Cost-efficient gas sensor system based on wavelength-tunable quantum dot VCSEL arrays.
The goal of the Berlin-Polish project is to develop an innovative, low-cost, high-precision and high-reliability spectroscopic system capable of detecting in-situ low water vapor concentrations for industrial applications.
In QD-Sense, innovative, low-cost, tunable and single-mode lasers and laser arrays based on the principle of vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) using quantum dots (QDs) as active medium are fabricated on the Berlin side. In a departure from classical VCSELs, an innovative monolithic high-contrast surface grating (MHCG) is used to define the emission wavelength of the lasers precisely and flexibly at the same time. The Polish partners are carrying out extensive design studies and optimizations and are accompanying the development of the basic structures with numerical and optical investigations. Prototypes of these novel lasers will be integrated on the Polish side into an industry-relevant system for the detection of water vapor in order to demonstrate the high application relevance of this bilateral research project.
In addition to this product technology innovation, a toolbox for the simulation and optimization of resonant, nanostructured light sources, such as lasers or single photon sources, will be developed on the numerical side.
Partner
- TU Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- EPIGAP Optronic GmbH, Berlin, Germany
- eagleyard Photonics GmbH, Berlin, Germany
- JCMwave GmbH, Berlin, Germany
- Lodz University of Technology, Lodz, Poland
- Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, Poland
- Airoptic sp. z o.o., Poznań, Poland
Funding
The project is part of the 5th call "Photonics, microelectronics and quantum technologies as key enabling technologies for the digital transformation, energy transition, smart mobility and life sciences" between Poland and Berlin-Brandenburg. It is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the framework of the Program for the Promotion of Research, Innovation and Technology (ProFIT) and by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) in Poland.