News: Optoelectronics
30 January 2025
BluGlass showcases new product capability for quantum applications at Photonics West
BluGlass Ltd of Silverwater, Australia — which develops and manufactures gallium nitride (GaN) blue laser diodes based on its proprietary low-temperature, low-hydrogen remote-plasma chemical vapor deposition (RPCVD) technology — has filed three US patent applications (provisional patents) for next-generation high-power tunable GaN lasers, and published its results in a technical paper presented at SPIE Photonics West 2025 in San Francisco, CA, USA (28–30 January).
The firm says that it has demonstrated novel capabilities and device architectures designed to address key application challenges and enhance power and versatility of visible GaN lasers where power, precision and tunability are required.
It has filed three US provisional patents around its novel high-peak-power continuous wave tunable GaN lasers for use in three critical markets:
- aerospace, marine, and defence applications;
- quantum computing and quantum sensing applications;
- biomedical and biotech applications.
Senior product developer Dr Ryan Anderson is presenting a technical paper ‘Advancements in GaN DFBs with embedded gratings and a path to higher power on BluGlass’ advanced GaN DFB development and a path to high-power ultra-precision applications’. Ultra-precision, near-single-frequency DFB lasers offer benefits for emerging technologies, delivering precise and stable performance essential for applications such as quantum sensing, navigation, communication, and next-generation defence and aviation. BluGlass’ GaN DFBs are being designed for wafer-scale fabrication to reduce downstream optical alignment costs, and address critical challenges in quantum technologies and computing while enabling greater production volume and smaller device sizes.
BluGlass’ technical paper highlights the improved performance of its GaN DFB lasers, demonstrating near-single-frequency emission from violet to aquamarine, demonstrating side-mode-suppression ratios of greater than 40dB, and peak full-width-half-maximum linewidths of under 3pm.
The paper also showcases recent breakthrough results, demonstrating narrow-band high-power DFB sources, and initial results of semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) gain chips. Additionally, it highlights that BluGlass has demonstrated an integrated GaN master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA), which achieved 750mW power in a single spatial mode. The integrated device replaces a single-mode laser with fast- and slow-axis lenses aligned to a semiconductor optical amplifier, increasing power while reducing size and complexity.
“Our leading advances in visible GaN lasers, single-mode, near-single-frequency, MOPA, and photonic integrated solutions are the key first steps in revolutionizing industries, including aerospace, defence, quantum computing, and biomedical applications,” says CEO Jim Haden. “BluGlass is extending the bounds of visible laser capabilities, and the addition of DFB wavelengths from violet to aquamarine, world-class suppression of noise, and the integration of a single-mode laser with a power amplifier achieving 750mW of blue light in a single spatial mode are testaments to the incredible innovation pioneered by our world-leading team,” he adds.
“Our growing strategic capability uniquely positions BluGlass to capitalize on the exciting growth markets of quantum sensing, communication, and computing. These advances will enable our customers to solve complex problems such as atmospheric LiDAR detection of clear air turbulence, underwater communications and LiDAR, and GPS spoofing and jamming by creating localized quantum solutions,” Haden continues.
“GaN DFB lasers have unrivalled advantages in cost and scale that will create new opportunities in quantum sensing and quantum computing. These advantages, in turn, will enable innovation, enhance safety in commercial and defence aviation, expand biomedical and health technology, autonomous vehicles, drones, and advanced positioning systems.”
BluGlass is exhibiting in booth #4647 at Photonics West, showcasing its DFB and MOPA designs, and improved performance of its Fabry–Perot lasers.
BluGlass’ DFB development partner University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is also presenting a paper on the joint GaN DFB laser development, showcasing what are claimed to be world-leading narrow linewidths and their potential applications. The research features joint BluGlass and UCSB performance data and was co-authored by BluGlass’ senior laser scientist Ryan Anderson.
BluGlass enters into contract with NCSU for visible laser development as part of CLAWS Hub
BluGlass gains US$1.775m contract with NCSU for laser development
