At the Photonic Network Research Institute of Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), a team of researchers have developed a new light source technology that might make some spectacular applications possible in the near future. The news was made available in a press release. The study was published in Optics Express.
At the center of the technology are “high-quality” quantum dots, tiny nano particles, that boast higher stability and optical frequency than those created the conventional way.
Current optical fiber communication systems use a 1.55-micron wavelength band of about 10 THz, where the attenuation of the optical signal and distortion of data are quite low. These measures alone are not sufficient for bringing the ultra-high-speed and the large-capacity optical communication in the future into reality, due to lack of frequency resources. For this reason, NICT has engaged in a basic technology research related to development and efficient use of optical frequency resources by employing photonics-based technology for an effective utilization of the optical frequency band in the broadband region.
Through these achievements,
NICT has succeeded in developing a quantum dot light source with a combination of stability and a high optical frequency. This leads to the tunability of the broadband wavelength and the effective use of the optical frequency. In order to develop the quantum dot material, which is the key to the light source, NICT has used a self-developed “subnanometer interlayer separation technique” which controls the crystal structure at an atomic level (subnanometer level). That way, we have achieved a high quality and a high density that is twice of that achieved conventionally. Moreover, we have succeeded in building a high-speed data transmission system with error-free data transmission that combines this light source and the photonic crystal fiber with ultra-broadband optical propagation characteristics.
According to NICT, a quantum dot is a tiny particle of nanometer scale made of semiconductor crystals. Use of this minute structure as a luminescent material or light-amplifying material in optical devices enables broadband operation at longer wavelengths, which is difficult to achieve by conventional means. Optical devices using quantum dot structures are expected to have a low environmental load, making this a green technology with low power consumption. Moreover, applications of quantum dots in solar batteries and quantum information communication technology are also expected.
By using the so-called “Sandwiched sub-nano separator structure”, NICT says their quantum dots can be used in optical frequency bands that are about 70 Thz wide, which is about seven times wider than the 10Thz of conventional frequency bands currently offer.
NICT also says that because this new wavelength band can permeate human skin, their technology could also be used in bio-imaging, for instance, they may enables high-resolution photos of new molecules in cells.
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