Firm:

          

Aktiwave

          

   

Address:

          

150 Lucius Gordon Drive, West Henrietta, NY 14586 - 9687

          

   

Phone:

          

(585) 355-2706                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Name:

          

Rochester Institute of Technology

          

   

Address:

          

54 Lomb Memorial Drive, NY 14623 - 0000

          

   

Phone:

          

(585) 475-5629                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Name:

          

Wei Hu

          

   

E-mail:

          

whu@aktiwave.com

          

   

Address:

          

150 Lucius Gordon drive, NY 14586 - 9687

          

   

Phone:

          

(585) 355-2706                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Name:

          

Christophe Dorrer

          

   

E-mail:

          

cdorrer@aktiwave.com

          

   

Address:

          

150 Lucius Gordon drive, NY 14586 - 9687

          

   

Phone:

          

(585) 355-2706                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) :                                                                                                                                                          
Begin: 2
End: 3

          

          

     

Technical Abstract (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words):

We propose to develop a three-dimensional (3D) mid-infrared (mid-IR) Photonic Lantern (PL) based on femtosecond laser inscription (FLI) technology. FLI of PLs allows converting the atmospheric seeing-limited signals captured by the telescope into diffraction-limited signals. A linear arrangement of the single-mode outputs can be further realized to form the virtual input slit of a spectrograph. The inherent 3D nature, scalability, and the ability to integrate many on-chip functions make FLI an attractive fabrication technique for photonic integrated circuits (PIC), as opposed to the multi-step planar waveguide technologies relying on costly, large-scale microelectronics foundry techniques. The FLI of a 3D, 1x8, mid-infrared waveguide beam splitter and a 1x8 photonic lantern will be demonstrated during the project's Phase I and II period. Three technical objectives are defined: 1:  Determine the optimum geometry for a 1x8 waveguide splitter. Objective. 2:  Experimentally investigate the impact of laser parameters and WBS geometry on WBS performance. .and 3:  Demonstrate a 1x8 waveguide beam splitter operating in the mid-infrared region. The ultimate goal of this proposal is to establish an FLI technology platform for fabricating integrated photonic circuits.

The FLI-based, low SWaP PIC technology will be useful for NASA in lidar receiver for new Earth Science measurements such as the detection of carbon monoxide, free-space laser communications, mid-infrared heterodyne spectroscopy, and astrophotonics for exoplanet detection. The non-NASA applications include spectroscopy, optical communications, medical and clinical research, quantum computing, quantum information, and quantum metrology.

          

          

     

Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words):

• Mid-IR sensing: on-chip detection of carbon monoxide, methane, formaldehyde...
• Lidar remote sensing: integrated photonic circuits for compact and lightweight lidar sources, spectrograph and receivers, with significant cost, size, weight and power reduction.
• Free space communications: deep space optical transceiver and ground receiver. 
• Astrophotonics for exoplanet detection: analysis of star properties (chemical composition, age and radial velocity).

          

          

     

Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words):

• Spectroscopy: replace the optical components which are highly susceptible to alignment
• Optical communications: monolithic integration of passive and active photonic devices.
• Medical and clinical research: Lab-On-Chip and biomedical monitoring sensors
• Quantum computing, quantum information, and quantum metrology

 

          

          

     

Duration:     13