Generation of 3.6 μm radiation and telecom-band amplification by four-wave mixing in a silicon waveguide with normal group velocity dispersion

Mid-infrared light generation through four-wave mixing-based frequency down-conversion in a normal group velocity dispersion silicon waveguide is demonstrated. A telecom-wavelength signal is down-converted across more than 1.2 octaves using a pump at 2190 nm in a 1 cm-long waveguide. At the same time, a 13 dB on-chip parametric gain of the telecom signal is obtained. © 2014 Optical Society of America.