CES 2023 Innovation Award
GLO is very proud to announce that its Photonic-MicroCell-Atomic-Clock (PMCAC) won the Innovation Award Honoree CES 2023. Its fiber micro-photoincs technology coupled with its compact, shapeable form will allow GLO to bring laboratory-level atomic clock performance into the pocket of any end-user.
Precision time-keeping has become the vital center of our modern economy, its overarching impact only equaled with the near-impossibility to grasp its vital and ubiquitous significance - strategic fields such as cyber-security, geopositioning, secured-telecommunications and agile compact and distributed sensors being only a few representative examples. At its heart is the atomic-clocks whose capabilities allow precision time-keeping to withing 10 micro-seconds every 3 millennia – representing one of the most remarkable demonstration of human achievement. However, their size and complexity has become a hindrance to their accessibility and deployment in every strategic sector. The craving for this performance to be brought in miniature devices is as pervasive as pressing, highlighted by the high profile accorded to compact atomic clocks at the major international programs like DARPA, and by the trillion-dollar market-size.
The fundamentals of atomic clocks consist of an electromagnetic signal, from e.g. a laser or a microwave source, interacting with the electrons around an atom, causing them to transition orbital to another. These transitions occur at precise, reproducible frequencies, unique to each atomic element and consistent throughout the entire universe – offering a universal, standardized reference for time. This allows atomic clocks to achieve performances far superior to mechanical clocks. Present day atomic clocks can be split into two categories:
- Research grade clocks offering phenomenal performances but can not be operated outside dedicated laboratories and occupying entire rooms, and
- miniaturized, chip-scale devices that suffer from limited precision and a strong frequency drifts.
PMCACs stand out from existing atomic clock technologies by their ability to confine light and atoms withing small areas and over long interaction lengths, allowing unprecedented Signal-to-Noise ratios (SNR) and consequently a time-keeping ability of not-losing-nor-gaining 1 millisecond in a millennium - more than 100 times better than any existing miniature clocks.
PMCACs are based on GLO’s proprietary Photonic MicrocellTM technology which is a length of micro-structured hollow core optical fiber filled with gas or vapor in a controlled and sealed fashion - earning them the qualification of “World smallest gas cell” (Nature 434 (7032))
The creation of miniaturized atomic clocks call for radical approaches compared to the lab-based atomic clocks as the high atom-light interactions need to be protected from various noise sources. This is particularly true with regard of confining atoms within micro-structures. Indeed, whilst the main frequency standards are based on spectral lines provided by a well identified list of atomic vapours (e.g. microwave hyperfine transitions of Cs or Rb), their tight confinement in micro-photonic structure is much less trivial. Furthermore, the extreme physio-chemical reactivity of most of these vapours makes their loading and trapping in a micronic package the first sine-qua-none condition to satisfy before any further developments are considered. GLO’s HCPCF and PMC technology has now surpassed these hurdles by creating a novel micro-structured glass photonic fiber platform with a hollow core whose inner-wall is made of a smart coating to protect the enclosed atoms and enhance their performance as atomic clocks. Furthermore, GLO’s R&D team is continuously working with the academic word to push the capability of its PMC technology even further as demonstrated by its partnership in the European project Cryst3.
In one of its many shapeable forms, the PMCAC comes as a pen-shaped instrument, similar to the pencil of a mobile phone, and connectable to any mobile device via common connectors such USB-connector and can be powered by the pile rechargeable by the device it connects to. It can be operated from any mobile phone, computer or instrument with IT connections, sending its high-precision clock-signal for geopositioning and navigation as well as a host of future applications. The PMCAC can be provided directly to the market as stand-alone add-on for positioning and navigation, or as a B2B product or OEM components for imbedded solutions in sensing, mining and precision instrumentation markets. The PMCAC’s core technology can be easily extended to a large range of quantum sensors and offers a highly competitive eco-footprint. Importantly for secured telecommunications, PMCAC has all the credential for enabling NIST-compliant Quantum-Resistant Cryptographic Algorithms. GLO is open to partner with leading players in the field of quantum sensing and quantum information and share with them the outstanding key enabling power of its PMC technology.
Hollogyr project
Le projet HOLLOGYR, porté par la société GLOphotonics en vue de développer des composants pour cavité résonante à fibre creuse pour gyroscope optique a été cofinancé par l'union européenne dans le cadre du FEDER 2014-2020 et par la région Nouvelle Aquitaine.
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GLOphotonics welcomes new investors
GLOphotonics closed a Series A funding round, co-invested by the global operating high-tech companies DMG Mori Seiki Co and TRUMPF Lasertechnik GmbH + Co. KG.
DMG Mori is a world leader in high-end precision machines and automation systems, based in Nagoya, Japan. TRUMPF is a world leader in manufacturing solutions in the fields of machine tools and laser technology, based in Ditzingen, Germany.
Following the investment, DMG Mori and TRUMPF strengthen the company’s capital structure around the GLOphotonics founder who remains the major shareholder. This investment will contribute to allow GLOphotonics to enter a new phase, recruit new talents, complete a state-of-the-art production facility and address industrial markets. Particularly, GLO remains committed to provide all existing and future customers and partners with a strong technology differentiator in their respective field.
“We are thrilled that two recognized industrial leaders with deep roots into research, development and engineering, and unparalleled commercial success with demanding customers on all continents, have endorsed our technology and our team to accomplish an ambitious plan”, said Fetah Benabid, founder of GLOphotonics.
Andreas Popp (TRUMPF’s representative in GLOs Supervisory Board) said: “GLOphotonics is an innovative high-tech company with great expertise in hollow-core fiber technology. With our investment we want to support the further development of this promising technology and help to bring it to industrial maturity.”
