STTR Phase I: Nanophotonic Chip based on Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays with Active Hybrid-layered Structure

New Span Optotechinology Inc, Miami FL

Investigators

Abstract

This Small Business Technology Tranfers (STTR) Phase I research project will investigate a novel nanotube-based device capable of manipulating both photons and electrons on the same chip for data detection, processing and output. This device exploits aligned carbon-nanotube arrays as optical antennae to seize/emit photons with an active layer containing nanosized sensitive molecules to control the propagation of surface plasmons, leading to unique and useful optical features such as optical switching, controllable retro-reflection and wavelength add/drop multiplexing. This device, if successfully produced, has potential for communication, computing and sensing applications with significant performance improvement in speed, power consumption and sensitivity. The Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed optical-chip technique. The successful development of the proposed nanophotonic chip may have profound implications for communications, computing and sensing applications with significant performance improvement in speed, power consumption and sensitivity. It will also benefit development of ultracompact and lightweight optical sources, antenna transmitters and detectors. The high speed, high sensitivity and low power consumption expected for these devices would meet the requirements for future information systems in a variety of platforms, such as for highly sophisticated optical detection systems and communications networks. It may also enable the implementation of optical interconnects for on-chip computing systems and optical routers. In addition, the successful completion of this program will aid the development of nanoscale optical imaging systems including both near-field and far-field applications. Apart from the commercial applications, the proposed concept will be useful for the military defense applications such as dense arrays of intelligent sensors, compact reconnaissance platforms, and manned and unmanned military assets. These environments will need ultracompact, lightweight, low-power, low-cost optical sources, antenna transmitters, and detectors.