Design and Implementation of an External-Cavity Laser (ECL) as a Tunable Coherent Source for Optical Communication and Sensing Applications Using Hybrid Integration

FONEX Data System Inc. is developing solutions to address the challenges that telecommunication service providers face in upgrading their access networks to sustain the growth in data traffic. A critical component of the solutions is low cost widely tunable laser modules. In this internship project, a novel laser source is proposed based on external cavity laser (ECL) configuration that can provide low-noise wideband tunability with narrower linewidths. This ECL source helps addressing commercial issues in increasing the number and bandwidth of optical communication channels. Moreover, the proposed module can be directly utilized in other applications, such as an optical sensor to detect a variety of measurands. For example, it can be used as a diagnostic optical biosensor which is affordable and portable. Such sensitive and reliable diagnostic sensor helps health service providers to run remote rapid test in many cases, like preventing the COVID-19 pandemic spread that we all experienced.

Faculty Supervisor:

Andrew Kirk

Student:

Partner:

Fonex

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Technology; Information and Communications Technology; Commercial Services

University:

McGill University

Program: