Aalto University Researchers Achieve 10,000-Fold Efficiency Boost in Photonic Chip Light Conversion

Researchers use "nanoscale surgery" to create ultra-efficient photonic chips. New vdW microdisks boost light conversion efficiency by 10,000 times.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 13, 2026, 7:59 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Aalto University

The Protective Shielding of Atomic-Scale Materials

A significant breakthrough in the field of nanophotonics has emerged from Aalto University, where researchers have successfully engineered a method to manipulate notoriously delicate van der Waals (vdW) materials. These substances, which include graphene and its cousins, are prized for their atomic smoothness and unique electronic properties but often disintegrate under standard industrial carving tools. To solve this, the international team applied a thin aluminum coating that functions as a microscopic suit of armor. According to researcher Andreas Liapis, this temporary layer absorbs the destructive energy of focused ion beams, allowing for sub-100-nanometre precision without compromising the underlying crystal lattice.

Advancing Beyond the Limits of Conventional Nanofabrication

The shift from using vdW materials as passive coatings to active structural building blocks represents a fundamental change in chip architecture. Traditionally, the aggressive nature of lithography created imperfections that scattered light, rendering these materials impractical for high-performance applications. By employing this new shielded fabrication technique, the team has successfully transitioned these materials into a state where they can be sculpted into complex shapes. Xiaoqi Cui of Aalto University notes that this "nanoscale surgery" preserves the material's integrity, ensuring that the finished photonic components maintain the flawless surfaces required for advanced optical computing.

The Mechanical Perfection of Light-Trapping Microdisks

Using their protected carving method, the researchers produced ultra-smooth vdW microdisks designed to act as circular traps for light. These structures allow photons to orbit within the disk with almost zero resistance, achieving quality factors exceeding 1,000,000. This metric indicates that only one-millionth of the light is lost during each cycle, a performance leap three orders of magnitude greater than any previous vdW system. This mechanical efficiency means light can circulate millions of times before dissipating, creating a sustained interaction between light and matter that was previously impossible to achieve on a chip.