Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is one of Europe’s largest higher education and research organization with about 10 000 employees, 25 000 students, and a total annual budget of more than 800 million Euros. It bundles the missions of a university of the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg and of a large-scale research institution within the German Helmholtz Association.
KIT’s research profile is characterized by a strong focus on energy technology, nanotechnology and materials research, particle physics, information and communication technologies, as well as optics and photonics. Within KIT, the activities associated with TeraSlice will be carried out by the group of Prof. Christian Koos at Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ) and at the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT). The group comprises approximately 20 researchers and is internationally recognized in the field of photonic integration, optical communications, and high-speed signal processing and maintains activities and labs for design, fabrication, characterization
and testing of high-speed photonic devices as well as an optical communications and signal processing testbeds.
In TeraSlice, KIT is in charge of the design, fabrication and testing of the photonic components required for optical conversion, spectral slicing and parallel detection of THz signals. For these tasks, KIT relies on its micro- and nanofabrication facilities and on collaborations with external foundries. KIT, in addition, contributes to develop the system concept and model the overall performance of the photonic-ADC. Leveraging its high-end equipment for chip-level proving and generation and measure of THz signals, KIT will ultimately lead the system-level testing.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Koos is full professor at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where he is heading the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ) and the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT). His research focusses on high-density photonic integration as well as on the associated applications in high-speed communications, biophotonics, optical sensing and metrology. Christian Koos has pioneered the concept of photonic wire bonding and of additive nanofabrication of beam-shaping elements in photonic integrated circuits. Based on these activities, he has co-founded the start-up company Vanguard Photonics GmbH, from which Vanguard Automation GmbH, one of the TeraSlice partners emerged. Christian Koos is currently engaged in these companies in the role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
