LCO

LCO Overview

The Optical Communications Laboratory is integrated with the Ultrafast Phenomena and Optical Communications Group (GFURCO) at Unicamp's Gleb Wataghin Institute of Physics (IFGW), with a history dating back to 1975. It is currently located on the ground floor of Photonicamp.

History and Development

The laboratory originated from a pioneering partnership with Telebrás in 1974, when a contract was established to develop the Laser Communication System Project, including an Optical Fiber Sub-Project. The initial goal was to produce optical fibers and lasers, the two fundamental elements for optical communications, with subsequent technology transfer to national industry.

Research Evolution

Starting in the 1980s, the group underwent a significant transformation in its research profile. The focus, which was initially on industrial applications, expanded to more advanced academic investigations, including:

• Erbium-doped optical amplifiers
• Photonic crystal fibers (PCF)
• Nanophotonics

Projects and Funding

The laboratory has been linked to four major projects:

• CePOF (Center for Research in Optics and Photonics)
• Kyatera
• FOTONICOM (National Institute of Photonic Science and Technology for Optical Communications)
• IPhD (Integrated Photonic Devices)These initiatives receive financial support from important funding agencies such as FAPESP, CNPq, and FINEP.

Infrastructure

The laboratory has multi-user characteristics and is equipped with complete instrumentation for characterizing systems and devices up to 10 Gbps.

Research Areas

Nonlinear Optics One of the laboratory's main areas of study is nonlinear optics, which investigates specific phenomena that occur when laser beams pass through certain materials, generating new beams with different frequencies and intensities. Nanophotonics Nanophotonics at the Optical Communications Laboratory explores light confinement at the microscale, investigating exotic effects that arise from this confinement to develop revolutionary devices capable of emitting, detecting, and controlling light propagation.