Lithium Niobate Photonic Integrated Circuit Based High Speed, Low Voltage Modulators For Microwave Photonics

Register for the Final Presentation of the NAVISP EL1-081 Project: " Lithium Niobate Photonic Integrated Circuit Based High Speed, Low Voltage Modulators For Microwave Photonics"

The ‘‘Lithium Niobate Photonic Integrated Circuit Based High Speed, Low Voltage Modulators For Microwave Photonics’’ project, carried out by Luxtelligence has demonstrated prototyping capabilities in a novel photonic platform, thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN), suited for high-speed electro-optic modulators. This project aimed at providing a verified component library for applications ranging from data communication to PNT and quantum technologies. The focus of this project is the demonstration of a process design kit (PDK) including key building blocks for realizing low optical loss and high electronic bandwidths. The key advantage of this technology compared to the conventional/current electro-optic modulators is the high modulation bandwidth (2x faster) and lower power consumption (40% lower). In addition, the developed TFLN technology benefits from a substantial 10x reduction in device size compared to bulk modulators. The TFLN PDK developed by Luxtelligence has direct applications in systems such as optical gyroscopes and microwave photonic systems. Currently, companies developing optical gyroscopes using silicon photonics are using the developed TFLN PDK of Luxtelligence for their next generation prototypes. Applications of microwave photonics involve optical signal processing of microwave radio-frequency signals. Currently, applications dealing with microwave signals above 40GHz investigate alternatives such as TFLN chips for faster modulation beyond what was possible with conventional modulators. This has direct implications for optical links between satellite and mobile network sites where high frequency signals can be transmitted using optical fibers and the so-called RF-over-fiber (RFoF) links with direct implementations in various optical communication systems. The developed PDK by Luxtelligence lowers the barrier to entry for new technologies to go from idea to a prototype in a short timeframe, with an eye on production and cost reduction via volume manufacturing, as a strong suite of integrated photonics platforms.

The core of this project is to provide an enhancement in electro-optic modulators by increasing the bandwidth and reducing the optical insertion loss. The open-access PDK has fulfilled all the necessary requirements and is now being transfer to an industrial foundry for mid to large volume production by 2027.

The NAVISP EL1-081 project “Lithium Niobate Photonic Integrated Circuit Based High Speed, Low Voltage Modulators For Microwave Photonics” was funded by NAVISP Element 1, which is dedicated to technology innovation of the European industry in the wide PNT sector.

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