Center For Integrated Access Networks Blog

The Internet of Tomorrow: Faster, Better and Cheaper

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:56:00 -0700

The UA, USC and other institutions are building the future of communications using light.

Researchers from the University of Arizona, the University of Southern California and seven other institutions are attempting to save the Internet by making it cheaper, faster and better.

With the rising demand for Internet access outstripping the existing Internet capacity, scientists are turning to optoelectronic technology – transmitting data using light. The technology is well-established but is still being developed in order to handle the increasing data loads that users require.

In 2008, the National Science Foundation gave a five-year, $18.5 million grant to establish an engineering research center that is based at the UA and unites it with USC and the other universities in a collaboration known as the Center for Integrated Access Networks, or CIAN.

CIAN's goal is to solve the data crisis by bringing optoelectronic technology to its full potential.

"CIAN is aimed at transforming the Internet to a high-speed network that uses less energy, is more reliable so that it reconfigures itself around network impairments, is scalable to make it suitable for a growing number of end users, and is not too costly," said Nasser Peyghambarian, chair of photonics and aasers in the College of Optical Sciences at the UA.

"The UA and USC and seven other university partners are working together on improving the reliability of the network as well as the network speed and cost," he said.

Other partner institutions in the CIAN are the University of California, San Diego; the California Institute of Technology; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Berkeley; Columbia University; Norfolk State University and Tuskegee University.

"We're using optics to enable higher capacity communications," said Alan Willner, Steven and Kathryn Sample Chair in Engineering of the USC Dornsife College. Willner and Columbia professor Keren Bergman are leading the system and networking research for the group.

"I can send 10 gigabits per second across the backbone of the national network," Willner said. "The problem is, how do you get 10 gigabits to every home, every access point?"

Now in its fourth year, the nine-university collaboration has made important breakthroughs in transforming the way large amounts of data are transmitted.

In a paper published earlier this year in Optics Communications, a team of researchers including Willner and lead author Hacene Mahieddine Chaouch, a graduate research assistant at the UA, developed three new methods of restoring degraded optical signals – a key hurdle to overcome when transmitting big chunks of data.

Willner said he hopes that one day, computer terminals will come equipped with chips that use these methods to clean up damaged data.

Said Peyghambarian: "The Internet continues to transform people's lives, and collaborative projects like CIAN, allowed by NSF and industrial support, allows multiple schools around the world working together to push the boundaries of human knowledge."

Caltech-Led Engineers Solve Longstanding Problem in Photonic Chip Technology

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:51:00 -0700

PASADENA, Calif.--Stretching for thousands of miles beneath oceans, optical fibers now connect every continent except for Antarctica. With less data loss and higher bandwidth, optical-fiber technology allows information to zip around the world, bringing pictures, video, and other data from every corner of the globe to your computer in a split second. But although optical fibers are increasingly replacing copper wires, carrying information via photons instead of electrons, today's computer technology still relies on electronic chips.

Now, researchers led by engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) are paving the way for the next generation of computer-chip technology: photonic chips. With integrated circuits that use light instead of electricity, photonic chips will allow for faster computers and less data loss when connected to the global fiber-optic network.

"We want to take everything on an electronic chip and reproduce it on a photonic chip," says Liang Feng, a postdoctoral scholar in electrical engineering and the lead author on a paper to be published in the August 5 issue of the journal Science. Feng is part of Caltech's nanofabrication group, led by Axel Scherer, Bernard A. Neches Professor of Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, and Physics, and co-director of the Kavli Nanoscience Institute at Caltech.

In that paper, the researchers describe a new technique to isolate light signals on a silicon chip, solving a longstanding problem in engineering photonic chips.
An isolated light signal can only travel in one direction. If light weren't isolated, signals sent and received between different components on a photonic circuit could interfere with one another, causing the chip to become unstable. In an electrical circuit, a device called a diode isolates electrical signals by allowing current to travel in one direction but not the other. The goal, then, is to create the photonic analog of a diode, a device called an optical isolator. "This is something scientists have been pursuing for 20 years," Feng says.
Normally, a light beam has exactly the same properties when it moves forward as when it's reflected backward. "If you can see me, then I can see you," he says. In order to isolate light, its properties need to somehow change when going in the opposite direction. An optical isolator can then block light that has these changed properties, which allows light signals to travel only in one direction between devices on a chip.
"We want to build something where you can see me, but I can't see you," Feng explains. "That means there's no signal from your side to me. The device on my side is isolated; it won't be affected by my surroundings, so the functionality of my device will be stable."

