Advanced mid-infrared ultrafast laser technologies and their applications

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There is a growing interest for lasers operating in the mid-IR spectral range. This is driven by unique scientific applications including nonlinear optical spectroscopy, frequency conversion, supercontinuum generation, medical applications with laser surgery, environmental monitoring through molecular vibrational spectroscopy, and material processing for advanced manufacturing. To support Canadian companies to advance their portfolios and business ventures in this expanding market, we are proposing a collaborative university-industry project to develop novel mid-IR laser technologies as well as their applications to enhance their commercial values. This research effort is supported by three companies, including two from Canada (Femtum and Axis Photonique) and one from France (GLOphotonics). Through this collaboration, GLO is interested in establishing stronger relationships with Canadian scientists and companies to develop a technology capable of generating high-power ultrashort pulses in the mid-IR spectral range. This collaboration will allow GLO to establish itself in Canada to access more easily the North American market while providing an invaluable relationship with a growing European company. This project includes five research efforts capitalizing on complementary academic and industrial expertise. This includes: (1) the development of high-power mid-IR lasers delivering picosecond to sub-nanosecond pulses, (2) reducing the pulse duration of mid-IR laser systems using specialized hollow core waveguides with the objective of generating sub-100 femtosecond laser pulses at 2.8 microns, (3) material processing of low bandgap materials using multiphoton absorption with a focus on silicon, (4) THz chemical microscopy based on mid-IR laser technology and their applications in various sectors, especially in energy science, and (5) detection and sorting of microplastics using mid-IR photoacoustic spectro-microscopy. This project will be realized over three years and will enable to train highly qualified personnel that Canada needs for its knowledge-based economy including four Ph.D. and six undergraduate students, and two postdoctoral fellows.