New Organic Polymers to Replace Crystalline Optical Materials

December 1, 2008

Development of a novel polymer, funded by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and other agencies, has opened the door to faster and more reliable switching in optical communications, with implications for numerous optical technology applications.

These polymers, known as electro-optic (E/O) polymers, are imbued with light-absorbing molecules called chromophores, which are found in nature in substances like chlorophyll and beta-carotene. The chromophores convert light into electrical current with high efficiency. E/O polymers have been known for some time to have the potential to outdo slower inorganic materials like gallium arsenide and lithium niobate. There are many applications for E/O polymers, including radio frequency, microwave, and millimeter-wave power distribution; phasedarray radar; photonic detection of electromagnetic radiation (such as radar signals); remote voltage sensing; flat-panel display modulators; and ultrafast analog-to-digital converters.

Offered by Lumera Corp. of Bothell, WA, electro-optic polymers have the potential for terahertz operational frequencies — two to three orders of magnitude beyond the capabilities of materials now available. These polymers can take the place of traditional crystalline materials such as lithium niobate, which is used in optical communications waveguides, switches, and modulators — devices that help route the light waves in optical communications.

The polymers were originally developed through an academic project, with funding from MDA predecessor BMDO. Beginning in the early 1990s, Professor Larry Dalton and colleagues oversaw a concerted effort to develop novel electrooptic polymers at the University of Southern California's Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute. BMDO provided funding for this effort on the strength of its interest in radar, telecommunications, and remote-sensing technologies. Dalton's efforts in stabilizing and integrating the polymers into optoelectronic systems paved the way for Lumera to offer compact, high-bandwidth, optical communications links in a small space with very low losses, something that manufacturers of lithium-niobate-based modulators cannot hope to match.

How it Works

Lumera, which acquired electro-optic polymer intellectual property in early 2000, worked to develop and market products based on its purchased know-how. Today the company is offering a 40-gigabit-per-second (Gbps) electro-optic polymer modulator for optical-transmission systems.

Ten-gigabit modulators have been the norm using crystalline optics, with current technology requiring four 10-Gbps modulators in series to do the same job as Lumera's one device. Lumera also introduced a 100-Gbps modulator, the first of its kind in the world, in November 2007. These new modulators combine the fastest switching speeds with the lowest drive voltages (thus low heat) and optical losses in the industry, occupy a small footprint, and also offer frequency ranges (35-140 GHz) not available with current crystalline materials, enabling the creation of systems that can keep pace with the ever-increasing quest for more bandwidth.

Lumera recently introduced its Millimeter-Wave Com - munication System. The new product is a full-featured system that makes use of E/O modulators, and it is now poised to address the growing need for wireless ultra-high-data-rate transfer for satellite communications, wireless enterprise networks, and extending existing fiber networks. The system can switch between frequencies as needed, offering security against interception, interference, and some forms of denial-of-service. This capability also serves to improve reliability and robustness, and to increase throughput when multiple frequencies are used simultaneously.

Where it Stands

On the strength of a "disruptive" technology, Lumera transformed from a start-up in 2000 to an initial public offering in 2004. Lumera is looking to partner in new ventures to effect adoption of new materials.

More Information

For more information on Lumera's electro-optic polymers, click here  . (By Joan Zimmermann/NTTC; Source: MDA TechUpdate, Missile Defense Agency, National Technology Transfer Center Washington Operations.)

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