[More]

Engineering Professor Works to Speed Up the Internet

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:43:00 -0700

Keren Bergman gets as aggravated as anyone by how long it takes to email a video of her son's recital to her parents. Unlike most people, Bergman, a professor of electrical engineering and department chair at the engineering school, can do something about it.

Bergman specializes in optical data, and her central research project involves the fiber optic network--the portion of the Web that consists of optical fibers over which data can be sent in the form of light waves. Fiber optics can handle large files--including the huge files of high-definition video--faster than traditional copper wires. Even so, the fiber optic network as it is currently configured isn't very efficient.

"It's like one big, dumb pipe," Bergman says, adding that not much progress can be made if the pipe doesn't smarten up. Internet traffic around the world reached 176 billion gigabytes in 2009, according to a report from the networking firm Cisco Systems Inc., an enormous amount of data for a network developed in the 1970s for a few thousand researchers.

CIAN's featured achievement

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:00:00 -0700

A major advance in holographic video achieved by the University of Arizona-led Center for integrated Access Networks has been receiving worldwide attention. It is the Featured Achievement at Here and Here . Note the accompanying video interviews with Center Director Nasser Peyghambarian and other videos demonstrating the technology.

Please welcome Dr. Allison Titcomb to CIAN

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:13:00 -0700

I'm excited to learn about all aspects of CIAN's education programs and look forward to being part of the CIAN team. I invite you to contact me with any questions or suggestions.
In my role as education evaluator, I will help the team to measure the learning outcomes of the curriculum, to document the benefits to students of being part of collaborative research, and to gain perspective from industry contacts about what they would like to see in our graduates.
A little about my background: I'm originally from Nogales, Arizona. I've been doing evaluations for many (>25) years and completed my PhD in Educational Psychology in 1996. I have also coordinated science and Honors outreach programs, served as an academic advisor, and taught courses in evaluation, program planning and learning. I volunteer in the Tucson community in animal-assisted therapy and serve on the board of the Arizona Evaluation Network and several "topical interest groups" (TIGs) of the American Evaluation Association (e.g., Organizational Learning & Evaluation Capacity Building, Environmental Program Evaluation). My undergraduate degree was in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology.

Allison
Allison L. Titcomb, Ph.D.
Education Evaluation Specialist
NSF Research Center for Integrated Access Networks
College of Optical Sciences
The University of Arizona
520-626-2522
atitcomb@optics.arizona.edu
www.cian-erc.org

Integrated Optics for Undergraduate (IOU) Award

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:46:00 -0700

Dear CIAN Collaborators, Letting you know that the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) grant we worked on together has been awarded! Just heard from NSF Program Director Esther Bolding; NSF will fund 10 REU students per year for 3 years. This will be supplemented by 2 REU positions from base CIAN funding for a total of 12 per year for 3 years: UA: 4 – Kueppers, Khitrova, Norwood, Seraphin (student services with SROP)
UCSD: 3 – Fainman, Vahdat, Lomakin (student services with STARS)
Berkeley: 1 – Wu (student services with SUPERB)
UCLA: 2 – Huffaker, Jalali (student services with CENS)
Columbia: 2 – Zussman, Bergman (student services with NSEC)
Your work on the proposal made this possible – thanks for your letters of support, research descriptions, advice, and help with the budget (Rick, will be easier next time!). Please plan to hear from me soon regarding IOU student selection; I'm looking forward to our work together. Have a great weekend, Meredith --

Meredith Kupinski, Ph.D.
Director of Education
Engineering Research Center
for Integrated Access Networks
University of Arizona
College of Optical Sciences
520.626.3985
meredith@optics.arizona.edu
www.cian-erc.org

Welcome Dr. John Wissinger

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:18:00 -0700

CIAN is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. John W. Wissinger to the Professional Staff of the Center for Integrated Access Networks (CIAN), an NSF Engineering Research Center. As Associate Director for Industry Collaboration, Dr. Wissinger will be responsible for establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships between CIAN Faculty and Student Researchers and Industry. He will help facilitate, in a liaison capacity, the expansion of CIAN's Industry Advisory Board and making relevant industry collaborations with the areas of research and education.

