In 2020 Stefan Hell founded a new Start-up for the development of Nano microscope for brain research.

‍

In 2013 Stefan Hell received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Nowadays, people are constantly checking their cell phones while going about their daily business: sharing photos and messages, using streaming services and accessing the worldwide web – whenever, wherever. The combination of fast mobile communications technology and the vast amount of information available on the Internet has led to an “explosion” of data needing to be transmitted. This instant availability of information would not be possible if it were not for fiber optic networks and lasers that can transmit information over long distances at sheer unimaginable speeds.

‍

A single,  whisper-thin  optical  fiber  typically  delivers data at speeds of several terabits per second. But the road-maps already include technologies that could develop this capacity even  further  –  up  into  the  range  of  petabits  per second. The prerequisite for this level of throughput is an increasing number of integrated photonic components.

‍

However, in contrast to electronics, a method has yet tobe found that can efficiently combine these photonic micro-chips. Therefore, developers either have to place all photonic circuits on a single chip, which requires complex production processes and allows for no flexibility, or the photonic chips have  to  be  meticulously  aligned  with  one  another during production and then glued in place. Both of these options involve high production costs and result in optical systems that  offer  far  fewer  capabilities  than  integrated photonics.

‍

The solution: photonic nanowires

‍

Christian Koos had already noticed this gap in technology over ten years ago, while carrying out research for his dissertation at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). After a short stint working in industry, he became a professor at  KIT  and  decided  to  find  a  solution  for  this  as  yet unsolved problem. His method of choice was 3D laser lithography, which had in the meantime reached a remarkable level of sophistication. This technology involves the use of an ultra-short pulse laser to cure plastics with a precision of several thousand nanometers (a nanometer is equal to one millionth of a millimeter). This process has shown itself to be ideal for fabricating optical waveguides between chips. Together with research partners  from  industry  and  the sciences, the young team at the KIT Institute began to research  the  basic  technological  requirements  for  using  this process in industrial applications.

‍

This yielded experimental  evidence  that  waveguide connections – in addition to any other elements that maybe needed – can be fabricated between the optical components using specially adapted lithographical processes and the  corresponding  control  software.  An important milestone was thus achieved. The next logical step was to set up a start-up company for the development of ready-to-use systems for industry. A further important strategic partner for the young  company  Vanguard  Photonics  was  quickly found:  ficonTEC,  a  company  that  was  already  established on the market for photonic equipment on an international scale.