Research by Monash University, RMIT and the University of Adelaide has developed a precise method to control optical circuits and photonic ICs, Advanced chips are shaping the future of light-speed technology.
The development, published in the prestigious international journal Optica, builds on work by the same team that recently developed the first self-powered photonic chip.
Photonics, or the use of light to store and transmit information, is a growing field, telling us our need to create faster, better, more efficient and sustainable technology.
Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) provide a variety of signal processing functions on a single chip and provide promising solutions for applications ranging from optical communications to artificial intelligence.
Whether it’s downloading movies or keeping satellites in track, photonics is radically changing the way we live, transforming the processing capabilities of large-scale infrastructure to fingerprint-sized chips.
Last year, researchers from Monash University, RMIT and the University of Adelaide developed an advanced photonics circuit that could revolutionize the speed and scale of photonics technology.
However, as the number and complexity of PICs increase, their identification, and therefore their classification, becomes more difficult.
Professor Mike Xu, a researcher at Monash University, says, “We have added a common reference path to the chip, which enables stable and accurate measurements of the length (phase, delay) and loss of the ‘horse’ path.
“By designing a new, time-delayed system, we can separate information that is needed from information that is not needed for other applications.”
In the past, pages/configurations were measured by connecting to complex and expensive external tools (called vector network analyzers); However, its connection introduces a time error, which is caused by vibrations and temperature changes. By placing the reference on a real chip, the measurement will not prevent these errors.
“In our previous work, we used the ‘Kramers Kronig’ method to remove unwanted errors from the required measurements, but the method of particles requires less energy for processing for proper processing,” he said. Professor Arthur Lowery, ARC Laureate Fellow says. Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering at Monash University.
Adding: “This means that we can get a reliable measurement of the bottom of the chip, so we can configure it specifically for the application required, such as the acceptance criteria in computer optics or compression capacitance . the addition of optical communication networks.”
This work complements the research started in 2020 with the development of a new optical micro-comb chip, which can transmit 30 terabits per second, three times the record of the national broadband network.
In the next phase of development, within the recently announced ARC Center of Excellence for Optical Microcombs and Breakthrough Science (COMBS), the research team will explore how photonic chips can use multiple wavelengths to achieve therapeutics. quick and intelligent.
“The complexity of photonic integrated circuits is increasing rapidly, requiring sensors to be able to design and control them. The method we developed overcomes this challenge, ensuring that the circuit can be used efficiently for applications such as pattern recognition. Dr Andy Boes of the University of Adelaide said.
