“Possibilities promise advanced, compact military systems such as tactical gyroscopes that significantly outperform state-of-the-art MEMS devices with the same footprint.”
Long coils of optical waveguides—any structure that can guide light, like conventional optical fiber—can be used to create a time delay in the transmission of light.
Such photonic delays are useful in military application ranging from small navigation sensors to wideband phased array radar and communication antennas. Although optical fiber has extremely low signal loss, an advantage that enables the backbone of the global Internet, it is limited in certain photonic delay applications. Connecting fiber optics with microchip-scale photonic systems requires sensitive, labor-intensive assembly and a system with a large number of connections suffers from signal loss. DARPA-funded researchers developed new methods to integrate long coils of waveguides with low signal loss onto microchips—potentially enabling a leap ahead in size reduction and performance.
DARPA’s integrated Photonic Delay (iPhoD) program created a new class of photonic waveguides with losses approaching that of optical fiber. The new waveguides are built onto microchips and include up to 50 meters of coiled material that is used to delay light. Conventional fiber optic coils of the same length would be about the size of a small juice glass. These waveguides also employ modern silicon processing to achieve submicron precision and more efficient manufacturing. The result is a new component that is smaller and more precise than anything before in its class.
“Prior to the start of iPhoD, the best integrated waveguides had a signal loss of about 1 decibel per meter with total lengths of only a few meters,” said Josh Conway, DARPA program manager. “Under iPhoD, two research teams created chips with loss around 0.05 decibels per meter. The submillimeter bend diameter, which describes how tightly the waveguide can coil without significant signal loss, allowed the demonstration of a 50-meter optical delay on a single microchip.”
iPhoD concluded recently with successful demonstrations by research teams led by the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and the California Institute of Technology (CalTech).
The ultra-low loss, true-time delay chip developed at UCSB is composed of silicon nitride. Selecting this material may allow for integration with a variety of devices and materials—thereby reducing size, weight and power requirements of an overall system. UCSB researchers also demonstrated 3D waveguide stacking, enabling more waveguide length, and thus, longer photonic delays.
Researchers at CalTech had a different approach for a chip-scale waveguide, as reported in a Nature Communications paper, “Ultra-low-loss optical delay line on a silicon chip.” The CalTech waveguide was constructed from silicon oxide, commonly known as glass, and demonstrated low loss over 27 meters.
“These results are firsts for optical waveguides with performance that is equal or superior to larger, fiber optic-based devices,” added Conway. “Chip-scale waveguides, with smaller sizes and new integration possibilities promise advanced, compact military systems such as tactical gyroscopes that significantly outperform state-of-the-art MEMS devices with the same footprint.”
via DARPA
The Latest on: iPhoD
- Cisco Partners With Bang & Olufsen To Market True Wireless Earbudson May 2, 2024 at 3:00 am
This venture between Danish audio brand Bang & Olufsen and Cisco brings much needed style to the enterprise headset market.
- Where to find Chelsea vs Tottenham on US TV: May 2, 2024on May 2, 2024 at 12:33 am
Now with Peacock Premium, you can stream 175 Premier League matches per season that are exclusive to Peacock. Plus, you get access to the Premier League TV channel, which features Premier League ...
- Current antitrust suits echo 1998on May 1, 2024 at 11:54 pm
It also culminated in a series of concessions that paved the way for Apple to extend the reach of its iTunes music store that increased the popularity of the iPod that spawned the iPhone. The ...
- IRS Is Notifying Taxpayers Who Were Victims Of Massive Data Breachon May 1, 2024 at 7:55 pm
The IRS is notifying taxpayers who were impacted by the Littlejohn data breach. By law, the IRS must inform taxpayers about the breach and tell them about the next steps.
- Apple TV Plus confirms June 29 premiere date for animated adventure show WondLaon May 1, 2024 at 1:00 pm
There's a seven-day trial available right now, while those who buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or iPod touch will also get a free three-month subscription to Apple TV Plus thrown in gratis.
