Daniel Leon-Salas has secured a new patent for an optical wireless communication technology. The patent from Leon-Salas, an associate professor in the School of Engineering Technology, allows standard solar cells to function as high-speed data transmitters. The system enables these cells to harvest ambient energy and transmit wireless information simultaneously.
The technology relies on the emission of infrared light. Solar cells emit this radiation when stimulated by an electric current or a light beam. This process is called luminescence. Leon-Salas developed a modulator circuit to control this light emission. His circuit uses a feedback loop to support high-speed burst transmission. The design minimizes switching noise and outperforms traditional on-off modulators.
Leon-Salas' arrived at this idea after his own tests of outdoor LED displays. He wondered whether idle LEDs could capture solar energy, and set about investigating this question. In the process, he discovered that certain uncoated LEDs effectively generated electricity. A student in his laboratory later provided high-efficiency gallium arsenide solar cells. Leon-Salas tested these solar components and observed the exact same luminescent properties. He subsequently secured National Science Foundation funding to develop practical modulators based on this discovery.
The technology has the potential to transform any solar-equipped device into a wireless transmitter. Leon-Salas identified several immediate aerospace and industrial applications. Satellites can use their existing solar arrays as identification beacons; Martian rovers can utilize the technology as a backup communication system; logistics companies can track the temperature of high-value vaccine shipments using solar-powered optical tags; even on the factory floor, companies can deploy these tags to monitor machines for digital twin networks.
The research team successfully validated the method using a physical prototype. Leon-Salas plans to miniaturize the system next. The team will design a custom microchip to enable commercial mass production. The technology is currently available to license through the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization.
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