Phototransducers with quantum materials for power + communications over optical fiber systems (PowerCom)

下一次工业革命将产生于物联网：大量的设备将以高速率交换大量数据，成为世界上最大的硬件技术市场之一。由铜缆互连的系统数据速率有限，可能会受到电磁干扰的影响。将数据传输到光纤可防止此类干扰并提高数据速率上限，但会增加铜缆硬件基础的光纤成本。如果数据和电力都能传输到光纤上，系统就会简化，数据速率上限就会提高，成本就会降低，干扰就会消除。光功率链路原则上可以使用基于非常丰富的III-V化合物半导体材料家族的光子器件来实现，具有天然的直接带隙和晶体质量。光能可以用III-V激光器或LED设备产生，然后通过多模或单模光纤传输，并使用另一种III-V设备转换回电能。成功的关键是实现高转换效率，理论表明转换效率可以接近100%。能够实现这一架构的设备和设计专业知识已经在SUNLAB、渥太华大学和沃特卢大学建立起来。我们的加拿大合作伙伴Azstra Opto已经展示了目前最先进的工业设备，实现了约70%的功率接收器效率。该项目将扩展这项技术，以创造一种以前无法获得的新型设备，具有非常高的效率，能够支持商业上可行的光功率/数据链路。这项工作将分两个阶段进行：第一阶段将展示在现有波长下提高效率的技术；第二阶段将增加纳米结构(量子点)和在新波长下的材料选择，这对成功至关重要。

The next industrial revolution will arise out of the Internet of Things: vast numbers of devices will exchange copious data at high rates, becoming one of the world's largest hardware technology markets. Systems interconnected by copper are limited in data rate and can be degraded by electromagnetic interference. Transferring data onto optical fibre protects against such interference and raises the data rate ceiling, but adds cost of fibre to the copper hardware base. If both data and power can be transferred to optical fibre, systems are simplified, data rate ceilings are raised, costs are reduced, and interference is eliminated.Optical power links can in principle be achieved using photonic devices based on the extraordinarily rich III-V compound semiconductor materials family, with natural direct bandgap and crystalline quality. Optical power can be generated with III-V laser or LED devices, then carried on multi-mode or single-mode optical fibre, and converted back to electrical power using another III-V device. Key to success is achieving high conversion efficiencies, which theory has shown can approach 100%. The ensemble of device and design expertise capable of this architecture has been established in SUNLAB at uOttawa, and at uWaterloo. Present industrial state-of-the-art devices have been demonstrated by our Canadian partner, Azastra Opto, achieving ~70% efficient power receivers. This project will extend this technology to create a new class of devices, previously unavailable, with very high efficiencies capable of supporting commercially viable optical power/data links. The work will be done in two stages: the first stage will demonstrate techniques for improved efficiencies at the present wavelengths; the second stage will add nanostructures (quantum dots) and materials selections at new wavelengths, essential to success.