Integrated Photonic Structures Will Facilitate Improved Communications and Signal Processing Capabilities Published June 17, 2008 By Maria Callier, AFOSR/PIP Air Force Office of Scientific Research ARLINGTON, Va. -- An AFRL-funded research team demonstrated the use of integrated photonic structures for increasing communications and signal processing capabilities from different parts of Air Force aircraft. Dr. Ali Adibi, of the Georgia Institute of Technology Center for Advanced Processing Tools for Electromagnetic/Acoustics Crystals, is a central participant in AFRL's nanophotonics program. His photonic crystal concepts will enable the design and realization of a completely new class of devices for advanced military communications and signal processing systems. The AFRL-sponsored team demonstrated that using higher bands of photonic crystals results in improved performance of those structures. Accordingly, the researchers extended the design of the demultiplexers to create devices capable of receiving a single input that carries many signals and subsequently separating those signals across multiple outputs that, in turn, measure the distribution of optical energy over the wavelength. These devices, called spectrometers, are in high demand for various all-optical sensing applications, including those geared towards detecting harmful gases, explosives, and biological and chemical agents. Having achieved improved demultiplexing performance via the integration of higher-band photonic crystals, the next step is to combine the new devices with other structures to form fully integrated photonic modules for use in sophisticated communications and signal processing functions.