TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

MARCH 2010

ULTRAFAST PHOTONICS

2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

NATURE PHOTONICS TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Ultrafast photonics

COVER IMAGE
Ultrafast laser applications require tailor-made optics, such as these mirrors produced by German start-up company UltraFast Innovations.

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utting together this issue of Technology Focus has been a challenge because ultrafast photonics means different things to different people. For some, it refers to ultrafast communications networks, and it seems that 2010 will be an exciting year for 100 Gbit s1 communications (see page 144). By using phase shift keying and coherent detection, several companies have managed to squeeze 100 Gbit s1 capacity onto a single wavelength that can then be piped along existing fibre infrastructure. To others, ultrafast photonics means high-speed imaging, and in this area the development of the intensified high-speed camera has enabled the capture of ultrafast and low-light events without any motion blur (see page 152). But to many Technology Focus readers, ultrafast photonics refers to ultrafast lasers generating pulses of light in the femtosecond and even attosecond regime. Here too there are exciting developments, with femtosecond lasers allowing the creation of table-top coherent X-ray sources (see page 149) along with many other applications. Although the market for femtosecond lasers is already 20 years old, the application of these ultrafast sources is

growing all the time. Many people, including Andreas Stingl, CEO of Femtolasers, believe the best is yet to come (see page 158). Through the remarkable properties of its ultrashort pulses, the femtosecond laser can often perform tasks that no other laser technology or tool is capable of. The temporal and spectral shaping of ultrashort optical pulses helps optimize their use in specific applications. For example, shaped broadband pulses can be used to control chemical reactions, and pulse shapers have become key components for enhancing resolution and improving detection in nonlinear multiphoton imaging (see page 154). Among the future potential applications of pulse-shaping devices is the manipulation of optical pulse trains with high repetition rates. This field of research has attracted interest for high-speed optical fibre communications and ultrafast optical signal processing. This link back to ultrafast communication and detection shows how closely all the areas of ultrafast photonics are connected. So, because ultrafast photonics means different things to different people, we hope everyone will find something of interest in this issue of Technology Focus.

CONTENTS

BUSINESS NEWS
Ultrafast networks gear-up for deployment 144

EDITORS
NADYA ANSCOMBE OLIVER GRAYDON

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Our choice from the recent literature 145

PRODUCTION EDITOR
CHRIS GILLOCH

PROFILE
Optics made to measure 146

COPY EDITOR
JAMES BAXTER

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
High-harmonic generation: Ultrafast lasers yield X-rays Iain McKinnie and Henry Kapteyn High-speed imaging: Image intensication Jeroen Wehmeijer and Bert van Geest Ultrashort optical pulses: Shaping up Nicolas Forget 149 152 154

ART EDITOR
TOM WILSON

SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER

KEN MIKAMI T: +81 3 3267 8751

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
GEORGE LUI T: +1 415 781 3804

ADVERTISING MANAGER
SIMON ALLARDICE T: +1 415 403 9034

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
Real-time pulse characterization and more 157

INTERVIEW
Femtosecond future Interview with Andreas Stingl 158

NATURE PHOTONICS | VOL 4 | MARCH 2010 | www.nature.com/naturephotonics

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PROFILE TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Optics made to measure

Researchers in Germany have set up a company to manufacture custom-made optics for ultrafast applications. Nadya Anscombe nds out about the companys products and its plans for the future.
There is something unique about the startup company UltraFast Innovations. The company, which designs and manufactures tailor-made optics for ultrafast applications, was set up by two academic giants in the field of ultrafast optics research the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ), both based in Garching, Germany. These organizations have both spun-out companies before, but this one is different this one they own. Unlike other spin-offs, where researchers set up their own company and licence technology from their university or institute for a small stake in the company, UltraFast Innovations is owned 50:50 by LMU and MPQ. Why have these organizations decided on this business strategy for the first time? The answer lies in one of the motivations for setting up the company. Like many universities and institutes, the LMU and the MPQ have some very expensive infrastructure such as manufacturing equipment, clean rooms and characterization equipment (see Box 1). Although this equipment is essential to researchers, it is often standing idle and therefore not used to its full potential as it would be in, for example, full-scale manufacturing. UltraFast Innovations was set up to utilize this extra capacity and make the most of the world-class facilities in Garching. This was, of course, not the only motivation for starting the company, which was set up in July 2009. Researchers in Garching, particularly from the groups of Ferenc Krausz and Ulf Kleineberg, have known for some time that there is a market for the types of optical components they develop. The groups have a long history of research in ultrafast photonics and have built up considerable expertise in manufacturing ultrafast optics such as chirped mirrors and metallic multilayer mirrors. These are all essential components in ultrafast laser systems, and the groups found themselves inundated with requests for these components many of which they could not fulfil. UltraFast Innovations was set up to give everyone access to our technology and know-how,
146

Detail of the extreme-ultraviolet/infrared delay unit available from UltraFast Innovations. This component has allowed generation of 80-attosecond pulses the worlds shortest-duration light pulses .

says Jens Rauschenberger, CEO of the young firm. The company supplies optics that are at the limits of what is possible in terms of design, manufacturing and performance.

