Laser systems are ubiquitous in high-data rate communication and sensor systems in which unwanted back-reflections from optical components can cause instabilities in the laser spectrum leading to poor system performance or damage to the laser itself. As photonic technologies miniaturize with advancements in photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology, the development of on-chip optical isolators are of critical importance. To address these issues Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) will develop an Acoustically driven Near-infrared on-Chip Optical Isolator for photonic Circuits (ANECHOIC) to achieve high optical isolation contrast (IC) in a compact footprint that is able to be incorporated easily into (PIC)-based systems for ultra-sensitive applications in thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN).
Benefit: The devices produced within this program will be a key component in enabling chip-scale atom-based inertial sensors. Such sensors can enable widely-deployable navigation systems with long-term stability in GPS-denied environments. As the key component of inertial navigation systems, these chips will enable a mass-producible solution to a host of military and commercial core missions from aircraft navigation to autonomous vehicles. This technology will also be adaptable to quantum optics, metrology, bio-sensing, and bio-medicine.
Keywords: atom interferometers, atom interferometers, Isolators, modulators, Photonic Integrated Circuits, Lithium Niobate, Quantum Inertial Sensors
