Technological advance published in Optics Express magazine Investigación U. de Chile develops devices to increase internet speed

Researchers from the Physics Department of the University of Chile and the MIRO Institute developed devices that allow an optical signal to be transformed into multiple equal signals in order to distribute them to different users. The work represents an advance compared to the current systems used by Internet operators, which are less efficient in the use of space and energy in each process of sending information.

Communications UdeChile.- A team led by academic from FCFM Department of Physics, Rodrigo Vicenciohas managed to produce optical devices that can perform controlled operations in a wide range of wavelengths (colors), thus increasing the amount of information that can be transmitted over the internet or other data network.

“These devices, known as splitterscan be used both in the distribution of optical signals and in photonic chips for quantum computing, multiplying optical signals”, says Vicencio.

“Went capable of transforming an optical signal into multiple equal signals (N equal signals), to be able to distribute them to different users”, adds Vicencio. This would be an advance compared to the current systems used by internet operators, which are inefficient in the use of space and energy in each sending process, something that could help solve our devices.

To design these tools, computational analyzes were carried out at first, before moving on to the manufacturing process, which was carried out using a femtosecond laser and movement stations with nanometric precision (one millionth of a millimeter), while the Characterization was performed with a supercontinuous laser and a standard CCD camera.

The next step for the scientists will consist of the implementation of devices with a greater number of outputs (N=10), in addition to seeking to increase the bandwidth of optical communications.

The results of this work appeared in the article “Ultra-low-loss broadband multiport optical splitter” (Ultra-low-loss broadband multiport optical splitter), in Optics Express magazine, authored by Vicencio and Vildoso Pigeonboth also part of the MIRO Millennium Institute for Research in Optics, together with jovana petrovic from the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences in Serbia.