OKI has announced that it signed a five-year comprehensive joint research agreement on innovative photonic technologies with Fraunhofer HHI (Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut), a world-leading German research institute in the field of photonics, on December 15 of last year.
Through this partnership, OKI aims to create world-class photonic technologies that are ultra-compact, high-performance, and energy-efficient in the fields of optical sensing and optical communications. Both organizations will work together toward the commercialization of ultra-compact laser vibrometers, ultra-compact fiber optic sensors, high-sensitivity optical biosensors, and ultra-compact, energy-efficient optical communication transceivers from 2027 onward.
OKI's strength lies in silicon photonics technology, which uses silicon semiconductor manufacturing techniques to build large-scale optical circuits (photonic circuits) on silicon wafers.
On the other hand, Fraunhofer HHI's strengths in hybrid photonic integrated circuit technology, which mounts multiple semiconductor components with different functions and materials (such as lasers, modulators, light-receiving elements, and amplifiers) on multiple optical circuit boards and connects these optical circuits via metal wiring and optical waveguides so they function as a single optical circuit. Fraunhofer HHI also has advantages in packaging technology, which protects semiconductors from the outside and electrically and optically connects them in the final stage of semiconductor manufacturing.
In this joint research, they aim to realize industry-leading ultra-compact, high-performance, and energy-efficient multi-chip integrated photonic devices by combining the strengths of both organizations, and will advance the development of various optical modules using them.
Furthermore, utilizing these optical modules, they will develop optical sensors and optical communication transceivers (optoelectronic components for transmitting and receiving data with light) and apply them to solving global social issues. To strengthen the collaborative framework between the two organizations, OKI will dispatch researchers to Fraunhofer HHI in Berlin to accelerate research and development.
They aim to achieve world-class performance and miniaturization with their jointly developed optical sensors and optical communication transceivers. In the field of optical sensors, they plan to develop laser vibrometers, fiber optic sensors, optical biosensors, and other technologies.
Laser vibrometers enable ultra-compact, non-contact vibration measurement and can be utilized for detecting abnormalities in automotive and electronic component manufacturing lines, as well as in infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, and buildings.
Fiber optic sensors will be miniaturized for easy installation and will enable wide-ranging, real-time strain, vibration, and temperature measurement, contributing to health monitoring of infrastructure, aircraft, rockets, and more.
Furthermore, optical biosensors will achieve both ultra-compact size and high performance, enabling the simultaneous inspection of large numbers of samples at low cost.
In addition, for next-generation optical access networks, they plan to develop ultra-compact optical communication transceivers that achieve both high-speed communication at 100 gigabits per second or more and energy efficiency, addressing the rapidly expanding need for increased communication capacity in the internet, data centers, mobile communications, and other areas.
This article has been translated by JST with permission from The Science News Ltd. (https://sci-news.co.jp/). Unauthorized reproduction of the article and photographs is prohibited.