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CUDOS, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Ultrahigh bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems, is continuing development of a photonic chip technology to complement the NBN.
The CUDOS Centre of Excellence has had its funding extended by the Federal Government, with $23.8m awarded under the most recent funding round. It will therefore undertake a new and expanded research program.
According to Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr, the photonic chip technology will increase the core network capacity, helping ensure home users can get 1Gbps, 10Gbps or more in the future as their need grows.
In 2003, CUDOS advanced a vision of developing an integrated photonic-based signal processing platform. In 2009, it demonstrated that photonic chips could be used to switch data at speeds that approached terabits a second.
This new funding means CUDOS can research photonic chips for applications in quantum signal processing and mid infrared technologies as well as in high speed optical communications.
CUDOS will also initiate a program in nanophotonics focusing on metamaterials and plasmonics, with the aim of developing miniature devices whose operation depends on optical characteristics that are unattainable with bulk materials.
Other technology being developed by CUDOS is used in a variety of areas.
“CUDOS is generating and processing new wavelengths of laser light for sensing chemical signatures which can detect explosive material or chemicals potentially used in a terrorist threat, environmental pollutants or disease,” Senator Carr said.
This can be used by Customs and Quarantine, and ensure products are clean and disease-free.
According to Centre Director, Professor Ben Eggleton, CUDOS technology is based on metamaterials, artificially engineered materials not found in nature which can control light at the nanoscale.
Technologies from these materials will allow the world to step away from the energy-intensive copper wire communication systems.
"They will allow us to move huge amounts of data around at vastly improved speed and energy efficiency,” said Prof Eggleton. "The new technology will also be ‘fundamentally more secure and error-free,’ a crucial development in an information economy era.”
CUDOS is a collaboration of seven Australian universities:
- Australian National University
- Macquarie University
- Monash University
- RMIT University
- Swinburne University of Technology
- The University of Sydney
- University of Technology, Sydney
For more information on CUDOS visit www.cudos.org.au.