Backed by decades of research, rigorous testing, and customer collaboration, EMCORE remains dedicated to advancing next-generation inertial navigation capabilities. We combine heritage expertise with forward-looking vision, ensuring that our solutions not only meet today’s requirements but anticipate tomorrow’s challenges.

Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) technology is radically transforming inertial navigation with smaller, lighter and more robust optical sensing systems that integrate multiple optical components onto a single semiconductor chip, including lasers, modulators, detectors, and waveguides. Compared to traditional discrete optical assemblies, this technology significantly reduces size, weight, power consumption and overall system complexity.

A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) or integrated optical circuit is a microchip containing two or more photonic components that form a functioning circuit. This technology detects, generates, transports, and processes light. Photonic integrated circuits use photons (or particles of light) as opposed to electrons that are used by electronic integrated circuits. The major difference between the two is that a photonic integrated circuit provides functions for information signals imposed on optical wavelengths typically in the visible spectrum or near-infrared (850–1650 nm).

EMCORE patented* Photonic Integrated Chip (PIC) expands FOG technology with the integrated planar optical chip. EMCORE gyros and inertial systems with PIC Inside™ provide:

• Flexible, modular designs for easy integration
• Outstanding repeatability unit-to-unit

EMCORE inertial systems with PIC Inside™ deliver robust reliability and survivability in the harshest environments while offering the critical navigation support that autonomous platforms and other applications require.

Integrated Photonics for Precision Navigation

In Inertial Navigation Systems (INS), precise measurement is paramount. While Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (FOGs) and other optical sensors rely on light interference to measure rotation, PIC technology advances this measurement capability by providing highly stable, integrated optical paths that improve signal integrity and reduce environmental sensitivities. The PICs’ monolithic nature minimizes alignment errors and mechanical drift for improved long-term stability and repeatability.

Manufacturing & Scalability

Beyond performance improvements, PIC-based inertial sensors offer meaningful manufacturing and scalability advantages by using semiconductor fabrication processes for high-volume, repeatable production with tighter tolerances and lower variability. This leads to greater reliability and cost efficiency, making advanced inertial navigation accessible across many aerospace, defense, autonomous vehicle and industrial applications.

PIC technology also produces a more rugged device with fewer discrete components and interconnects that make systems more resistant to vibration, shock and temperature extremes — critical factors for deployment in demanding environments such as aircraft, spacecraft, naval systems and precision-guided platforms.

PIC-based inertial sensors:

• Incorporate complex elements onto a chip to improve accuracy and performance, as well as simplify production and remove hand work from the process
• Provide consistent manufacturing to ensure consistent component performance and reliability
• Enable precision inertial system mass-production
• Rigorous Testing & Qualification

*Protected by U.S. Patent # 10,274,319. Additional patents pending.

As the micro-electro-mechanical technology pioneer of Quartz MEMS (QMEMS), EMCORE’s inertial product line continuously applies the newest technologies in device miniaturization coupled with the integrating the industry’s latest Six Degree of Freedom (6DoF) and GPS engine disciplines, to create one of industry’s most complete families of high-quality, high-performance Inertial Sensing Systems and Components. Several resulting products and virtually self-contained systems are nearly one-third the size of similar devices in their class, establishing a broad base of market futures for QMEMS designs across several industries.