Summary: UCLA researchers in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have developed innovative high performance diffractive waveguides adaptable to any task and that achieve desired specifications for applications spanning telecommunications, sensing, spectroscopy, and integrated photonics circuits.
Background: Waveguides are crucial for directing sound, light, and electromagnetic waves, ensuring that energy is transmitted effectively to a desired output. Traditional waveguide designs often rely on advanced fabrication techniques such as dispersion engineering and the specific refractive index profile of materials, which restrict them to a single task at a time, preventing the implementation of more complex solutions. Advanced applications of waveguides include autonomous vehicle navigation, spectroscopy, sensing, telecommunications and defense systems. To leverage these utilities, there is an unmet need for a waveguide design that is adaptable to any desired task and eliminates the need for material dispersion engineering, while retaining low loss in signal transmission.
Innovation: Professor Aydogan Ozcan and his team have developed diffractive waveguides designed for optimized transmission across spectral, spatial, and polarization-specific applications. These diffractive waveguides can be cascaded together to operate at any desired wavelength simultaneously. Additionally, they facilitate the propagation of desired modes with low loss and high mode purity through capabilities such as mode splitting, mode filtering, and multiplexing polarization states. By integrating diffractive layers with deep learning optimization, the waveguides allow for the periodic modulation of the phase structure of light, without the need for dispersion engineering. With the ability to effectively replicate any conventional dielectric waveguide, the invention is set to broaden the scope of current systems utilizing waveguides by providing adaptable solutions for multiple tasks at a time with enhanced signal transmission.
Potential Applications: ● Telecommunication and satellite systems ● Defense/military applications ● Imaging systems including medical diagnostics ● Spectroscopy ● Sensing toxic gases/liquids ● Optical signal transmission ● Laser technology ● Integrated photonics ● Quantum photonic circuits
Advantages: ● Adaptable to any desired wavelengths or application ● Low loss with high mode purity ● Eliminates the need for dispersion engineering ● Capable of mode filtering and mode splitting ● Optimized with deep learning ● Efficient manufacturing technique
Publication:
Diffractive Waveguides
State of Development: Successful demonstration of invention completed in July 2023.
Reference:
UCLA Case No. 2025-012
Lead Inventor: Dr. Aydogan Ozcan, Chancellor's Professor and Volgenau Chair for Engineering Innovation; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering