Ultra-pure waves for key technologies

In the ULTRAPURE project, Technische Universität Braunschweig is collaborating with the Universities of Twente in the Netherlands and Rennes in France, as well as CSEM in Switzerland and Thales in France, to develop chips that can generate ultra-pure waves. The aim is to realise new applications ranging from terahertz communication (including for the 6G communication standard) to radar, portable atomic clocks and quantum computers. TU Braunschweig is coordinating the project, which is one of a total of 42 projects to receive funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC), the European Union’s research and innovation council, as part of the ‘Pathfinder Open’ funding programme.

For ULTRAPURE, scientists will investigate the generation of ultra-pure waves in the acoustic, radio frequency, microwave, terahertz (THz) and optical ranges. ‘Ultra-pure’ in this context means that the waves have virtually no noise.

“Noise is the ultimate limitation for any measurement, communication or other processing of signals. For quantum cryptography, for example, noise limits the maximum possible distance over which encrypted signals can be transmitted, which is normally only slightly more than 100 kilometres,” says Professor Thomas Schneider, who is leading the project from TU Braunschweig.

Conventional oscillators and lasers for generating radio, THz and optical waves exhibit tiny random instabilities known as noise. The oscillator and laser developed in ULTRAPURE drastically reduces this noise by exploiting the interaction between light and sound waves within a photonic chip. This should result in an exceptionally stable and precise oscillator. For the light-sound interaction, ULTRAPURE is investigating a new integrated platform (thin-film lithium tantalate) that also enables the integration of modulators, detectors and other components on the same chip, enabling ultra-compact and ultra-stable oscillators with low energy consumption.

The THz Photonics Group at TU Braunschweig has many years of experience with light-sound interaction and has published several groundbreaking studies on the subject, such as the storage of light and the generation of THz waves. In the ULTRAPURE project, the THz Photonics Group will investigate THz communication systems that enable much higher data rates due to the low noise of the ULTRAPURE oscillator. In addition to 6G communication, this can also be used for connecting computers in data centres, for example. Due to the AI boom, data rates in these data centres are currently rising dramatically. At the same time, these centres cover areas larger than entire football stadiums, and according to an analysis by Nature, their energy consumption is expected to double by 2030.

In addition to communication, the breakthroughs expected from ULTRAPURE could enable new advances in quantum sensing, quantum computing, and satellite-free navigation and time measurement systems. The project thus contributes to Europe’s technological sovereignty and offers far-reaching benefits for the economy, society and sustainability.

Project data:

The ULTRAPURE project (‘Integrated sources for ultrapure oscillations from acoustical to lightwaves’) has a total funding volume of three million euros (approx. 566,000 euros for TU Braunschweig) and is one of a total of 42 projects funded by the European Innovation Council’s EIC Pathfinder Open Call 2025. Particularly visionary, high-risk projects at a very early stage of research are selected in order to develop groundbreaking technologies with disruptive market potential that can create new markets. ULTRAPURE received a perfect rating from the European Commission, which is an exceptional achievement given the two per cent success rate for EIC Pathfinder applications. The project will start in February 2026 and will run for three years. ULTRAPURE is based on a consortium of international experts from science and industry from France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany.