Project description
Highly tuneable soliton microcomb chips for next-generation applications
Optical frequency combs – named for their comb-like pattern of equally spaced coherent light frequencies – serve as precise rulers for electromagnetic frequencies. Since their development a few decades ago to support the world’s most precise atomic clocks, newer more compact microcombs have been developed. Dissipative Kerr soliton (DKS) microcombs are self-organised optical frequency combs generated in non-linear microresonators by continuous-wave pump lasers. Despite their promising characteristics as an alternative, DKS microcombs have limited tunability and sensitivity as well as poor conversion efficiency. The ERC-funded ELASTIC project aims to overcome these challenges with the ultra-efficient nonlinear AlGaAson-insulator platform and its high thermo-optic coefficient and nonlinearity together with a novel pump scheme.
Objective
The generation of optical frequency combs through nonlinear optical processes is an enabling technology for a wide range of applications. These combs, consisting of equally spaced coherent light frequencies, are highly valued in applications such as communications, LiDAR, and microwave photonics. The first generation of combs, developed using mode-locked lasers, expanded their spectrum through nonlinear media to create broadband frequency combs. Initially, these systems relied on bulky free-space optical components. Efforts to reduce the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of these systems led to the development of microcomb technology. Dissipative Kerr soliton (DKS) microcombsgenerated via nonlinear optical processes in microresonatorshave emerged as a more compact, scalable, chip-based alternative, offering higher repetition rates, lower power consumption, and simplified broadband spectrum generation and attracting significant market interest. Despite their advantages, DKS microcombs face several bottlenecks, including limited tunability, sensitivity, and poor conversion efficiency. The ELASTIC project aims to address these issues by leveraging the high thermo-optic coefficient and nonlinearity of the AlGaAsOI platform combined with a novel pump scheme. This approach will enable low-power, highly tunable, and insensitive chip-scale comb systems for emerging applications like massively parallel frequency-modulated continuous-wave LiDAR and wavelength-division multiplexing systems.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-POC
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2800 Kongens Lyngby
Denmark
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