Description: The proposed project aims to use ultrafast laser inscription (ULI) technology to improve the fabrication flexibility and versatility of a critical photonic component, arrayed waveguide grating (AWGs). The fabricated AWGs can be directly integrated with other ULI-based photonics devices, such as waveguide lasers, photonic lanterns, and modulators, realizing monolithic transmitters. This direct on-chip integration will eliminate fiber-optic coupling and reduce both the time and cost associated with the traditional lithography fabrication method. Iterative design, simulation, and ULI fabrication of the building blocks for realizing an ULI-based AWG will be performed. Initially, straight, curved, tapered, and slab waveguides will be designed and simulated using photonics simulation software. The waveguides will then be fabricated using the ULI technology; the feedback obtained from the characterization process will be used to refine the simulation models and fabrication parameters to achieve the desired sub-system performance. The optimized design and simulation results for these building blocks will be used as the input parameters to design, simulate and fabricate a four-channel AWG with 400-GHz channel spacing at a center wavelength of 1550 nm. The ULI-based, low SWaP PIC technology will be useful for NASA in lidar receivers for new Earth Science measurements such as the detection of carbon monoxide, free-space laser communications, mid-infrared heterodyne spectroscopy, and astrophotonics for exoplanet detection. The non-NASA applications include spectroscopy, optical communications, and quantum computing. The offerors, Aktiwave LLC, and the research institution, Rochester Institute of Technology, are well-positioned to execute the AWG requirements and explore possible 3D integration with other photonic functions, such as photonic lanterns. The team has demonstrated ULI-based waveguides, beam splitters, and waveguide lasers on various material platforms.

Benefits: Spectroscopy: analyze and characterize the composition of distant objects Space-based optical communications: separate and combine wavelengths improving space-based communication networks Lidar: separate the return signals for precise measurements of the distance and velocity of objects in space. Interferometry: high-resolution imaging of distant objects using multiple telescopes Sensors: measure temperature, pressure, and strain for monitoring the spacecraft’s health

The proposed device offers a solution for potential applications in data storage, optical communications, and optical coherence tomography. It can enable wavelength-multiplexed holographic storage, efficient 3D photonic integrated circuits, and high-resolution 3D medical imaging of internal structures in the body.