This proposed device research incorporates material research and nanofabrication technology with new system approaches to enhance current fiber optic networking capabilities. The work is based on research results from a grant made by the previous NSF CISE EMTNano program that involved silicon phontonics, nano fabrication and nonlinear optical polymer research. The device research involves miniaturizing optical components to the nano-scale, thereby extending the t reach of optics to ever shorter distances. The miniaturization permits enhancement of bandwidth through the use of on-chip dense wavelength division multiplexing allowed by silicon photonics components. The miniaturized system with reduced power consumption permits use of broadband sources instead of a multitude of stabilized lasers. This new system approach promises not only breakthroughs in size and cost but an epiphany in the approach to control of process and thermal variations. The material research involves high temperature electro-optic chromophores that exhibit high electro-optic coefficients when guested in polymeric hosts. The nanotechnology includes infiltration and poling of these novel composite polymers in slotted silicon nano-waveguide structures.
The broader impacts of the proposed research include energy conservation, education and economic benefits. IT equipment consumes several percent of the annual national energy consumption of 3.6 PW-h. Efficient computing will increase IT capacity while lowering energy consumption. This research impacts education in numerous ways. The program will provide research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. The research results will be published as well as incorporated into courses in a timely fashion. The PI has a track record in encouraging participation of minority students and women and will continue to expand these efforts under this program. The proposal is based on the previous discoveries in fundamental research efforts and addresses the theme of the NSF I-Corps Teams, that is, to innovate scientific discoveries into technologies, products and processes that benefit society. Overall, the proposed work will broadly impact the society by providing the next-generation computing and information technology (IT) on which the society increasingly depends.
An NSF I-Corps grant requires a Principal Investigator to identify an earlier NSF research result (or set of results) that may be commercializable. The grant consists of field testing the hypothesis that the speocified research is commercializable. The hypothesis testing is carried out as the performance of a course related term project that is tied to a course that the Principal Investigator, Entrepresneurial Lead and Mentor are required to attend and contribute to. If it is determined that the research can be commercialized or can be made commercializable through suitable modification of a busines canvas, then the team needs carry out as much of the commercialziation plan as is possible during the remaining performance period of the grant. Steps that may included are proof of principle, pursuit of the filing of Intellectual Property, Incorporation and search for investment. We proposed to commercialize silicon photonic transceiver technology. We found that a viable value proposition lay within the realization of affordable 100 Gbps transceivers for data communication. We believe that silicon photonics technology can add substantial value to customers, as compared to alternate technologies, in the realm of lower cost, lower power consumption and smaller size. The proof of principle had already been piecewise demonstrated in research carried out during the performance periods of two previous NSF grants. We have subsequently filed for Intellectual Protection of certain innovations that we developed during the periods of performance of two previous NSF grants but only combined into a cohesive commercial plan during I-Corp. The Principal Investigator together with a Chief Exectutive Office (CEO) selected from the business sector have formed a company, Red Cloud Communication, and presently filling out a technical team while seeking investment to produce a beta product.
