Chip-scale photonics platform with integrated wavelength-tunable laser

This technology is a chip-scale photonics system supported by a large spectral range laser and a power-efficient light steering platform for extensive optical applications such as sensing, spectroscopy, and quantum processing.

Unmet Need: Flexible, low power consumption, small-footprint nanophotonic system

There are few suitable light sources to be integrated with chip-scale photonics as they have low spectral tunability and bulky external equipment. Additionally, current nanophotonic systems based on conventional silicon structures require substantial power consumption and have suboptimal beam steering performance due to environmental factors such as temperature. Coupling light propagation throughout nanophotonic platforms proves equally challenging because of tradeoffs between alignment tolerance, complexity, and power.

The Technology: Power-efficient nanophotonic architecture and integrated tunable laser

This nanophotonic platform supports an integrated tunable chip-scale laser and a low power-consumption light manipulation platform to achieve a broad spectral range performance covering the entire visible spectrum up to near-infrared. The broadband, narrow linewidth, and tunable lasing is achieved via commercially available laser diodes and optical resonators. The beam steering system is based on optical switch arrays and thus requires no moving parts and allows for straightforward calibration and material flexibility. Furthermore, built-in waveguide architectures such as micro-lenses and 3D polymeric funnels ensure robust control of optical signals’ alignment and spatial profile.

Applications:

• Chip-scale optoelectronics
• Nonlinear and nano-photonics
• Light based information processing
• Quantum computing
• Augmented and virtual reality displays and projections
• Biological deep tissue sensing, detection and diagnostics
• Optogenetics
• LiDAR scanning on portable devices
• Laser microscopy and spectroscopy
• Fiber optics coupling and adaptation

Advantages:

• Compact chip-scale architecture
• Low power assumption
• Straight forward feedback control and calibration
• Versatile manufacturing material
• Tunable wavelength coverage from visible to near-infrared
• Narrow linewidth light source
• High coupling efficiency
• High alignment tolerance
• Improved dielectric waveguide configuration

Lead Inventor:

Michal Lipson, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Issued (US 10,690,849)

Patent Issued (US 10,962,720)

Patent Issued (US 11,835,803)

Patent Pending (US 20230288774)

Patent Pending (US 20230118658)

Patent Pending (US 20210181548)

Related Publications:

• Rodrigues JR, Dave UD, Mohanty A, et al. All-dielectric scale invariant waveguide. Nat Commun. 2023 Oct 21; 14: 6675.

• Corato-Zanarella M, Gil-Molina A, Ji X, et al. Widely tunable and narrow-linewidth chip-scale lasers from near-ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths. Nat Photon. 2022 Dec 23; 17: 157-164.

• Chang YC, Shin MC, Phare CT, Miller SA, Shim E, Lipson M. 2D beam steerer based on metalens on silicon photonics. Opt Express. 2021 Jan 5; 29(13): 854-864.

• Tadayon MA, Chaitanya S, Martyniuk KM, McGowan JC, Roberts SP, Denny CA, Lipson M. 3D microphotonic probe for high-resolution deep tissue imaging. Opt Express. 2019 Jul 23; 27(1) :22352-22362.

• Jimenez Gordillo OA, Chaitanya S, Chang YC, Dave UD, Mohanty A, Lipson M. Plug-and-play fiber to waveguide connector. Opt Express. 2019 Jul 9; 27(15) :20305-20310.

Tech Ventures Reference:

• IR CU16333, CU18261, CU20104, CU21325, CU22034

• Licensing Contact: Greg Maskel