- Bright red iPhone 15 refresh teased — what we knowon May 1, 2024 at 11:52 am
As attention turns toward the iPhone 16, it is interesting that there have been no leaks indicating that it will have the red colorway. Currently, the only known colors for the iPhone 16 are black, ...
- This RGB mouse will dazzle your Mac setup for just $23on May 1, 2024 at 11:22 am
The mouse is ultra-lightweight with an ergonomic “Esport Pro” design that was developed in collaboration with “over 100 pros for sustained comfort and agility in the most demanding levels of FPS ...
- Google and Apple Built Tech Empires--Now the Antitrust Laws That Helped Them Pose a Threaton May 1, 2024 at 11:22 am
Any regulatory efforts to crack down on the tech giants would have strong similarities to the Justice Department's 1988 case against Microsoft.
- Google and Apple now threatened by U.S. antitrust laws that helped build their technology empireson April 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm
It also culminated in a series of concessions that paved the way for Apple to extend the reach of its iTunes music store that increased the popularity of the iPod that spawned the iPhone. The ...
- AI hardware is like trying to invent the iPod after the iPhoneon April 30, 2024 at 7:30 am
For some reason which utterly eludes me, 2024 seems to be the year of AI hardware. We’ve had the Humane AI Pin, the Rabbit R1, and even former Apple design chief Jony Ive reportedly seeking a ...
via Bing News
The Latest on: Electrospun medicines
- Army Medicine Newson April 22, 2024 at 4:59 pm
Provide ready and sustained health services support and force health protection in support of the Total Force to enable readiness and to conserve the fighting strength while caring for our People ...
- Taking Multiple Medications? You May Need to Scale Back.on April 21, 2024 at 5:00 pm
And the older patients are, the more likely it is they’re taking even more medications. But taking many medicines simultaneously, known among medical experts as polypharmacy, increases people ...
- Shortages of life saving medicines has become ‘new normal’ for UK after Brexiton April 18, 2024 at 12:18 am
Their warnings come following reports of the scarcity of vital chemotherapy drugs, such as cisplatin and carboplatin, and medicine for ADHD. Analysing freedom of information requests and public ...
- Patients struggle to get medicines as global supply chains failon April 18, 2024 at 12:00 am
Medicine shortages in Britain have more than doubled in three years, amid a “shock rise” in global supply problems, a report warns. Experts said global supply chains were “broken” and that ...
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitationon April 15, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is an integral part of one of the nation's largest health systems. Nationally known for our compassionate care, cutting-edge research, and ...
- Cost-Based Pricing For Innovative Medicines Is Unviable And Harmfulon April 12, 2024 at 11:12 am
Barber et al. just published a fundamentally flawed study on diabetes medicines in JAMA Network Open (JNO). This study wrongly suggests that cost-based pricing accurately values innovative on ...
- A Complete List of Diabetes Medicationson April 4, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Doctors prescribe different medications to treat type 1 and type 2 diabetes and help control your blood sugar. Treatment may vary depending on your diagnosis, health, and other factors.
- Common medicines that are likely to get expensive from todayon April 1, 2024 at 3:30 pm
Prices of Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Mefenamic acid, Paracetmol, and Morphine spike today under NLEM drugs due to NPPA's notice based on WPI data, impacting over 800 medications including Folic Acid ...
- These medications could make driving dangerous, the FDA warnson March 19, 2024 at 2:35 am
While most medicines are safe to take on the go, some may cause side effects that can interfere with the ability to operate a vehicle or heavy machinery, the agency warned in a notice on its website.
- Medications & Treatmenton February 17, 2024 at 9:27 am
If you have a higher A1C or if metformin alone is not enough to meet your A1C and blood sugar goals, your doctor may prescribe a combination of medications. Each type of diabetes medication can ...
via Bing News