Czech company Argotech a.s. is a research and development company specializing in optics, electronics and mechanics. It provides expertise, engineering services and custom technology design in these fields. One of its areas of specialization is bidirectional optical components (BIDI) for high-speed communication over a single optical fiber. To ensure the robustness of its BIDI technology, the company conducts simulations to test the flow of electrons. This computationally intensive modeling takes up to 8 days. The company was looking for technological cooperation, thanks to which the simulation time could be shortened and more accurate.

With its technological demand, the company turned to the Technology Center Prague, which, thanks to the ESA Technology Broker project, is part of the ESA Commercialization Gateway space innovation support network. It seeks to connect the space and non-space industry, by solving industrial challenges using innovative space technologies or, conversely, by transferring terrestrial innovations to the space area.

TC Prague representatives connected Argotech with the German company CST, which specializes in analytical software for electromagnetic components and systems. This software was originally developed for space applications and enabled the optimization of the functional parameters of directional antennas. TC Prague mediated the first contact between the companies, and Argotech subsequently carried out test modeling using CST software. Gradually, it was possible to shorten the simulation time from 8 days to 6 hours.

Based on the good results, Argotech purchased the CST software solution, which it now fully utilizes, and was able to significantly increase the speed and accuracy of high-frequency data transfer modeling. This enables the company to more efficiently develop optical components in BIDI optical fibers.

ESA Technology Broker is part of the Czech national innovation ecosystems. It closely cooperates with the Enterprise Europe Network business support network in the Czech Republic, which helps in connecting companies across all sectors and in finding partners for business, technological and research cooperation and offers a wide range of services for export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises.

For more information contact: A. Bouchal, bouchal@tc.cz.