STTR Phase I: Wafer-scale, foundry-ready Ti:Sapphire integrated photonic lasers and amplifiers

The broader impact/commercial impacts of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is in development of compact, portable, and affordable devices for biomedical imaging. The advanced imaging instruments could be used in diverse fields and applications, ranging from neuroscience research to early cancer detection at the point of care. By developing a photonic platform that can produce these devices at scale, this project aims to make these instruments affordable enough to be widely used in physicians’ offices, dramatically improving access to critical diagnostic technologies. This project’s technical innovations will be in reducing the cost and complexity of lasers operating in the visible and near-infrared wavelength spectrum, which are vital in emerging fields like quantum computing. Such an advancement in integrated photonics would also result in more compact and cost-efficient atomic optical clocks, which are essential for defense navigation systems. These societally important applications will generate initial revenue to fund the development of low-cost, two-photon microscopes for cancer detection, reducing the timescale necessary for lifesaving decisions while creating a durable competitive advantage within the cancer diagnostics market. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project aims to transition the Ti:Sapphire-on-insulator (Ti:SaOI) platform from an academic demonstration to a wafer-scale, CMOS-foundry compatible process. This project will enable the scalable production of integrated Ti:Sapphire lasers and amplifiers in the wavelength range of 700 – 1000 nm, revolutionizing the high-performance visible and near-infrared laser market. Previous proof-of-concept devices had limited performance due to nascent fabrication technology with high propagation losses and were built using chip-scale techniques that could not be scaled for direct commercial viability. This effort lays the foundation for wafer-scale production of this technology, by developing efficient methods of doping sapphire, optimizing plasma etching, and producing a narrow-linewidth laser with the efficiency and power capable of addressing market needs. These advances in the Ti:SaOI platform will then enable the realization of transformative on-chip mode-locked laser technology at scale. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.