Vela Technology

Four integrated innovations that address the fundamental barriers to high-performance optical satellite communication.

High-Power Optical Architecture

Overcoming Silicon Power Limits

Silicon waveguides experience nonlinear absorption above approximately 500mW, fundamentally limiting OPA output power for long-range satellite links. Our proprietary architecture overcomes this limitation:

Multi-watt total optical power output
Distributed power architecture avoids single-point limits
Scalable design for even higher power applications
Compatible with standard photonics manufacturing processes
Pathway to integrated quantum sources

Impact: Enables +6dB or more improvement in transmitted optical power, directly extending achievable link distance.

Ultra-Low Power Phase Control

Enabling Large-Scale Arrays

Conventional thermo-optic phase shifters consume 10-20mW per π phase shift. For a 10,000-element array, this means 100-200W just for phase control—impractical for satellite power budgets and incompatible with quantum applications due to thermal noise. Our proprietary phase control technology provides:

Orders of magnitude lower power than conventional approaches
Elimination of thermal crosstalk in dense arrays
No thermal effects that destroy quantum states
10,000-element array at ~1W instead of 100W
Compatible with cryogenic quantum detector operation

Impact: First OPA architecture that scales to tens of thousands of elements while remaining quantum-compatible.

Grating-Lobe-Free Design

Maximum Power on Target

Achieving half-wavelength (λ/2 ≈ 775nm at 1550nm) antenna spacing has been identified as "the main challenge in OPA design that has significantly reduced their commercial potential." Current architectures force 2-3λ spacing due to routing congestion, causing grating lobes that scatter transmitted power away from the main beam. Our proprietary design achieves:

Near-λ/2 effective antenna spacing
Complete elimination of grating lobes
Full beam steering range without compromise
Simplified optical design
Compatible with OAM mode generation

Impact: Concentrates maximum power in main beam, recovering the ~3dB typically lost to grating lobes in conventional designs.

Quantum-Ready Platform

Classical and Quantum on One Chip

Our architecture uniquely supports both high-speed classical communication and quantum key distribution on a single integrated platform:

High-dimensional quantum state encoding for QKD applications
Classical modulation supporting multi-Petabit/s data rates
Integrated wavefront sensing for atmospheric compensation
Built-in adaptive optics without separate systems
Dual classical-quantum communication capability

Impact: Enables the first integrated optical terminal that supports both high-speed classical communication and quantum key distribution.

Combined Link Budget Impact

Our innovations compound: higher transmitted power, larger effective aperture, reduced losses, and integrated atmospheric compensation multiply to extend achievable link distance.

Parameter	Conventional	Our Approach	Impact
Optical Power	~500mW	Multi-Watt	+6dB or more
Element Count	~1,000	10,000+	Larger aperture
Antenna Spacing	2-3λ	~λ/2	No grating lobes
Phase Tuner Power	10-100W	~1W	Enables scaling
Atmospheric Compensation	Separate AO	Integrated	Reduced SWaP

Net link budget improvement: potentially 15+ dB, enabling ~5x longer range or ~30x higher data rate at same range.

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