The Realization of Kinematic Mounts for VPICs
Location
Golden Eagles
Start Date
2-5-2025 1:10 PM
Department
Other
Abstract
The need for faster data transmission is increasing as technology advances, requiring innovative solutions to enhance speed and efficiency. Light based transmission devices offer a potential route to improve data transmission. Current light based transmission devices are only two dimensional. VPICs (Volumetric Photonic Integrated Circuits), are a 3D improvement to the existing 2D interfaces that offer a more compact design that enhances speed, efficiency and accuracy. The advancement in the field of VPICs requires integrating photonics components and pushing their limits through different fabrication techniques such as Subsurface Controllable Refractive Indexing Via Beam Exposure (SCRIBE). The main focus of our current work is to design a kinematic mount that restricts the six degrees of spatial freedom to accurately align and lock two separate VPICs. Aligning two VPICs allows transmission of information with the least data loss possible. To date, we have successfully designed a prototype of a pyramidal kinematic mount that is able to align with its inverse counterpart and lock into place. Our future work involves stabilizing two samples and realizing the 3D-printed devices that complement the SCRIBE-written VPICs so we can efficiently produce them in large scales.
Faculty Sponsor
Doris Espiritu
The Realization of Kinematic Mounts for VPICs
Golden Eagles
The need for faster data transmission is increasing as technology advances, requiring innovative solutions to enhance speed and efficiency. Light based transmission devices offer a potential route to improve data transmission. Current light based transmission devices are only two dimensional. VPICs (Volumetric Photonic Integrated Circuits), are a 3D improvement to the existing 2D interfaces that offer a more compact design that enhances speed, efficiency and accuracy. The advancement in the field of VPICs requires integrating photonics components and pushing their limits through different fabrication techniques such as Subsurface Controllable Refractive Indexing Via Beam Exposure (SCRIBE). The main focus of our current work is to design a kinematic mount that restricts the six degrees of spatial freedom to accurately align and lock two separate VPICs. Aligning two VPICs allows transmission of information with the least data loss possible. To date, we have successfully designed a prototype of a pyramidal kinematic mount that is able to align with its inverse counterpart and lock into place. Our future work involves stabilizing two samples and realizing the 3D-printed devices that complement the SCRIBE-written VPICs so we can efficiently produce them in large scales.