Objective
The objective of this project is to develop novel bright light sources for various information technology applications such as optical storage, optical displays, optical amplification and materials processing. High brightness is a key issue for light source suitability in many of these applications - particularly in storage and display - since brightness (or luminance) dictates the optical power density that can be obtained at a focused spot. These sources will utilise a novel type of waveguide to develop, using GaAs technology, a new class of compact waveguide engineered, high power and brightness, short wavelength laser diode -based light source. These enhanced brightness light emitters will benefit applications of high power laser diode technology currently limited by the poor brightness, substantial astigmatism and slow switching speed of existing devices. Such applications include; high brightness, short wavelength light generation for rewriteable optical storage technologies and lithography, and high speed switching and beam-steering for free space optical interconnects.
We have discovered a new class of waveguide structure that can enhance the performance of semiconductor lasers and other optical components and sensors. A particularly interesting feature of this waveguide geometry is that energy is extracted from a large area while a well defined small beam profile is maintained. This effect should dramatically increase the optical power that can be extracted from a laser diode at a given power density while ensuring that brightness is not lost. In the first year phase of this project, our approach will concentrate on experimentally demonstrating optical waveguides in GaAs heterostructures which exhibit such guided mode configurations. Fabrication of planar waveguides using semiconductor materials and standard processing and photolithographic technology will be undertaken. The waveguiding performance of these fabricated waveguides will be measured and compared with theory. This first phase will allow assessment of the feasibility of these novel concepts and to evaluate the risks involved in this technology in a small well-defined project. This first phase will set the platform for the second phase where an aggressive incorporation of these designs into high power laser diode development will be carried out. Given a successful first phase demonstration, the second phase research will target component development for and demonstrations of IT oriented applications including blue light generation, high speed switching and beam steering for interconnects.
The salient feature of this waveguide geometry is that energy is extracted from a large area while a well defined small beam profile is maintained. This effect should increase, by perhaps two orders of magnitude, the optical power that can be extracted from a laser diode at a given optical power density while ensuring that brightness is not lost at the expense of the increase in emitted power. Another result of this waveguide effect is that it can remove astigmatism which gives a more useful beam. Furthermore, due to the large sensitivity of the guided mode to the waveguide parameters, these devices should display enhanced high speed switching characteristics and also exhibit beam steering capabilities for interconnect applications.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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.
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.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics semiconductivity
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics geometry
- natural sciences physical sciences optics laser physics
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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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.
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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.
Coordinator
Dublin 9
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.