| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/Y024745/1 |
| Title: |
Sheffield-Phlux Advance Research Collaboration (SPARC) |
| Principal Investigator: |
Ng, Professor J |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Electronic and Electrical Engineering |
| Organisation: |
University of Sheffield |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research - NR1 |
| Starts: |
01 July 2024 |
Ends: |
30 June 2027 |
Value (£): |
529,593
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Optical Communications |
Optoelect. Devices & Circuits |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
Vision: SPARC will accelerate a recently discovered low avalanche noise semiconductor, AlGaAsSb, to become the preferred solution for a variety of important low photon sensing applications. We will demonstrate the transformative impact of AlGaAsSb avalanche photodiodes (APDs) on two key themes: (i) 25 Gb/s and beyond optical fibre-based communication systems and (ii) km-range free-space optical communication (FSOC) links. AlGaAsSb APDs' unique features; the lowest excess avalanche noise and the highest gain-bandwidth product for infrared APDs, will provide the underpinning solution to overcome data bottlenecks in many data communication systems.
Ambition: Our first grand challenge is to develop the best AlGaAsSb APDs with gain-bandwidth products (GBPs) > 400 GHz - significantly higher than the best offered by commercial Ge-on-Si APDs (273 GHz). Our AlGaAsSb APDs will exhibit lower dark current density and avalanche noise, offering low-noise performance at high-speed operation. They will enable 10 and 25 Gb/s data rates in Fibre-To-The-x (FTTx) systems, where x typically represents home, building and distribution point. We will then overcome the second grand challenge of high-speed communication through free space, i.e. Fibre-To-The-Space (FTTS). The APDs will be customised to achieve sensitivity limit as good as few-photon level to enable FTTS (including licence free communication channels) at data rate > 1 Gb/s.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.shef.ac.uk |