Low-coSt and energy-efficient hybrid Photonic integrated circuits for fibeR-optic, free-space optIcal and mmWave commuNication systems supporting Time critical networking in industrial EnviRonments

SPRINTER will provide a set of low-cost, energy-efficient, and ultra-dynamic optical transceivers and an optical switching solution to cope with the diverse needs of the industrial networks and expedite their truly digital transformation. SPRINTER will combine the best-of-breed optical components and methods from various powerful but complementary photonic integration platforms to develop low-cost and energy-efficient 200 Gb/s optical transceivers, and ultra-fast wavelength-tunable 10 Gb/s optical transceivers. Leveraging well-proven integration techniques that allow for the fabrication of complex 3D photonic integrated circuits, the project will provide a disruptive low-loss and polarization-insensitive reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer, optimized for operation within space-division multiplexing networks. Considering the ultra-dynamic nature of the industrial networks due to the deployment of either temporarily fixed or moving remote nodes, SPRINTER will provide a set of groundbreaking photonics-enabled transceivers supporting wireless connectivity by means of a free-space optical or a mmWave channel. The transceivers will be able to operate reliably in indoor environments, as well as, outdoor environments thanks to the complementary characteristics of the two channels. The project will also develop a unified network platform, providing the required methods and tools to support time-deterministic operation, and enable real-time communication with guaranteed service quality. In order to showcase SPRINTER's full potential, the developed technology will be evaluated within application scenarios that will be deployed in a relevant industrial environment incorporating a fully operational closed-loop control system.