Dr. Wissinger is an accomplished and experienced engineer and manager, with a diverse background in product development and business models. He most recently worked at Veeco Instruments (as VP/GM), a global public company manufacturing process equipment, analytic instrumentation, and metrology tools for nanotechnology applications. Prior to that time, he worked for NP Photonics (VP Engineering), a venture-backed startup engineering micro-fiber optical amplifiers and fiber lasers, and for Alphatech Inc. (Division Manager, Signal & Image Processing), a private company which was acquired as BAE Systems Advanced Information Technology Division, where he developed specialized algorithms and software products. Dr. Wissinger received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Rice University, and his PhD in EECS from MIT.

CSE Members awarded the Gordon Engineering Leadership Fellow

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:02:00 -0700

CSE Members awarded the Gordon Engineering Leadership Fellow. Amin Vahdat, Professor in the department of Computer Science and Engineering and CSE undergraduate Sarah Esper, have been awarded the Gordon Engineering Leadership Center's Gordon Fellows. The Gordon Center was established in January 2009 with the mission of educating and training effective engineering leaders who create new products and jobs that benefit society. In order to provide positive role models for students of engineering, the Gordon Center holds an annual awards ceremony to recognize exemplary engineers at the high school, undergraduate, graduate, and professional level. Recipients of the Gordon Fellows Medal not only must be outstanding engineers within their respective fields but must also have a proven record of leadership successes. To learn more about the Gordon Center's mission and goals, please click here.

Stimulus funds help start program to create clean-tech leaders

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:55:00 -0700

As the country presses forward in developing green energy and Los Angeles strives to become a hub of clean technology, UCLA Associate Professor Diana Huffaker noticed there was one thing still missing: a program to train the future leaders of environmental industry in L.A.

So she created it -- and, working with about 20 other professors, won support for it: $3 million in stimulus funding via a highly competitive grant from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Integrative Graduate Education Research Traineeship (IGERT) award.

The Clean Energy for Green Industry Fellowship, designed to develop leaders in environmental energy, could start as soon as the upcoming winter quarter. It will grant Ph.D. students a $33,000 stipend for pursuing coursework in the science, business and policies of clean technology.

"Over the course of the five-year program, we'll graduate 33 Ph.D.s with expertise in energy storage, energy harvesting and energy conservation," Huffaker said. [More]

Clean Green IGERT

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:48:00 -0700

The National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education Research Traineeship on Clean Energy for Green Industry at UCLA (CGI) is a 3 year fellowship^* that provides a $30,000 stipend/year , tuition, fees, travel stipend to participate in a scientific conference or workshop, internships and international experience. The fellowship will develop leaders in environmental energy through integrated research and coursework in the science, business and policies of clean technology. Completion of a 1-3 month cross-disciplinary internship with an industrial partner or national laboratory is encouraged.

[More]

GigOptix`s 100G Mach Zehnder Modulator Enables 110GHz Time Stretched Analog to Digital Conversions

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:16:00 -0700

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(Business Wire)-- GigOptix Inc. (OTCBB:GGOX), a leading provider of electronic engines for the optically connected digital world today announced successful results from collaborative work with Prof. Bahram Jalali`s engineering group at UCLA on using GigOptix`s LX8900 in a novel 110GHz time stretched analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) application.

Ultra-wide-band ADC is one of the most critical problems faced in communication, instrumentation and radar systems. Digital Signal Processing (DSP) has revolutionized modern communication and radar systems by offering unprecedented performance and adaptivity. For broad-band systems, however, the application of DSP is hindered by difficulty in capturing the wide-band signal. The standard approach to deal with this problem is to employ parallelism through the use of the time-interleaved ADC architecture. Here, the signal is captured by a parallel array of slow digitizers. This architecture suffers from mismatches between digitizers that limit the dynamic range and therefore limits the resolution of such sample-interleaved ADC systems. An entirely new ADC architecture called time-stretched ADC overcomes these issues using high speed broadband Mach-Zehnder modulators. Here, the analog signal is slowed down prior to sampling and quantization by an electronic digitizer in the optical domain using the certain non-linearities in the optical fiber. This technique has applications in ultra high frequency communication, instrumentation and radar systems.

"GigOptix`s unique EO polymer modulator technology is enabling a new branch of application in ultra high speed RF photonics," commented UCLA Researcher Ali Motafakker. "Ultra-wide-band ADC is a very challenging problem and our team is very excited about the performance of the LX8900 device and its potential to solve issues in this field. We are looking forward to continuing to drive this technology forward."

