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Serpentine waveguides combining mechanical flexibility with loss-less light guiding for brittle, high-performance materials
About
Optical waveguides are critical in applications requiring precise control of guided light. Traditional waveguides are typically rigid, limiting their applicability and the materials that can be used in their construction. High-performance materials such as silicon or silicon nitride are brittle and are therefore challenging to integrate into flexible designs, constraining their use in certain advanced technologies like accelerometers.
This innovation is a new device structure ‑ photonic nanosprings ‑ a serpentine waveguide structure that offers both mechanical flexibility and loss-less optical guiding. The design enables the use of brittle yet high-performance materials such as silicon and silicon nitride in flexible configurations. These nanosprings address the limitations of conventional rigid waveguides and open new possibilities for integration in diverse optical and photonic devices.
Further Details:
- Capable of maintaining high-performance light transmission in mechanically demanding environments.
- The technology supports various applications where flexible optical waveguides are needed without sacrificing performance.
Key Benefits
- Combines flexibility with high-performance light guiding.
- Compatible with brittle materials like silicon and silicon nitride.
- Enhances the range of applications for integrated waveguides.
Applications
- Advanced optical and photonic devices.
- Accelerometers.
- Other technologies requiring flexible yet precise optical guiding structures.