New photonic device beams thousands of lasers into free space at once

Researchers at MIT and partner institutions have developed a novel photonic chip capable of projecting thousands of individually controlled laser beams directly into free space. This innovation addresses a major challenge in photonics: efficiently coupling light from microscopic optical waveguides on a chip into the external environment. The chip features microscopic "ski jump"-shaped emitters that curl upward due to differential strain between layered materials (silicon nitride and aluminum nitride), enabling light to be launched outward. Modulators control each beam’s on/off state, allowing precise manipulation of thousands of beams simultaneously. The technology, detailed in the journal Nature, emerged from the Quantum Moonshot Program, which aims to build scalable quantum computing platforms requiring finely controlled laser beams for diamond qubits. Beyond quantum computing, the system demonstrated the ability to project detailed, full-color images at extremely small scales, with each laser beam acting as a pixel. This stable, high-density beam control platform holds promise for applications including augmented reality glasses, compact lidar sensors, and faster