IOP Business Innovation Award: Covesion
For the research, development and manufacture of PPLN technologies, facilitating highly efficient frequency conversion, providing access to wavelengths that are presently unavailable from commercial laser sources.
Covesion is a world leader in the research, development and manufacture of magnesium doped, periodically poled, lithium niobate (MgO:PPLN) crystals and waveguides for highly efficient, non-linear frequency conversion. Since being established in 2009, they have been supporting the photonics industry by offering insight and guidance on the design of laser systems for generating visible and infrared (IR) light.
From their manufacturing base in Southampton, United Kingdom, their optoelectronic engineers, product development specialists and research scientists are committed to ongoing innovation in the field of photonics.
The team, chosen from academia and industry, works in close collaboration with customers and industry partners to ensure that they continually design and manufacture world leading PPLN technologies for a broad range of cutting-edge, scientific applications including:
- space and defence
- quantum technology
- spectroscopy
- environmental science
- research and development
MgO:PPLN supports a wide range of applications such as: quantum computing, communication, sensing and timing applications; frequency doubling of femtosecond lasers; mid-infrared generation; atom cooling; terahertz generation and biomedical imaging.
Recently launched into their extensive portfolio of solutions, Covesion’s fibre-coupled (input and output) component waveguide for second harmonic generation (SHG) of C-band frequencies is designed for both OEMs and researchers. The novel waveguide provides reliable output power from a few milliwatts up to one watt in a compact package with external fibre coupling.
Covesion has developed the world’s first ruggedized, frequency doubling module for 1560 to 780nm conversion, generating over 1W output power, to drive Rb-based quantum technologies and demonstrated operation of the module within a Rb-MOT for quantum applications. Waveguide packaging has been tested under ‘harsh’ environmental conditions, including temperature, shock, vibration and radiation. The test results show that Covesion has a route to offer a space-qualified waveguide, which has wider use in applications requiring remote, autonomous operation in harsh environments, like mobile earth-based sensing drone operation.
