17 February 2025 –Berlin-Germany
The Kick-Off Meeting of the COHORT Project (COHerent Optical Resonance Transmitters) was hosted by VI Systems GmbH in Berlin, Germany. The event formally launched the project, established the collaboration framework, and initiated technical and management activities.
Meeting Agenda & Key Topics:
- Welcome & Introduction – Opening remarks by Vitaly Shchukin (VI Systems GmbH)
- Partner Presentations:
- VI Systems GmbH: Overview of VCSEL fabrication technology and project coordination plan (Vitaly Shchukin)
- Politecnico di Torino: Theoretical modeling strategy for mode coupling in multi-aperture VCSELs (Alberto Tibaldi, Martino D’Alessandro, Pierluigi Debernardi, Valerio Torrelli)
- Ruhr Universität Bochum: Experimental approach to high-speed characterization and coherent mode-locking (Markus Lindemann, Thomas de Adelsburg Ettmayer)
- Julight Srl: Application roadmap for Self-Mixing Interferometry (SMI) and Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) demonstrations (Guido Giuliani, Keyvan Azimi Asrari)
- Technical Work Packages:
- Detailed discussion of WP1–WP5 deliverables and responsibilities
- Timeline for simulation, design, fabrication, and experimental validation
- Project Management & Communication:
- Reporting procedures, document sharing, and meeting schedule
- Risk management and quality control plans
Technical Scope:
COHORT focuses on the design, fabrication, and validation of multi-aperture VCSEL (MA-VCSEL) technology with coherent coupling for:
- High-Speed Optical Interconnects (>100 GHz)
- 6G Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) Communication Links
- Industrial Sensing – electronically beam-steered laser sources for precision SMI-based measurement
Outcome:
The meeting successfully aligned partners on the technical roadmap, clarified roles and responsibilities for each work package, and scheduled immediate start of simulation and design activities. The next project progress meeting was planned for September 2025 at Politecnico di Torino.
Consortium Partners:
- VI Systems GmbH – Project Coordination & VCSEL Fabrication
- Politecnico di Torino – Modeling & Simulation
- Ruhr Universität Bochum – High-Speed VCSEL Characterization
- Julight Srl – SMI Applications & RoF Demonstrators
Funding Acknowledgment:
This project is co-funded by the European Union through the Eurostars 3 – Innovative SMEs Programme (CoD 06 Call 2024) and by national research ministries (MUR, BMBF).