SOHO
“The versatility and efficiency of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in various emerging fields including quantum computing, neuromorphic processors, wearable sensors, Lidar systems, medical diagnostics and imaging, and more,” Imran Avci explains. Nevertheless, existing PIC measurement methods lack the spectral precision, speed, sensitivity, and cost-effectiveness required for refining current applications and exploring new frontiers like point-of-care or wearable biosensors. VU Amsterdam recently discovered a new method that outperforms the traditional PIC measurement methods, providing more than 100 times higher spectral resolution, 1000 times higher sensitivity, and real-time operation. It combines a fixed wavelength laser with a standard tunable laser diode through custom control software, achieving remarkable simplicity, low cost, and wide accessibility to a broad range of users. The team proved its working principle, and, in this project, and aims to expand its operating bandwidth and explore new application areas.
NWO Demonstrator projects
The board of NWO Domain Applied and Engineering Sciences (AES) has awarded funding to six Demonstrator projects. This will allow researchers to further develop their results to make them attractive to the market. The granted projects will receive a total of EUR 1 million from NWO. The researchers develop their results into a product or service at the level of a minimal functional basic version of the knowledge. They would like to involve third parties in the further development of the scientific results. But before third parties invest, they often want to see a demonstrator first to assess the (commercial) potential. However, many researchers lack the financial resources to develop such a model. With this funding they can do.