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Scientists at ITMO University have proposed a new technology to create optical waveguides based on inkjet printing. Using this method, it is possible to create waveguides with the necessary parameters quickly and without expensive equipment or complex procedures. The new technology is being optimized for the production of optical elements on an industrial scale. The results are published in Advanced Optical Materials.
Today, optical fiber is widely used in communication. Many people know that it can transmit a signal over long distances with minimal loss, providing us, for example, with a stable, high-speed Internet. However, as devices become smaller and smaller, scientists and engineers have developed a fiber analog on a microscopic scale. Such devices are called waveguides. They play a vital role in creating next-generation computers on an optical basis, thus ensuring efficient signal transmission and processing.
Most researchers now suggest complex and expensive technologies for creating waveguides, such as laser ablation or photolithography. These are tedious procedures requiring complex equipment, rare materials and additional processing of samples. Scientists at ITMO University have developed an alternative method for creating optical microwave guides. It is based on a common ink jet technology.
Waveguide printing starts with the preparation of a special ink. Its main ingredient is a solution in suspension, or soil, of nanoparticles of titanium dioxide. This material was chosen because of its high refractive index, which is necessary for the waveguide to effectively drive the signal. In order to define appropriate ink parameters, the scientists selected the solvents, the concentration of the main component and the appropriate surfactants. Then, the ink is introduced into an ink jet printer, which applies the material in a given geometry to a clean glass substrate.
"The fundamental characteristic of our work is that we have explained the choice of material, as well as the geometry of the working wavelength and the waveguide, instead of just describing the properties and methods . However, its main advantage is that it offers a simple and inexpensive technique, adapted to the industry. This work was aimed at a practically applicable result from the very beginning and we have now conducted the first industrial tests of our technology in collaboration with the company IQDemy. The results confirmed that the method could be improved without losing the quality of waveguides, "commented Anastasiia Klestova, a member of the SCAMT laboratory at ITMO University.
Scientists are currently focusing on the industrial adaptation of the waveguide inkjet printing technique. Their plans for the near future include inkjet printing in the production of other elements needed for optical signal processing.
"It is obvious that the creation of storage and data elements based on the control of photon motion is the fundamental technology of future computers. The most difficult part of engineering such devices is the development of efficient signal lines. But our solution removes all the major limitations in this area, and I have no doubt that we will soon see waveguide photonic calculators created with our method, "says Alexander Vinogradov, researcher at SCAMT's laboratory of the 39, ITMO University.
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