Lightwave Logic, Inc. (OTCQX: LWLG) says it has further inched its proprietary electro-optic polymer approach toward commercialization with the development of a sealant for its polymer platform that blocks oxygen and other atmospheric gases. Use of the sealant will enable “a polymer modulator without a package,” which the company says is an important development toward use of the technology in photonic integrated platforms.
The sealant obviates the need for a hermetic “gold-box” approach to protect the polymer-based modulators from the effects of the surrounding atmosphere. Lightwave Logic says that potential customers want such a simpler approach, which should prove less costly and bulky as well. Removing the need for a separate, bulky package also makes more straightforward the integration of the polymer-based modulators with other optical and electronic chips, including those based on silicon photonics.
Lightwave Logic says the sealant has shown encouraging performance in tests; however, the company plans to continue development work to further optimize the sealant's properties to better enable chip-on-board designs.
"I am proud of our team for this exciting breakthrough – as having a sealant that prevents oxygen and other chemicals from reaching the polymer layers gives us an incredible degree of freedom in device design and packaging," said Dr. Michael Lebby, Lightwave Logic’s CEO. "We can for the first time, to my knowledge, contemplate package-less chip-on-board solutions for polymers. These results truly open the door for a host of new opportunities and applications as we address customer feedback from our current technology platform."
Lebby discussed the company’s progress in the use of organic polymers for photonic integration during a Market Focus session at last week’s virtual ECOC 2020. The company is pursuing two main avenues towards integration of the polymer-based modulators in either InP or silicon photonics environments. Lebby declined to place a timetable on when the technology would be ready for full commercialization.
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