"The acquisition of minority stake in GLO by DMG MORI will accelerate the ongoing joint research and development project by the two companies. Moreover, they will expand the area of application of this technology from micro precision processing after mechanical machining to create additional or higher surface quality, or to processing large components by femto-second laser." Said Masahiro Yanagihara (DMG-MORI’s representative in GLOs Supervisory Board).
Eric Mottay, CEO of Amplitude, said: “Amplitude, a long-time strategic investor in GLOphotonics, is pleased to welcome new partners in the company. Fiber delivery of ultrafast lasers has the potential to significantly reshape the ultrafast laser micro-processing landscape. I believe in the power of collaboration in the Photonics industry, and I am looking forward to working with our new partners to further advance this promising technology.”
INTERVIEW
In an interview to the PhotonicsViews magazine, GLOphotonics founder and NE-CTO/CSO Fetah Benabid discusses GLO history and vision.
Link to the interview here https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/phvs.201970307
Link to the magazine website: https://www.photonicsviews.com/
CLEO US 2018 / POSTDEADLINE paper
GLOphotonics extends its hollow core fiber offering to UV range by demonstrating a record ultra-short pulse compression of a frequency-tripled high-energy ultrafast fiber laser. This work will be presented as a post-deadline paper* at CLEO conference 2018, held in San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, California, USA on 13 – 18 May 2018.
GLO new UV-range of hollow fibers guides at both 355 nm and 343 nm and exhibits, low transmission-loss, high energy handling and is intrinsically solarization-resistant.
For more details contact us or meet one of our R&D team members at CLEO conference.
*Post-deadline paper is regarded as important cutting-edge research work and accepted after the deadline for regular papers.
CLEO US 2016 / POSTDEADLINE paper "7.7 dB/km losses in inhibited coupling hollow-core photonic crystal fibers"
GLO Photonics, and researchers from the GPPMM group of the University of Limoges have demonstrated this year the fabrication of record loss inhibited coupling hollow-core photonic crystal fibers with a value down to 7.7 dB/km at 780 nm.
These results have been presented as a Postdeadline paper of the CLEO US conference in San Jose.
F. Gérôme received "Jean Jerphagnon" award
Frédéric Gérôme, CNRS researcher in the GPPMM group at the research institute Xlim UMR CNRS / University of Limoges and co-founder of the GLOphotonics company, is the winner of the Jean Jerphagnon Prize 2015. He received this award the February 23, 2016 at the closing ceremony of "2015, Year of the Light in France" in the salons of the Paris City Hall. This award distinguishes scientific excellence at the heart of entrepreneurship and through that price, it is also the work of all team that has been rewarded.
2016 PRISM AWARDS FINALIST
GLOphotonics is proud to announce that its proprietary Kagome hollow fiber has been selected as the finalist in the 2016 Prism Awards. The Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation is a leading international competition that honours the best new photonic products on the market. The Prism Awards is considered to be the “Photonics Oscar” by OptecNet Deutschland, and celebrates the best of our industry. The winners will be announced at Photonics West 2016 in San Francisco on 17 February 2016. http://www.photonicsprismaward.com
Additional information
Jerome Alibert, CEO
jeromealibert@glophotonics.fr
CLEO US 2015 / POSTDEADLINE paper "Milli-Joule energy-level comb and supercontinuum generation in atmospheric air-filled inhibited coupling Kagome fiber"
In a recent collaboration, GLO Photonics, Amplitude Systemes, and researchers from the GPPMM group of the University of Limoges have demonstrated the generation of a ~1000 THz wide and 150 nJ/nm energy spectral-density supercontinuum, and a Raman comb wider than 300 THz in atmospheric air-confined in inhibited coupling Kagome fibers for the first time.
These results will be presented as a Postdeadline paper of the CLEO US conference in San Jose.
Sept 2014 / LASER FOCUS WORLD article
Seminal work on Inhibited Coupling guiding hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (IC HC-PCF) is highlighted on the cover of September issue of the international magazine LaserFocusWorld. The results of this work are summarised in a 5-pages scientific report that recounts the salient properties of the IC guidance mechanism, the sequence of the major achievements in hypocycloid (i.e. negative curvature) core Kagome HC-PCFs that led to several world-record transmission performances, and its application in high power ultra-fast lasers. In the editor letter it is stated that these results will "make the next generation of high-power, ultrafast fiber lasers" through the start-up GLOphotonics.
To read the article: http://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/print/volume-50/issue-09/features/fiber-for-fiber-lasers-kagome-pc-fiber-goes-to-extremes-for-ultrashort-pulse-lasers.html
To read the edito: http://digital.laserfocusworld.com/laserfocusworld/201409?pg=9#pg9
29 May 2013 / BREAKTHROUGH IN ULTRAFAST BEAM DELIVERY
The dramatic progress in power-scaling of ultra-short pulse (USP) lasers and their continuous expansion use in industrial applications call for flexible and robust beam delivery systemes over several meters. Until recently, the maximum USP energy level that could be guided in optical fibers was limited to nano-Joule for silica-core based optical fiber, and to a few micro-Joule for hollow-core photonic crystal fiber.
In a recent collaboration, which will be presented as a postdeadline paper during the upcoming CLEO Conference in San Jose, USA, GLO Photonics, Amplitude Systemes, and researchers from the GPPMM group of the University of Limoges have demonstrated the delivery of milliJoule, 600 femtosecond pulses in a several meter long Kagome hollow-core-photonic-crystal-fibers, in robustly single-mode fashion. Self-compression to 50fs, and intensity-level of petawatt/cm2 were achieved.