Stanford Researchers Develop Quantum Chip Generating 22 THz Mid-Infrared Light

Researchers at Stanford University's E.L. Ginzton Laboratory have engineered a thin-film lithium niobate optical parametric oscillator, a quantum chip capable of generating 22 THz of voltage-controlled mid-infrared light. This breakthrough allows for broadly tunable radiation between 2.7 and 3.4 µm, a spectral range vital for environmental, chemical, and biological sensing, and represents a significant advancement in compact, widely tunable mid-infrared sources.