Ring Resonator on a Side Polished Optical Fiber

Introduction As telecommunication and computing devices increasingly move towards optical transmission, the ability to filter optical signals with devices such as ring-resonators, without incurring signal loss becomes more important. Additionally, ring-resonators can be used as sensors in a number of applications. Micron-scale sensors are already being used in high volume production, for example in car air bag and stability control systems. There is a constant pressure to further miniaturize these sensor components and reduce their manufacturing cost. Technology description The inventors have developed a method to fabricate compact ring resonators (60 microns in diameter) using a two-photon polymerization process, which are then coupled to polished optical fibers. By selectively removing the cladding on the fiber, the light passing through the fiber can be directly coupled with the ring resonator. Business opportunity The optical networking business, currently a $1 billion per year market, is projected to grow into a $3.5 billion opportunity by 2007. Microelectromechanical systems based sensors are estimated to represent a market opportunity in excess of $8 billion. The ring resonators and input fibers of this technology can be functionalized and tuned to detect changes in temperature, strain, or RF field and the presence of minute levels of biological agents and chemicals. Stage of development Ring resonator waveguides have been constructed using a two-photon polymerization technique. These rings have been successfully coupled to sidepolished fibers and operated at telecommunication wavelengths. Resonance shifts in response to temperature and pressure changes have been observed. Intellectual property position The UW is assessing patent protection for this technology.

Type of Offer: Licensing



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