News: Optoelectronics
7 March 2022
EFFECT Photonics and Aircision to co-develop coherent technology for free-space optics
Aircision and EFFECT Photonics b.v. (both of Eindhoven, The Netherlands) say that they are looking to push the boundaries of ground-to-ground free-space optics (FSO) technology by combining the advantages of integrated coherent photonics and free-space optics.
Founded in early 2019 on the HighTech Campus Eindhoven with support from the Eindhoven Startup Alliance and HighTechXL, Aircision is developing high-capacity FSO systems for ground-to-ground applications that can be deployed rapidly, cover long distances and are highly secure. In December, the firm demonstrated the capabilities of their first 10Gbps FSO system.
The key enabling technology for DWDM systems is full monolithic integration of all photonic components within a single chip and being able to produce these in volume with high yield at low cost. As a spin-off from the Technical University of Eindhoven (TU/e) that has developed highly integrated DWDM optical communications system-on-chip components using indium phosphide (InP)-based multi-channel photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for mobile networks and data-centers, EFFECT Photonics is able to deliver the flexible, pluggable optical transceiver that is a key component of Aircision’s FSO system.
“We were impressed with the capabilities of the EFFECT Photonics 10G SFP+ devices that we tested. It was an easy decision to involve them in our development plans for our next-generation 100Gbps coherent transmission systems,” comments Aircision’s CEO & co-founder Luis Oliveira. “To keep up with the ever-growing demand for bandwidth across larger distances, Aircision is developing a 100Gbps coherent free-space optics system capable of transmitting up to 10km,” he adds.
“As we look to applications outside of pure fiber-based communications, we liked the market use cases Aircision presented as well as the market traction they already have,” comments EFFECT Photonics’ director of product management Joost Verberk. “Our roadmaps follow a similar course, making a joint development program an interesting option.”
Both Aircision and EFFECT Photonics are part of the PhotonDelta eco-system, a platform that is in place to accelerate developments such as this and to reduce the time-to-market of new applications.
EFFECT Photonics completes Series-B financing round
EFFECT Photonics samples its first optical system-on-chip product family
