PHEMTRONICS · Project

Ultra-Fast Optical Switches That Reconfigure in Femtoseconds Using Almost Zero Energy

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Imagine a light switch that flips in a trillionth of a second and uses almost no electricity — that's what this project built, but for optical signals. The team created special materials that change their internal structure when hit with light, letting devices instantly switch between different operating modes. Think of it like a TV antenna that can retune itself to pick up any channel from radio waves to visible light, all without moving parts. They demonstrated working prototypes of self-reconfiguring antennas and broadband light detectors built on these shape-shifting materials.

By the numbers

EUR 3,099,375

EU funding for development of phase-change optical devices

9 partners

Consortium size across the value chain

7 countries

Geographic spread of consortium (AT, DE, ES, FR, IE, IT, RO)

2 demonstrators

Hardware prototypes delivered (reconfigurable antenna + broadband detectors)

18 deliverables

Total project outputs including reports, models, and prototypes

33%

Industry participation ratio in consortium

femtosecond

Target switching speed for optical devices

femtojoule/bit

Target energy consumption per switching operation

The business problem

What needed solving

Current optical and electronic switches are too slow, too power-hungry, and locked to fixed frequencies. Telecom operators, data centers, and sensing companies need devices that can instantly adapt across a wide frequency range without replacing hardware. Existing solutions require separate components for each frequency band, driving up cost, complexity, and energy consumption.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered a frequency reconfigurable antenna demonstrator based on new phase-change materials and demonstrators of phase-change broadband detectors operating at several wavelengths. In total, the consortium produced 18 deliverables including the materials platform, modeling tools, and device architectures.

Audience

Who needs this

5G/6G antenna and base station equipment manufacturersPhotonic chip and optical interconnect companiesMulti-spectral and infrared detector manufacturersData center operators seeking lower-power optical switchingDisplay technology companies developing next-generation adaptive screens

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Telecommunications

enterprise

Target: 5G/6G equipment manufacturers and mobile network operators

If you are a telecom equipment maker struggling with the limits of current antenna technology for next-generation networks — this project developed a frequency reconfigurable antenna demonstrator based on phase-change materials. It can dynamically switch operating frequencies from microwave to optical ranges in femtoseconds, potentially eliminating the need for multiple fixed-frequency antenna arrays and reducing hardware costs.

Optical Computing & Data Centers

enterprise

Target: Semiconductor companies and data center operators

If you are a data center operator facing rising energy bills from signal processing hardware — this project demonstrated optical switches operating at femtojoule-per-bit energy levels. That is orders of magnitude below current electronic switching. With 9 consortium partners across 7 countries validating the approach, this could dramatically cut power consumption in optical interconnects.

Defense & Sensing

mid-size

Target: Manufacturers of infrared detectors and multi-spectral imaging systems

If you are a sensing equipment manufacturer needing detectors that work across multiple wavelength bands — this project delivered demonstrators of phase-change broadband detectors operating at several wavelengths simultaneously. Instead of stacking separate detectors for each band, a single adaptive device could cover the full spectrum, reducing component count and system complexity.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this technology?

The project was funded with EUR 3,099,375 under a Research and Innovation Action (FET Open), meaning IP is shared across 9 consortium partners in 7 countries. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the coordinator (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy) and relevant partners. Early-stage licensing from publicly funded EU projects typically involves reasonable terms.

Can this scale to industrial production volumes?

The project delivered 2 hardware demonstrators — a frequency reconfigurable antenna and broadband detectors — proving the concept works at lab scale. The materials platform was designed to be eco-sustainable and non-toxic, which removes a barrier to manufacturing scale-up. However, moving from demonstrator to volume production would require further engineering and investment.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP from this Horizon 2020 RIA project is governed by the EU grant agreement, with ownership typically staying with the partner that generated it. The consortium includes 3 industry partners and 2 SMEs who likely hold IP relevant to device fabrication and integration. Contact the coordinator for specific licensing discussions.

How fast can these switches actually operate?

Based on the project objective, the target performance is femtosecond-scale switching time (millionths of a billionth of a second) at femtojoule-per-bit energy consumption. The technology covers microwave-to-optical frequencies, meaning a single platform handles an extremely wide bandwidth. These metrics were the design targets validated through the demonstrator deliverables.

What infrastructure would I need to integrate this?

The project developed a transdimensional materials platform with phase-change properties operating close to room temperature. This means no exotic cooling systems are required. Integration paths include nanoantennas and detector architectures, but specific integration requirements would depend on your application and would need discussion with the consortium's 3 industry partners.

Is this technology environmentally safe for production?

The project explicitly targeted eco-sustainable, non-toxic phase-change materials as a core design principle. This distinguishes it from older phase-change technologies that relied on toxic compounds. Based on project objectives, the materials operate close to room temperature, reducing energy requirements for manufacturing and operation.

What application areas did the consortium identify?

The project objective identifies mobile communications, optical computing, ultrafast switching for neuromorphic computation, and tuneable nanopixel displays as target markets. The consortium of 9 partners across 7 countries — including 5 universities providing deep research expertise and 3 industry partners for application focus — was structured to cover this range.

Consortium

Who built it

The PHEMTRONICS consortium brings together 9 partners from 7 European countries (AT, DE, ES, FR, IE, IT, RO), led by Italy's Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. The mix is research-heavy: 5 universities and 1 research organization provide deep scientific capability, while 3 industry partners (including 2 SMEs) at 33% industry ratio anchor the work to commercial applications. This composition is typical of FET Open projects — strong on science, lighter on market validation. For a business buyer, the key partners to engage would be the 2 SMEs and the industry partner, as they are most likely developing the fabrication and integration aspects closest to a commercial product. The 7-country spread also means broad access to European manufacturing networks and supply chains.

CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHECoordinator · IT
UNIVERSITAET MUENSTERparticipant · DE
TE-OXparticipant · FR
NANOM MEMS SRLparticipant · RO
VLC PHOTONICS SLparticipant · ES
RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERGparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITAT LINZparticipant · AT
UNIVERSIDAD DE CANTABRIAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK - NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, CORKparticipant · IE

How to reach the team

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy — contact through project website or SciTransfer introduction

Order a report on this consortium See CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the reconfigurable antenna or broadband detector technology? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the right consortium partner for your specific application.

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