Bay Photonics ships single frequency SIDEWINDER lasers for quantum applications

Bay Photonics ships single frequency SIDEWINDER lasers for quantum applications

In August, Bay Photonics shipped three SIDEWINDER lasers (pictured) to the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics (F-CAP) to be integrated with stabilization electronics designed by Redwave Laboratories, the 3rd partner in the project consortium. The single frequency output is provided by an external cavity diode laser (ECDL) utilizing a volume Bragg grating (VBG) to provide feedback. The laser produces up to 140mW output power at around 780nm.

The SIDEWINDER project, part funded by Innovate UK and including Bay Photonics, F-CAP, and RedWave Labs Ltd, has the goal of developing a robust, industrialized, single frequency laser for driving quantum processes. The role of Bay Photonics in the project is to take the breadboard laser prototype, created by F-CAP, and design a real world product and associated manufacturing process to ensure the laser can be produced in volume.

The SIDEWINDER team have developed a laser module targeted for quantum technology systems integrators looking for a component to replace multiple lasers and control equipment, which can be included in a system with a minimum of complication. The final SIDEWIDER laser can output single frequency, dual or triple frequencies with narrow linewidth, intrinsically stable in respect to each other, for control of atomic states, e.g. cooling & repump, in a single robust package.

Bay Photonics’ Chief Technology Officer, Dr Andrew Robertson explained, “We spent the last 4 months developing a robust optical platform on which to build the laser. We don’t have the luxury of being able to tweak the optical components once the laser system is packaged and having all 3 of these single frequency lasers work straight out-of-the-box on arrival at the Fraunhofer Centre in Glasgow is a huge result for the SIDEWINDER project”. 

About Bay Photonics – Bay Photonics have been providing photonic packaging solutions since 2007 and have experience in hermetic packaging of photonic components such as laser die, detectors, and PICS. Bay are also experts in development and building small, robustly packaged micro-optic and optical fiber based photonic modules and lasers. Bay Photonics are located within the Electronics & Photonics Innovation Centre (EPIC), Paignton, Devon.