An international firm is getting closer to launching its new high-speed communications technology, which is being developed in Devon.
The UK team of US-owned firm BB Photonics is developing new technology for global companies that will make data centres run more cheaply and efficiently. Based at Â鶹´«Ã½ University’s Brixham Laboratory, the team is aiming to take its product to market within 12 months.
To develop its innovative technology, the firm is using the world-class facilities at Â鶹´«Ã½ Electron Microscopy Centre (PEMC), part of Â鶹´«Ã½ University. PEMC was transformed in 2012 as part of a £1.3 million three-year project, jointly funded by the University, JEOL (UK) Ltd and a £579,960 grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It has created a world-class centre for electron microscopy, giving the University state-of-the art support for research, teaching and industrial collaboration.
BB Photonics is one of a growing number of South West business to seek PEMC’s expertise, through GAIN (the Growth Acceleration and Investment Network). GAIN enables Â鶹´«Ã½ University to work with partners across the South West to help businesses achieve their growth potential.
The new system being developed by BB Photonics is designed to be faster and cheaper than existing technologies. In particular, it eliminates the need for cooling. Air conditioning costs to reduce the heat generated by existing data technologies currently account for half of a data centre’s electricity costs, so this would represent a huge potential saving for a large company.
The firm has worked with PEMC to hone the design of tiny devices called spot size converters, which form a key element of BB Photonics custom Photonic Integrated Circuit technology. Seeing them up close, only possible using electron microscopes, means the team can analyse the precise quality of their fabrication and improve their performance. Since using PEMC’s cutting-edge microscopes, the firm has tweaked their designs and is getting closer to having a marketable product.
Bill Ring, BB Photonics CEO, said:
“Working with PEMC is helping us to build world-class spot size convertors, which are a really vital component in this new technology. Our aim is to sell our system to the world’s biggest IT companies so we need it to be perfect before it goes to market. The tests we are able to carry out at the University, along with our own lab measurements, are helping us make constant improvements. PEMC is now like an extension of our own facilities.
“For our business, having PEMC just a few miles away is essential. We are working with tiny materials and being able to access world-class microscopy equip