"We are very happy to see these excellent results coming back so quickly from our collaboration with UCLA," stated Andrea Betti-Berutto, Chief Technology Officer of GigOptix. "This is a significant moment for GigOptix in that it not only verifies our vision of combining our broadband EO polymer modulator technology with our broadband RF expertise and but also confirms our strategy of collaborating with leading research groups to define new applications for our technologies." LX8900 samples are available immediately. Please contact sales@gigoptix.com for datasheets, samples and pricing.

About GigOptix Inc. GigOptix is a leading fabless manufacturer of electronic engines for the optically connected digital world. The Company offers a broad portfolio of high speed electronic devices including polymer electro-optic modulators, modulator drivers, laser drivers and TIAs for telecom, datacom, Infiniband and consumer optical systems, covering serial and parallel communication technologies from 1G to 100G. For more information,

please visit www.GigOptix.com. Forward-Looking Statements Statements made in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements, including statements pertaining to defining new applications, solving industry problems and any statement that refers to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances and those which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects," "plans," "may," "should," or "anticipates" and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, which might cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include those described in GigOptix's periodic reports filed with the SEC, and in news releases and other communications. GigOptix disclaims any intention or duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this release.

GigOptix Inc. Parker Martineau, 650-424-1937 ext. 102 (Media) Corporate Communications Manager pr@gigoptix.com or Alliance Advisors, LLC Alan Sheinwald, 914-669-0222 (Investors) President asheinwald@allianceadvisors.net Copyright Business Wire 2009

Science Night: A Roaring Success

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:57:00 -0700

From Meredith Kupinski. A Science Night for elementary students was organized by OSC Professor Scott Tyo at Robins Elementary School last Friday evening. Eleven exhibitors from UA science departments, local industry, and local science clubs participated to share fun demonstrations of science principles with more than 150 students and their families. OSC would like to thank graduate student Samantha White for making the index of refraction an unforgettable lesson by showing a Pyrex beaker disappear in Wesson cooking oil. OSC undergraduate Devinna Fleming proved lasers are used for more than just pointers by broadcasting her iPod music through a fiber optic. Thanks for sharing your interest in science with young students. Also thanks to Zachary Denny, Jennifer Harwell, and Kali Wilson for assistance with the preparations.

CIAN Faculty supports ARRA

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:01:00 -0700

One of the major initiatives within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is the Broadband USA program (www.broadbandusa.gov). Approx. $10 billion are made available to improve Americas broadband infrastructure - the middle and last mile (also known as the "aggregation" and "access" network) to families, schools, libraries, hospitals, emergency response units, and many more in order to provide them with state-of-the-art internet access especially in currently unserved and/or underserved areas. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis to project proposals which provide the highest merit with respect to the goals of the program. CIAN faculty actively participated in the review process in order to support fast, efficient, and effective funding of these projects.

CIAN Student Retreat Agenda

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:40:00 -0700

CIAN Student Retreat Agenda

Date: Nov. 11-12 , 2009

Location: Hotel Palomar Los Angeles - Westwood, Los Angeles, CA
Address: 10740 Wilshire Boulevard (at Selby Avenue), Los Angeles, CA 90024, Tel: 310.475.8711 or 800.472.8556, Fax: 310.475.5220

