Evaluation of graphene-silicon photonic integrated circuits for high-speed, light weight and radiation hard optical communication in space

Free space optical (FSO) communication holds significant promise for use in space due to its large bandwidth, high data rate, easy deployability, low power, and low mass. An optical carrier in the visible band could be used to establish ground-to-satellite or satellite-to-satellite links. Silicon offers high yield, high density, and low optical loss, and compatibility with CMOS electronic systems. The speed of the photonic circuits would be further enhanced by single atomic layer of graphene, which could increase optical absorption and improve electrical conductivity (compared to monolithic silicon structures). Silicon photonic integrated circuits have already been implemented for 100 Gbps of telecommunication bandwidth, and the addition of graphene may allow Terahertz bandwidths. Through an established collaboration with Bell Labs Nokia, we hope to further develop graphene-based integrated silicon nanophotonic circuits for use in space applications. Solid state photonic/electronic devices perform stably in vacuum. Nevertheless, the performance of such devices in microgravity and with the extreme radiation exposure of space has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, we propose a project to evaluate the potential use of advanced integrated graphene-silicon photonic circuits as part of a space-based FSO system. The miniaturized on-chip photonic circuits can be assembled into a 1U CubeSat for radiation test on Materials on the International Space Station Experiment (MISSE). This will allow us to establish how much radiation shielding they require and how the nanoscale design of the circuits can be adjusted to better function in a high-radiation environment. This project relates directly to multiple areas laid out in the NASA Technology Roadmap: in particular, TA 5.1 ("Optical Communications and Navigation") and TA 12 ("Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems and Manufacturing"). Additionally, this project complements ongoing projects at NASA such as the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) and the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD).

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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