According to world-renowned scientists, lithium niobate-based chips are expected to surpass silicon chips in light-based technologies, and applications that can start from and visual observations of fruit growing on Earth to traveling to the moon.
They say that engineered crystals provide the platform of choice for these technologies because of their high performance and recent advances in manufacturing capabilities.
Emeritus Professor Arnan Mitchell of RMIT University and Dr Andy Boes of the University of Adelaide led a global team of experts to review the potential and applications of lithium niobate in the journal Science.
An international team, including scientists from Peking University in China and Harvard University in the United States, is working with the company to develop a navigation system that should help rovers navigate the moon more than a decade from now.
Since it is not possible to use Global Positioning System (GPS) technology on the Moon, the lunar navigation system will use another method, which is where the innovation of the team comes in.
By detecting small changes in laser light, lithium-niobate chips can be used to measure motion without the need for an external signal, Mitchell said.
“This is not science fiction – this man-made crystal is used to create a variety of exciting applications. And the competition to unlock the potential of this diverse technology is increasing,” said Mitchell, who headquarters of the Integrated Center of photonics and applications said, said.
He said that while the lunar navigation device was in the early stages of development, the lithium niobate chip technology “is mature enough to be used in space applications”.
“Our lithium niobate chip technology is also flexible enough to be quickly adapted to any application that uses electricity,” Mitchell said.
“We are currently focusing on navigation, but the same technology can be used to connect the Internet on the Moon and the Internet on Earth.”
What is lithium niobate and how is it used?
Lithium niobate is a man-made crystal that was first discovered in 1949 but “went way back in time,” Boes said.
“Lithium niobate has new applications in the field of photonics – the science and technology of light – because, unlike other materials, it can create and control electromagnetic waves across different types of light, microwaves and UV frequencies,” he said.
“Silicon used to be the material of choice for electronic circuits, but its limitations have clearly appeared in photonics.
“Lithium Nioobate has returned to vogue for the ability to work highly because it goes forward in the semiconductor film.”
A layer of lethium niobans’ about 1,000 times thinner than a human hair is placed on a semiconductor wafer, Boes said.
Circuit photos are published in the layer of liobate, which is moving as a chip. A chip the size of a nail can contain hundreds of different circuits,” he said.
How does lunar navigation technology work?
The team is working with Australia’s Advanced Navigation Institute to develop optical gyroscopes, where a laser beam is fired clockwise and counter-clockwise into a belt, Mitchell said.
“As the coil is rotated, the coil is shorter in one direction than the other, according to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity,” he said.
“Our photonic part is sensitive enough to measure this small difference and use it to determine the movement of the coil. If you can follow your movement, you know where you are from where you started. This is called inertial navigation.
Potential applications closer to you
This technology can also be used to remotely detect fruit ripeness.
“The gas emitted by ripe fruit is absorbed by light in the mid-infrared part of the spectrum,” Mitchell said.
“A ship flying over an orchard will send a light to another that will determine the extent of the fire and when the fruit is ready to harvest.
“Our microchip technology is smaller, cheaper and more accurate than current technology and can be used with small drones that will not damage the fruit trees.”
Another step
Australia could become a global hub for the production of photonic chips integrated with lithium niobate, which will have a huge impact on technology applications that use every aspect of the light source, Mitchell said.
“We have the technology to make these chips in Australia and we have the industries that will use them,” he said.
“Photonic chips can now transform industries far beyond fiber optic communications.”
