“We’ve created a compact glass chip with a waveguide pattern etched into it using 3D laser printing technology. This allows signals to be fed simultaneously into all 19 individual fiber cores with low and uniform losses. Other methods limit the number of cores and result in excessive light loss, reducing the efficiency of the transmission system,” explains Simon Gross of Macquarie University’s School of Engineering. “It’s been exciting working with the Japanese leaders in fiber optic technology. I hope we’ll see this technology in submarine cables within five to ten years.”
Another researcher on the team, Professor Michael Withford, from Macquarie University's School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, believes this advance in fiber optic technology has far-reaching implications. "The optical chip is based on decades of optics research at Macquarie University," says Withford. "The underlying patented technology has many applications, including searching for planets orbiting distant stars, detecting diseases, and even identifying damage in sewer pipes."
The optical fiber was developed by the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT, Japan) and Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. (SEI, Japan), and the work was carried out in collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands), the University of L'Aquila (Italy), and Macquarie University Sydney.