Many of our customers are researchers just like us, so we understand their needs very well.
Its products cover ultraviolet, visible and infrared wavelengths all the way to the extreme-ultraviolet and soft-X-ray range. It specializes in the design and manufacturing of optical elements tailormade for ultrafast laser applications. We have the capability to design and manufacture dielectric optics for laser applications, as well as metallic multilayer structures for X-ray applications, says Rauschenberger. He believes that being rooted in the research environment gives the company a unique selling point. Many of our customers are researchers just like us, so we understand their needs very well,

he says. We can immediately incorporate the latest research results into our designs and can also test the products in real laser systems. The company certainly has good pedigree. Krausz and his colleagues were the pioneers of chirped mirror technology and attosecond pulse generation, and currently hold the record for the shortest light pulses ever created (80 attoseconds). It is the specialized optics we developed that make advances such as this possible, says Rauschenberger. And it is not just scientific researchers who need our products. We have seen considerable demand from industry; industrial clients now make up about half of our customer base. For example, UltraFast Innovations highly dispersive mirrors are allowing manufacturers of femtosecond lasers to replace prism compressor units with all-dispersive-mirror compressor units. These all-mirror compressors offer distinct advantages over incumbent technology: by precisely tuning higher-order dispersion, amplified pulses with durations close to

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2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

ULTRAFAST INNOVATIONS

PROFILE TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

Box 1 | Manufacturing equipment

UltraFast Innovations has three different coating facilities at its disposal.

of up to 65 mm. It can be used for the spectral range of 200 nm to 10 m.

Magnetron sputtering system

This system is equipped with two magnetrons and a plasma source, providing plasma- or ion-assisted reactive dual-magnetron sputtering. Owing to the high deposition rates, the system has short process times even for complex multilayer systems. The coating films produced have higher refractive indices than those achievable with electron-beam evaporation, which indicates very dense layers. The system covers the spectral range of 2503,000 nm and can coat substrate diameters of up to 100 mm.

Ion-beam deposition system

The dual-ion-beam deposition system is equipped with two inductively coupled ion beam plasma sources; one is directed onto the target to ablate the target materials, and the other is directed onto the substrate for optional ion-beam-assisted deposition. The possibility of in situ spectral ellipsometry in the near-infrared to ultraviolet region allows subnanometre process control during deposition. Ion-beam deposition is known to produce very dense and smooth layers in a very stable process. The ultrahigh background vacuum pressure of 108 torr also ensures clean layers. The system is operated in a class-1,000 clean room. For our coatings we only use the best substrates available on the market, says Rauschenberger. Up to 2-angstrom root-mean-square surface roughness, /20 surface form and 105 surface quality is attainable in many different shapes, sizes and radii of curvature.

Electron-beam evaporation system

Electron-beam evaporation is mainly used for non-dispersive coatings. The companys electron-beam system has a new process control that features maximum automation and can handle large-scale optics with diameters of up to 265 mm and thicknesses the Fourier limit can be achieved. This new compressor technology is significantly smaller and yields higher transmission than prism compressor units, resulting in increased output power. The all-chirped mirror pulse compressor also eases alignment issues, which is beneficial for the reliable operation of amplifier systems. For us, the market potential in this area is big, says Rauschenberger. It is obvious that the product works well and offers many advantages, so we believe that in the future all femtosecond lasers will feature alldispersive-mirror compressor units. As well as highly dispersive mirrors, the company also offers a variety of mirrors including ultrabroadband dispersive mirrors, ultrahigh-reflectivity mirrors, third-order dispersion mirrors and multilayer extreme-ultraviolet mirrors with controlled dispersion. The company can also custom-design any mirror and coating according to customer specifications. After only eight months of trading, the company has already observed a trend in customer needs. We have noticed that customers are interested in a higher degree of integration, rather than just individual components, says Rauschenberger. This is why the company offers products such as its all-dispersivemirror compressor units, as well as extreme-ultraviolet/infrared pulse delay

UltraFast Innovations has unique access to state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, both of which are based in Garching, Germany.

UltraFast Innovations was founded by researchers who have a long history of research in ultrafast photonics and have built up considerable expertise in manufacturing ultrafast optics such as chirped mirrors (pictured) and metallic multilayer mirrors.

units for pumpprobe experiments and beamline vacuum assemblies for highharmonic generation and spectroscopy. These integrated optical systems provide an even greater benefit for the customer than mere optical components because they are based on extensive knowledge and expertise. We can directly build on our expertise as researchers and

thus save scientists in research groups and industry all over the world a lot of time and money when setting up their experiments, says Rauschenberger. This is a direction in which the new company sees great potential, and it is planning to expand its product line by introducing, for example, specialized autocorrelators and laser sources. Rauschenberger is confident about the future. I can see growth in many areas, he says. We can now handle more orders, as well as larger orders. We have lots of ideas for new products that would fit well into our product range, and we also want to grow our customer base. This will hopefully allow us to expand the number of employees we have. When asked about the long-term future of the company, Rauschenberger points out that the company is only eight months old and that it is therefore too early to speculate. And anyway, there is no precedent that I can use as an example, he says. This is the first time the LMU and the MPQ have set up a company such as this, and it remains to be seen how the company will evolve. So far, the market reaction has been really positive. Nadya Anscombe is a freelance science and technology journalist based in the United Kingdom.
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ULTRAFAST INNOVATIONS

ULTRAFAST INNOVATIONS