NSF Award
0109487
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop novel high-speed broadband optical switches, where the optical data do not leave a fiber waveguide. Unlike integrated optics and planar waveguides, this approach has strong advantages in lower insertion loss, higher speeds, lower drive voltages, and reduced fabrication costs. Since these devices are inherently narrow-band, they can support dramatic reduction in channel width (higher channel count) in dense wavelength division multiplexed systems. At the same time, the lower voltage and faster electro-optic switching allow greater speeds, already demonstrated in excess of 110 GigaHertz in planar devices using this technology.<br/><br/>The commercial market for high-speed, power-efficient optical switches is among the largest in the modern economy. The potential for cost savings via improved efficiency is expected to justify the retrofit of existing infrastructure. Considering revenue increases due to capacity expansion, this technology could figure prominently in the next expansion of transcontinental, intercontinental, and metropolitan high-speed data transfer service devices, sensors, and other devices.
