Compact nanophotonic for frequency combs, high-speed phase-shifting, and microwave generation

This technology is a silicon nanophotonic platform for efficient light generation for optical coherence tomography, phase-shifting for telecommunications, and microwave generation.

Unmet Need: Compact and efficient source generation for spectroscopy and telecommunications

Medical diagnostics and telecommunications often require bulky optical components and are highly inefficient. The need for miniaturized light sources can lead to compact applications in medical diagnostics, like chip-based optical coherence tomography and microwave generation. Furthermore, increasing the efficiency and compactness of said devices can lead to high-speed optical devices that outperform their bulky, and slower predecessors.

The Technology: Compact, efficient nanophotonic sources with high-speed performances

This nanophotonic device can produce a supercontinuum source and/or frequency combs for applications in compact optical coherence tomography. The chip-based device can also serve as a platform for efficient microwave generation via optical frequency division. Furthermore, this nanophotonic device can incorporate other materials for high-speed phase-shifting, a technology relevant to telecommunications science.

This technology has been validated through prototyping.

Applications:

• Optical spectroscopy
• Compact optical sources
• Optical metrology
• Telecommunications
• Medical diagnostics via optical coherence tomography (OCT)
• Microwave generation

Advantages:

• Compact, efficient generation of light sources
• High-speed nanophotonics for telecommunications
• Chip-based medical diagnostics
• Microwave generation

Lead Inventor:

Michal Lipson, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Issued (US 11,092,424) Patent Pending(US 20220128346) Patent Pending(US 20230024072) Patent Pending(US 20230296956)

Related Publications:

• Zhao Y, Jang JK, McNulty KJ, Ji X, Okawachi Y, Lipson M, Gaeta AL. “All-optical frequency division on-chip using a single laser” arXiv. 2023 Mar 6.

• Datta I, Chae SH, Bhatt GR, Tadayon MA, Li B, Yu Y, Park C, Park J, Cao L, Basov DN, Hone J, Lipson M. “Low-loss composite photonic platform based on 2D semiconductor monolayers” Nature Photonics. 2020 Feb 24; 14.

• Ji X, Mojahed D, Okawachi Y, Gaeta AL, Hendon CP, Lipson M. “Millimeter-scale chip–based supercontinuum generation for optical coherence tomography” Sci Adv. 2021 Sep 7; 7(38).

• Ji X, Yao X, Klenner A, Gan Y, Gaeta AL, Hendon CP, Lipson M. “Chip-based frequency comb sources for optical coherence tomography” Optics Express. 2019 Jul 2; 27(14): 19896-19905.

Tech Ventures Reference:

• IR CU18009, CU21083, CU21328, CU22190, CU22198

• Licensing Contact: Greg Maskel