Lightwave Logic touts photostability of ultra-high-speed polymer for modulators

Oct. 22, 2020

The company says it plans to use the polymer material in a new generation of optical modulators that it will provide for upcoming customer trials.

Stephen Hardy

Lightwave Logic, Inc. (OTCQB: LWLG), which is pursuing electro-optic polymers as a pathway to photonic integration, says it has been able to demonstrate “unrivaled” photostability in its organic polymer material. The company says it plans to use the polymer material in a new generation of optical modulators that it will provide for upcoming customer trials. The company did not state when these trials might begin.

Lightwave Logic has touted the potential of organic polymers for more than a decade (see, for example, “Lightwave Logic producing prototype photonic chip” from 2008) and has developed multiple prototype polymer-based chips. However, those early attempts to commercialize the technology failed to bear fruit. The company’s investors brought in Michael Lebby as CEO in 2017 to get the commercialization efforts back on track (see “Lightwave Logic names Michael Lebby CEO, Fred Leonberger to board”). Lebby has focused on further developing the technology to meet current application requirements, and the company unveiled a prototype 50-Gbaud polymer-based modulator in 2018 (see "Lightwave Logic launches 50-Gbaud polymer modulator for 10 km and greater reaches").

Earlier this month the company announced that, according to feedback from potential customers participating in prototyping by fabricating the polymer onto standard silicon wafers, the materials have demonstrated compatibility with currently available integrated photonics platforms, including silicon photonics and InP. Now the company is touting the polymer materials’ high tolerance to high-intensity infrared light.

"We continue to see exceptional performance from our organic polymer materials, unrivaled by any organic commercial solution in use at present," said Lebby. "These results not only meet our internal criteria today, but address potential customer feedback as we continuously enhance our technology suite."

For related articles, visit the Optical Technologies Topic Center.

For more information on optical components and suppliers, visit the Lightwave Buyer’s Guide.

To stay abreast of optical communications technology, subscribe to Lightwave’s Enabling Technologies Newsletter.

About the Author

Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave

Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.

Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.

He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.

You can connect with Stephen on LinkedIn as well as Twitter.