This project focuses on developing a miniaturised piezoelectric electro-optical modulator to create more compact, energy-efficient, and cost-effective photonic circuits. With the increase in digital data traffic and sensor-based analyses, integrated photonics is critical for addressing these challenges due to its bandwidth and efficiency advantages. The project aims to enhance electro-optic modulation, a key component in communication systems and sensor technologies, by producing and characterising hybrid integrated photonic circuits with miniaturised thin-film filters.
In collaboration with the University of Glasgow, the project combines the miniaturisation process for thin films, developed at Laser Zentrum Hannover, with novel piezophototronic active layers.
The resulting electro-optic modulator, designed as a monolithic Fabry-Pérot interferometer structure, will have a footprint of less than 30μm in the beam propagation direction. This modulator will transmit information from the electrical to the optical domain, making it suitable for applications in fiber optical networks.
By developing a novel production process for miniaturised piezoelectric electro-optical modulators, the project aims to support the manufacturing thin-film industry in Lower Saxony and Scotland, enabling local companies to adapt and develop products for the growing photonic integrated circuits market. The results will be published in an open-access research paper to provide a valuable reference for the thin-film and photonic integrated circuits industry.
