Supercontinuum generation in dispersion engineered highly nonlinear (γ=10/W/m) As2S3 chalcogenide planar waveguide

We demonstrate supercontinuum generation in a highly nonlinear As2S3 chalcogenide planar waveguide which is dispersion engineered to have anomalous dispersion at near-infrared wavelengths. This waveguide is 60 mm long with a cross-section of 2 mu m by 870 nm, resulting in a nonlinear parameter of 10 /W/m and a dispersion of + 29 ps/nm/km. Using pulses with a width of 610 fs and peak power of 68 W, we generate supercontinuum with a 30 dB bandwidth of 750 nm, in good agreement with theory. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America.