Wednesday,11 ,2009
7:00 - 8:00	Continental Breakfast
8:00 - 8:15	Welcome - CIAN's 1st Retreat - Peyghambarian
8:15 - 8:25	Retreat Goals for Faculty, Students, Postdocs - Fainman
8:25 - 8:30	Logistics - Cochran
Working Groups Overview
8:30 - 9:30	WG I - Cross-Layer Optimization - Bergman
9:30 - 10:30	WG II - Scalable and Energy Efficient Data Centers - Vahdat
10:30 - 10:45	Coffee Break
10:45- 11:45	WG III - Integrated Transport Platforms - Kueppers
Thrust I Research
11:45 - 11:55	Thrust I Overview - Willner
11:55 - 12:05	Touch
12:05 - 12:15	Zussman
12:15 - 1:15	Working Lunch: CIAN Web site and data collection - Cochran/Riaz
Thrust II Research
1:15 - 1:25	Thrust II Overview - Scherer/Wu
1:25 - 1:35	Lomakin (Optical Spice)
1:35 - 1:45	Jalali
1:45 - 1:55	Ford
Thrust III Research
1:55 - 2:05	Thrust III Overview - Chang-Hasnain/Gibbs
2:05 - 2:15	Dapkus
2:15 - 2:25	Das
2:25 - 2:35	Huffaker
2:35 - 2:45	Khitrova
Testbeds
2:45 - 2:55	Kueppers, "Overview of Testbeds/ Arizona Satellite Testbed on Integrated Transmission Network"
2:55 - 3:05	Radic, "San Diego Grand Challenge Testbed"
3:05 - 3:15	Papen, "New Data Center Testbed"
3:15 - 3:25	Patra, "Packaging Issues for Testbed Insertion"
3:25 - 4:00	Coffee Break
4:00 - 6:00	3 Working Groups Parallel Sessions
4:00 - 6:00	SLC Meeting: Effective Leadership Practices - Seemiller
CIAN Retreat Working Dinner: Comments by CIAN Management
7:00 - 9:00	Center Dinner at Shaherzad 1422 Westwood Blvd. (at Wilkin Ave), Los Angeles, CA 90024 Tel.: 310-470-9131
Thursday.12.2009
7:00 - 8:00	Continental Breakfast
8:00 - 10:30	3 Working Groups Parallel Sessions Continued
10:30 - 10:45	Coffee Break
10:45 - 12:00	Presentations of the results of 3 WGs to all
12:00 - 1:00	Working Lunch: Supercourse Review and CIAN Education Highlights - Kupinski, Simmons, Mead
CIAN IAB, Management and Education
1:00 - 1:20	Industry Recruitment of System Level Vendors - Norwood
1:20 - 1:30	Technical Program Committee - Fainman
1:30 - 1:50	Student Leadership Council - Sweet / Kupinski
1:50 - 2:00	Newsletter - Sukumar
2:00 - 2:15	RET Video - Wang
2:15 - 2:35	Mentoring REU/RET on a Time Budget - Seraphin
Milestones Metric Review/SLC Meeting
2:35 - 3:30	Identification of Key Tasks, Key Milestones, GAANT chart - Cochran
2:32 - 4:00	Student Research Talks - Kupinski
3:30 - 4:00	Coffee Break
4:00 - 5:00	issues, things to do, wrap up - Fainman and Peyghambarian

CIAN Industry Advisory Board Meeting Agenda

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:39:00 -0700

CIAN Industry Advisory Board Meeting Agenda

Date: Nov. 10 2009

Location: Hotel Palomar Los Angeles- Westwood, Los Angeles, CA
Address: 10740 Wilshire Boulevard (at Selby Avenue), Los Angeles, CA 90024, Tel: 310.475.8711 or 800.472.8556, Fax: 310.475.5220

Tuesday,10 ,2009
7:30 - 8:30	Continental Breakfast
8:30 - 8:40	Welcome Remarks - Dr .Nasser Peyghambarian
8:40 - 8:45	Introduction of IAB Member Firms - Dr. Robert Norwood
8:45 - 9:45	Working Group (WG) 1: Cross-layered Optimized Access Network Dr. Keren Bergman - This session will include: (1) vision of the WG and its mission, (2) architecture and systems, (3) technology gaps that need to be filled by Thrusts 2 and 3, (4) testbed insertion examples, (5) industry drive/interaction, and (6) GENI interaction. This session may have industry presenters, students and faculty.
9:45 - 10:45	Working Group (WG) 2: Scalable and Energy Efficient Data Centers Dr. George Papen/Dr. Amin Vahdat - This session will include: (1) vision of the WG and its mission, (2) architecture and systems, (3) technology gaps that need to be filled by Thrusts 2 and 3, (4) testbed insertion examples, (5) industry drive/interaction, and (6) GENI interaction. This session may have industry presenters, students and faculty.
10:45 - 11:15	Coffee Break
11:15 - 12:15	Working Group (WG) 3: Integrated Transport Platforms Dr. Franko Kueppers - This session will include: (1) vision of the WG and its mission, (2) architecture and systems, (3) technology gaps that need to be filled by Thrusts 2 and 3, (4) testbed insertion examples, (5) industry drive/interaction, and (6) GENI interaction. This session may have industry presenters, students and faculty.
12:15 - 1:00	Lunch (students can set up posters)
1:00 - 2:45	Technology: Integrated OE chips/optical spice/devices in support of the WGs Dr. Axel Scherer/Dr. Ming Wu/Dr. Connie Chang-Hasnain - This session will include directions to address needs of WGs, industry talks, student talks and faculty talks.
2:45 - 3:00	Education Program Overview - Dr. Meredith Kupinski
3:00 - 3:45	IAB Closed Meeting (Industry SWOT analysis)
3:45 - 4:15	Refining your "Elevator Pitch" - Students interview with industry representatives
4:15 - 5:00	Refreshment Break/Student Posters