The Need

Advanced photonic systems for communications, sensing, computing, and quantum technologies increasingly rely on lithium niobate due to its exceptional electro-optic and nonlinear optical properties. However, existing high-performance lithium niobate photonic devices face major commercialization barriers, including difficult packaging, inability to efficiently route optical signals around electrical structures, and high optical coupling losses when connecting to standard telecom fiber. These limitations increase system complexity, cost, and insertion loss, restricting deployment of next-generation photonic devices in real-world applications.

The Technology

OSU engineers have developed a fiber-to-fiber photonic integration platform that combines multi-layer ferroelectric waveguide architectures with efficient fiber-coupling technology. The platform enables optical signals to be routed between multiple photonic layers, allowing greater design flexibility and packaging compatibility while maintaining high-performance optical functionality. The technology is compatible with electro-optic, nonlinear optical, and wavelength-conversion devices and supports direct interfacing with standard optical fibers, creating a practical pathway from chip-scale photonics to deployable commercial systems.

Commercial Applications

• Quantum networking and quantum communication hardware
• Wavelength converters, frequency generators, and photonic signal-processing components
• Optical communication and data center networks
• RF-over-fiber, microwave photonics, and advanced sensing systems

Benefits/Advantages

• Supports efficient coupling to standard telecommunications fibers
• Packaging-friendly architecture enables optical routing and electrical integration without sacrificing device functionality
• Broad technology applicability