Extreme Environment Photonics: A New Packaging Paradigm for Reliable Sensing

Integrated photonic sensors increasingly require packaging that remains stable in environments where polymer-based methods fail. Klimov presents a high-efficiency, epoxy-free fiber-to-chip packaging approach using hydroxide catalysis bonding to enable operation across extreme conditions, including cryogenic temperatures, high vacuum, and strong ionizing radiation.

The packaged devices maintain a 50 nm, 1 dB grating coupler bandwidth, survive rapid thermal shock to 77 K, and show no measurable degradation after electron beam irradiation. High-temperature tests confirm mechanical stability after 973 K annealing, with bonds sustaining 1 N/mm² axial stress.

This inorganic, platform-agnostic method supports robust deployment of photonic circuits for cryogenic, high-temperature, and radiation-intense sensing applications.

About the presenter
Nikolai N. Klimov, Ph.D., is a senior condensed matter physicist and project leader at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), USA. His work integrates advanced nanofabrication, photonics, and quantum metrology to create next generation nanoscale sensors and primary standards that underpin U.S. measurement infrastructure.

Klimov earned his M.S. in physics and applied mathematics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT, Russia) and doctorate in experimental condensed matter physics from Rutgers University. He has authored 50 peer-reviewed publications, holds eight patents, and has received multiple honors, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (PECASE), two Department of Commerce Bronze Medals, and the NIST Distinguished Associate Award.