Русский

Researchers have placed photon filters and modulators on standard chips for the first time

906
2023-12-26 14:19:44
Посмотреть перевод

Researchers at the University of Sydney combined photon filters and modulators on a single chip, enabling them to accurately detect signals on the broadband RF spectrum. This work brings photonic chips closer to one day, potentially replacing larger and more complex electronic RF chips in fiber optic networks.

The Sydney team utilized stimulated Brillouin scattering technology, which involves converting electric fields in certain insulators into pressure waves. In 2011, researchers reported that Brillouin scattering has the potential for high-resolution filtering and developed new manufacturing techniques that combine sulfur based Brillouin waveguides on silicon chips. In 2023, they managed to combine photon filters and modulators on the same type of chip. The team reported in a paper published in Nature Communications on November 20th that this combination resulted in a spectral resolution of 37 megahertz for the experimental chip, with a wider bandwidth than previous chips.

"The integration of the modulator with this active waveguide is a key breakthrough here," said David Marpaung, a nanophotonics researcher at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Marpaung collaborated with the Sydney team ten years ago and now leads his own research team, which is adopting different methods to seek broadband, high-resolution photon radio sensitivity in tiny packages. Marpaung said that when someone achieves spectral resolution below 10 MHz in the 100 GHz frequency band, they will be able to replace bulky electronic RF chips on the market. Another advantage of this chip is that it can convert RF signals into optical signals for direct transmission through fiber optic networks. The winner of this competition will be able to enter the huge market of telecommunications providers and defense manufacturers, who need radio receivers that can reliably navigate complex RF environments.

"Sulfide compounds have a very strong Brillouin effect; this is good, but there is still a question of whether this is scalable... It is still considered a laboratory material.", Marpaung said that the Sydney research team must find a new method to install chalcogenide waveguides in 5-squaremm packages into standard manufactured silicon chips, which is not an easy task. In 2017, the team came up with how to combine chalcogenides onto silicon input/output rings, but it was not until this year that anyone managed this combination using standard chips.

Other research groups are studying different materials that may provide similar performance. For example, lithium niobate has better modulator characteristics than silicon, and Marpaung's ongoing peer review work indicates that lithium niobate can provide similar high-resolution filtering through Brillouin scattering. Another group led by Peter Laki of Yale University demonstrated last year that pure silicon waveguides and chip combinations can achieve filtering at 2.7 MHz in the 6 GHz frequency band. This work does not integrate modulators, but it suggests a potentially simpler manufacturing path involving fewer materials.

That is to say, the Sydney team's method may require better acoustic performance than silicon. Researchers have known that the Brillouin effect has a history of over 100 years, but in recent decades it has aroused people's interest. In the past, researchers used it to store information in light pulses before retransmitting it, which was a technique to avoid converting light into electrical energy and returning it again.

Of course, the dream of integrating photonic chips has many moving parts. Researchers in Sydney wrote that modulators manufactured by others are rapidly improving, which will also benefit their technology. Other advancements in related technologies may benefit other teams dedicated to integrating photonic chips. "If you solve integration, performance, and practicality issues, you will gain market recognition," said Marpaung.

Source: Laser Net

Связанные рекомендации
  • Japan's Murata Machinery Launches a Punch and 4kW Fiber Laser Integrated System

    Recently, Murata Machinery USA, a representative Japanese manufacturer of machinery and CNC machine tools, announced the launch of the latest cutting-edge punch and fiber laser integrated equipment - MF3048HL. This integrated machine combines the advantages of punch operation and laser cutting technology, eliminating the need for separate settings or material transfer between machines.Muratec's pu...

    2023-09-01
    Посмотреть перевод
  • Scientists decipher the code for extending the lifespan of perovskite solar technology

    The latest research led by the University of Surrey shows that alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles can significantly enhance the lifespan and stability of perovskite solar cells, extending the service life of such high-efficiency energy devices tenfold.Although perovskite solar cells have advantages such as low cost and light weight compared to traditional silicon-based technologies, their commercial po...

    03-03
    Посмотреть перевод
  • Creativity Falcon 2 laser cutting machine will be launched in Germany equipped with a new 60W laser head

    Starting from June 20th, The Creativity Falcon 2 laser cutting machine will also be launched in Germany, equipped with a new 60W laser head. With this ability, fully encapsulated equipment can now also be carved into steel. High power is achieved through twelve 5-watt laser diodes, whose beams are combined with each other. This will make it possible to cut 22mm thick lime wood and 30mm thick or...

    2024-05-29
    Посмотреть перевод
  • Munich Shanghai Light Expo and Light Academic Publishing Center further strengthen cooperation

    In November 2024, based on the mutual trust and cooperation over the past years, the Munich Shanghai Optical Expo and the Light Academic Publishing Center of the Changchun Institute of Optics, Precision Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the "Light Center") reached a consensus on further strategic development as they ushered in the year of disruptive sci...

    2024-12-05
    Посмотреть перевод
  • Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics has made progress in the field of femtosecond laser air filamentation self focusing threshold research

    Recently, the research team of the State Key Laboratory of Intense Field Laser Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics has made progress in the research on the repetition rate dependent femtosecond laser air filamentation self focusing threshold. The relevant research results were published in Optics Express under the title "Pulse repetition rate ...

    2024-08-02
    Посмотреть перевод