Principal Laboratories

The Optical Communications Laboratory is the result of an initiative by professors Sophie LaRochelle, Leslie Rusch and Wei Shi aimed at providing Université Laval with state-of-the-art equipment in optical communications technologies. The entity includes 13 laboratories covering a total area of 376 m².

It acts as the backbone of a global network and is widely used for the provision of Internet services globally (local, city and long distance), in data centres and in cloud computing centres.

The lab maintains its research and innovation efforts in the following areas:

For more information on the Optical Communications Laboratory: Optical Communications Laboratory (OCL) - OCL (ulaval.ca)

Led by Prof. Simon Thibault, PhD, Eng., the Optical Engineering Research Laboratory (LRIO) of Université Laval is the only Canadian research laboratory to offer graduate and postgraduate training in optical design. Several research projects are carried out on theoretical and experimental concepts for the development of solutions in various fields of modern optics applications including instrumentation for astronomy and space exploration, medical applications, security and surveillance, remote sensing, computer vision, industrial inspection, military systems and lighting.

This laboratory is based on 4 research axes in addition to participating in the realization of astronomical instrumentation projects.

To achieve its mission, this laboratory has acquired and developed a series of latest generation equipment such as:

For more information: LRIO - Optical Engineering Research Laboratory (ulaval.ca)

The femtosecond laser photo-registration laboratory is an expertise of Université Laval divided into 3 distinct research groups. The instigators of this group are professors Réal Vallée and Martin Bernier.

The Laser-Matter Interaction Laboratory

This intensive research environment is dedicated to understanding the interaction between matter and high-power laser irradiation as well as the registration of three-dimensional photonic sensors and circuits using femtosecond lasers.

The main equipment that composes it are:

• A Clark femtosecond laser chain
• A RegA femtosecond laser chain
• A Phasics quantitative phase imaging system
• A waveguide transmission analysis system

The Bragg Grating Inscription Laboratory

This laboratory focuses its research on the inscription of periodic structures in different types of optical fibers and transparent materials (based on silica or exotic glasses) with the aim of developing innovative photonic components.

To optimize its work, this group is distinguished by equipment such as:

• A Coherent-Astrella laser chain (4mJ, 1 kHz, 30fs)
• An automated Bragg grating registration setup
• An interferometric assembly
• Spectral characterization systems operating in the 350-5500nm range
• Fiber Bragg grating modeling software

The Fiber Optic Laser Development Laboratory

The layout of this research space is entirely dedicated to the study and development of fiber optic lasers and amplifiers, continuous or pulsed, by exploiting the energy transitions of materials from the rare earth family (Erbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, etc.) and parametric gain.

The equipment that supports the research work are:

• A CO2 Merger
• A Vytran Merger
• A plasma fusion machine
• High-power diode pumping systems
• A spectral characterization system operating from visible to mid-infrared

This laboratory is dedicated to the development of glasses and glass-ceramics, strategically synthesized in order to provide them with unique characteristics, for their basic use in photonic optics. These advanced photonic materials are developed to enable:

• Low light absorbance by more specifically targeting the mid-infrared spectral region.
• The exploitation of certain nonlinear behaviors
• The exploitation of magneto- and electro-optical properties
• Achievement of specific physical and mechanical characteristics
• Their use as electromagnetic waveguides, for example, in the form of optical fibers
• The manufacture of special optical fibers

Besides their use in academic research (for example, laser cooling) or guided optics through our technology platform for the production of optical fibers, these materials have applications in various fields, such as telecommunications, the environment ( for example, optical sensors) and biomedical.

This laboratory is dedicated to the design and development of materials with exceptional optical and mechanical characteristics. By developing hybrid, conjugate or even multistructured materials, it is possible to achieve capacities that go beyond the limits of the components conventionally used in optics and photonics. The laboratory is equipped with the latest generation equipment for the synthesis and functionalization of organic glasses, nanoparticles and biomaterials, in highly controlled environments.