Technology Overview
Panorama Synergy has modeled and fabricated Magneto Photonic Crystals (MPC’s) in both Research and commercial facilities with unsurpassed performance characteristics.
Panorama Synergy is continuously striving to provide outstanding optical characteristics while utilising the lowest possible power by optimising the key parameters of transmissibility, polarisation rotation and remanence.
Panorama’s core technology, combined with nano-technology fabrication techniques, enables a variety of products including projection, reconfigurable telecom switching, holographic memory and more.
Magneto Photonic Crystal Prototype
A metal grid array has been successfully deposited onto a magneto-optic (MO) material to create a small-scale prototype module consisting of 128 by 62 pixels.
A unique property of the devices under development is that they provide us with a memory (or “latching”) capability, whereby a pixel may be switched with nanosecond pulses and remain “rotated” after the current has been removed. It is estimated that this breakthrough will reduce power consumption by over 1 million times compared to a similar direct-current product. The chart below shows the area of pulsed excitation less than 1,000,000 times that of direct excitation:
Preliminary characterisation of the MO material was carried out using a custom-built test system consisting of a nano-positioning, 6-axis automatic stage, an input lens relay, an output focusing lens, a polariser/analyser pair, and a high-speed balanced photo receiver of 5 ns rise time. This system ensures accurate alignment of a laser light source to sequentially focus a red, green, or blue laser beam on the active areas of the various pixels as shown below:
Pixels with an active area of 16μm x 16μm were driven independently using dual-polarity current pulses of short duration. A layout of a typical pixel is shown below:
The MO module exhibited the following properties:
- Switching time less than 15 nano seconds
- Low power consumption
- Faraday rotation
- Greater than 60% transmittance for Red wavelengths
- No heating effects were observed after several hours of operation
- Thermal stability
Prototype Characterization
Panorama Synergy has reached a landmark in its magneto-optic (MO) research program by declaring the successful testing of a small display prototype.
The purpose of the scaled prototype was to provide a tool to examine the potential for intelligent pixel switching and to control light variance in each pixel.This prototype was not intended to be a scaled down projector.
A representative 12x12 array, within a much larger MO-module was subjected to stringent testing. A number of operational parameters were monitored and recorded using two specific facilities. Firstly, a custom-built photo receiver based high-speed testing station was employed to monitor individual pixel performance, as illustrated schematically in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Schematic of the photo receiver based high-speed testing station
To support the monitoring of test patterns, a polarising microscope was employed to visually observe the switching of individual and groups of pixels, as illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Illuminated pixels as seen through a polarizing microscope
Of particular note was the very fast switching speed of the MO material, which was in the region of 15 nanoseconds. This figure is far superior to any competitive projection system (at least 1,000 times faster than DLP and 1,000,000 times faster than LCOS). We anticipate this exceptional switching speed will permit the development of anti-piracy features for Digital Cinema, improved colour depth, no motion artefacts, 3D displays, reconfigurable telecom switching and applications into fast read/write holographic memory.
Best Switching Times:
- LCOS: 10 ms (~1,000,000x slower)
- Texas Instruments - DLP: 10 µs (~1000x slower)
- SONY - GLV: 20 µs (~1000x slower)
- Panorama Synergy’ MPC-MOD: 15 ns
Power consumption for the light module has been drastically reduced. A comparison of the module power requirements using a DC supply demonstrates a power saving ratio up to 1,000,000 times.
Measurements of Faraday rotation and transmission in the red, green and blue were as expected. Improvements to these values will occur once Magneto Photonic Crystals (MPC) films are fabricated in the second generation prototypes.
In summary, a 12x12 array within a much larger MO module was subjected to stringent and closely controlled testing. The results obtained clearly demonstrate the ability to intelligently control pixels and light variance in a MO material.
Unique Technology
DEMONSTRATED: Three category creating parameters:
- Fast speed
Potential for higher frame rates, 3D, VR, anti piracy, more grey scales, no motion artifacts, telecomm switching, gaming and memory applications - Low power
Leading to portability, longer battery life, less thermal heating effects, fully digital (control) - Thermal stability
Enabling thermal tolerance, output stability.
No Comparable Technology
