Alternative Lossy Dielectrics for High Power Applications

Not Available The goal of the Phase I program is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of developing a scalable lossless optical splitter in a new gain medium. Resultant devices should operate entirely in the optical domain, be polarization independent and be readily scaled to large numbers of output channels. Importantly for Phase III commmercialization activities, the proposed splitters will be manufactured during planar processing techniques and, in quantity, should be significantly more affordable than conventional approaches. The key enabling innovation underlying the approach is a new, versatile, low-cost amplifier. Phase I will evaluate technical feasibility by determining the gain requirements for the candidate device designs, determine the losses associated with the proposed amplification scheme, and calculate from key measurements the expected gain associated with a splitter architecture. Phase I will conclude with a down selection of a device configuration and detailed performance projections for a Phase II prototype based on the proposed amplifier scheme.