Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

This proposal will fill the urgent need for an automated optical probe that will provide new capabilities to support 4 research programs in the fast-growing field of integrated photonics. This probe can quickly and automatically align an optical fiber array onto the input/output ports of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) using different coupling configurations. There is currently only one PIC characterization setup available at Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS). However, this fully manual setup requires laborious fiber alignments, is incompatible with fiber arrays and is limited to one coupling configuration. Other automated optical probes are located in distant universities. All UdeS researchers active in integrated photonics support this proposal. In the coming years, we expect that 17+ graduate students will be involved in one of the 4 research programs in integrated photonics at UdeS and they will need daily access to an optical probe. Considering this high degree of utilization, the most suitable and cost-effective solution is to replace our current setup with one that is more efficient one in order to minimize the usage time per user. The equipment will be part of a shared facility at the Interdisciplinary Institute of Technological Innovation (3IT) of UdeS and it will be available to all UdeS researchers. This ensures the sustainability of the equipment (maintenance and expertise) and the best returns on NSERC funding. Students will receive hands-on training on the equipment by an experienced research staff member at 3IT. The skills they will acquire by testing PICs with the proposed equipment are highly valued by a growing pool of Canadian companies. The Sherbrooke region alone boasts >10 companies in this sector, with several already partnering with UdeS researchers. The 4 research programs supported by this equipment are: 1) The Research Chair in Nanomaterials for Integrated Photonics (M. Massicotte) will use 2D materials such as graphene to improve the performance of PICs, for applications in telecommunications and quantum technologies. This program is supported by Teledyne DALSA and CMC Microsystems. 2) Low-power silicon photonic transceivers capable of operating in harsh environments such as cryogenic temperature and high radiation dose are currently not available. S. Charlebois and J.-F. Pratte are part of international collaborations that need and design such transceivers. 3) The Research Chair for Quantum Technology Deployment (S. Nicolay) will develop wafer-scale photonic sensors based on nitrogen vacancies in diamond. This is done in collaboration with SBQuantum, C2MI, INO and NRC. 4) The NSERC/Teledyne DALSA Industrial Research Chair in Next Generation MEMS and Microphotonics (P. Charette) will develop various types of sensors based on integrated photonics, in collaboration with STMicroelectronics and Teledyne DALSA. This program also includes the development of ultra-low-loss waveguides for quantum photonics applications.