generation applications, on-chip nonlinear quantum frequency conversion, and fast electro-optic modulation for switching and routing classical and quantum light fields.

AIGaN on AIN/Sapphire stands out in photonics for its strong nonlinearity, electro-optic modulability, and low loss in the visible spectrum. We fabricate and characterize AIGaN photonic devices, including ring resonators, directional couplers, and tapers.

AlGaN is a highly promising material for the next generation of integrated optics due to its wide band gap and transparency over a wide spectral range, from UV to infrared [1], [2]. This material also has a relatively high electro-optic coefficient, making it ideal for fast electro-optical modulation and the fabrication of reconfigurable optical devices. Additionally, similar to AlN, the reasonably high second-order optical nonlinearity of AlGaN may enable the creation of on-chip nonlinear optical devices such as parametric oscillators, sum or difference frequency generators, and the generation of entangled photons [3]. Furthermore, the technological availability of many optoelectronic devices based on the epitaxially grown GaN/AlGaN/InGaN/AlN platform makes it possible to integrate lasers, LEDs, photodetectors, and high electron mobility transistors on the same chip.