Descripción del proyecto
El láser multicolor sigue de cerca las señales de interés de alta velocidad y todo ello en un chip fotónico
La denominada banda de frecuencias por debajo de los terahercios es extremadamente importante para las crecientes aplicaciones en comunicaciones inalámbricas de alta velocidad, radares, teledetección e imagenología de seguridad y biomédica. Con la explosión de los circuitos fotónicos integrados (PIC, por sus siglas en inglés), el potencial de los dispositivos en un chip por debajo de los terahercios es enorme, pero su adopción afronta determinados desafíos importantes. El proyecto COLOR-UP, financiado con fondos europeos, tiene como objetivo eliminar uno de esos obstáculos mediante el uso innovador de láseres multicolor para ofrecer filtros de frecuencia en un chip que rindan dentro y fuera del rango deseado. Se exhibirán en un PIC diseñado para emitir luz en el rango de frecuencias de las telecomunicaciones.
Objetivo
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
Ámbito científico
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcolors
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringinformation engineeringtelecommunicationsradio technologyradar
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsspectroscopy
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-STG - Starting GrantInstitución de acogida
1050 Bruxelles / Brussel
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