Project description DEENESFRITPL Multicolour laser locks onto high-speed signals of interest, all on a photonics chip The so-called sub-terahertz frequency range is of critical importance to growing applications in high-speed wireless communications, radars, remote sensing and biomedical and security imaging. With the explosion of photonics integrated circuits (PICs), the potential of sub-THz on-chip devices is tremendous, but their uptake is facing certain important challenges. The EU-funded COLOR-UP project plans to remove one of these roadblocks through the innovative use of multi-colour lasers to deliver on-chip frequency filters performing in the desired range and beyond. They will be showcased in a PIC designed to emit light in the telecommunications frequency range. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective MicroWave Photonics (MWP) has been delivering on-chip devices with outstanding performances to answer the demand of Information and Communication Technologies for always faster, more efficient and more compact systems. Yet, some stringent limitations form a roadblock for disruptive specifications: for instance, on-chip MWP frequency filters hardly perform beyond 60 GHz, whereas the technology and applications require frequencies in the sub-THz range from 100 GHz to several THz. This frequency band will directly support future ultra-fast telecom systems, but also sensing techniques such as THz spectroscopy e.g. for food contaminant detection or mm-precision RADARs for robotic systems.With COLOR'UP, my goal is to remove this frequency roadblock by exploring and implementing on-chip a radically new concept exploiting the nonlinear dynamics of multi-colour lasers. These lasers naturally generate a set of sharp beat-notes in the sub-THz range corresponding to the frequency separation between the different wavelengths. Injecting an optical beam in a multi-colour laser with a modulation at well-chosen frequencies can lead to injection-locking of all wavelengths simultaneously. Spectral components that are not matching the beat-notes will however not be picked up and will be filtered out in the laser output.In this project, I will demonstrate that this effect can be exploited to create all-optical on-chip MWP bandpass filters with the capability to cover the entire sub-THz range from tens of GHz, up to a few THz. My goals are four-fold: (1) design and realize multi-colour lasers with tailored spectra to achieve filtering at precise frequencies (2) study the underlying filtering mechanism to optimize the filter performances (3) develop on-chip control techniques based on optical feedback to control the filter properties (4) make a Proof-of-Concept demonstration of the filter on an InP photonic integrated circuit emitting in the telecom band, around the 1.55 um wavelength Fields of science engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcolorsengineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringinformation engineeringtelecommunicationsradio technologyradarnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physicsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsspectroscopy Keywords laser dynamics photonic integration semiconductor lasers nonlinear dynamics optical injection optical feedback microwave photonics generic foundry platforms Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2020-STG - ERC STARTING GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2020-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-STG - Starting Grant Host institution VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL Net EU contribution € 1 499 371,00 Address PLEINLAAN 2 1050 Bruxelles / Brussel Belgium See on map Region Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/ Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 499 371,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL Belgium Net EU contribution € 1 499 371,00 Address PLEINLAAN 2 1050 Bruxelles / Brussel See on map Region Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/ Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 499 371,00
