Federal Ministry supports start-up project on pioneering filter technology
Novel spectral filters will enable future sensors to work more accurately and reliably
A research team from the University of Cologne has secured 1.1 million euros for the PoLightFilters start-up project from the EXIST-FT funding programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). With the development of a fundamentally novel technology for light filtering that significantly reduces optical noise, the project is setting new standards in thin-film optics. The development of thin-film polariton opens up new avenues for use in photonics, sensors, optical imaging, and display technology. The team at the Humboldt Centre for Nano- and Biophotonics includes Dr Florian Le Roux, Dr Andreas Mischok, BSc Elena von der Heyden, and Humboldt Professor Malte Gather. “I extend my congratulations to the researchers on their success. The funding underlines the fact that cutting-edge research on future-focussed topics and innovative technologies is being undertaken at our university”, says Professor Dr Joybrato Mukherjee, Rector of the University of Cologne.
Optical filters are essential in many applications. However, until now, conventional filters show a strong decrease in performance when light hits them at different angles because the colour of the light passing through the filter changes depending on the viewing angle. This leads, for example, to a change in the perceived colour of computer and smart-phone displays, and restricts the field of view over which sensors provide accurate data. The innovative filter technology, overcomes this fundamental problem by utilizing the quantum mechanical interaction of light with electronically excited states in thin organic layers. As part of the PoLightFilters project, polariton filters will be brought to market readiness.
Thanks to the new filters, optical systems can be used in more versatile and reliable ways. The use of organic materials also enables flexible tuning of spectral properties, i.e. the colour of transmitted or reflected light, and offers lower costs as well as reduced energy consumption during the production of large-area filters that can be adapted to different component shapes.
The outstanding angular stability of the newly developed filter technology offers considerable added value, particularly for fluorescence microscopy or sensor applications such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems. Specifically, this enables increased accuracy, range, and readout speed, and will set new standards in automation and process optimization. For example, with the PoLightFilters technology, the number of sensors required for industrial monitoring can be considerably reduced, resulting in significant cost savings. Further areas of application include microscopy and biomedical research.
In addition to the ongoing development of the patent-pending thin-film filter technology, a particular focus of the funded project is on optimizing and scaling the production. In parallel to the hardware development, the existing software-package is being further improved to enable a partially automated filter design .
“With funding from the EXIST transfer of research programme, the PoLightFilters project is taking a decisive step towards market innovation. In addition to the direct application in LiDAR technology, the filter innovation is intended to serve as a model case for further applications. Through the successful combination of scientific research, technical development and entrepreneurial implementation, which is supported by the University of Cologne’s Transfer Department and the Transfer Scouts of the Gateway Excellence Start-up Center, we will be making a long-lasting contribution to the optimization of modern optical systems,” says Dr Andreas Mischok.
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