Enabling Ultra-Compact Photonic Integrated Circuits with Designer Disordered Dielectrics
Until recently, the only known photonic band gap (PBG) structures were photonic crystals consisting of regularly repeating, orderly lattices of dielectric materials. It was generally assumed that crystal order was essential to have a photonic band gap. This longstanding assumption is now known to be false. New PBG structures, characterized by suppressed density fluctuations (hyperuniformity), include disordered structures that are isotropic. This means that light propagates the same way through the photonic solid independent of direction (which is impossible for a photonic crystal). The SBIR Project aims to cross the chasm between fundamental new physics insights relating to the structure of matter, and an aggressive approach to commercializing ’Semiconductors of Light’ for high density optical interconnects. Chips designed for fabrication in the silicon photonics foundry ecosystem will be priced for the datacenter market. HUDS-based PBG photonic integrated circuits (PICs) promise to provide low cost, compact and energy-efficient solutions to the bandwidth bottlenecks which are increasingly facing the high-performance computing and warehouse-scale datacenter markets. Additional application of this fundamental new scientific innovation are expected to cross multiple disciplines (e.g. acoustics, mechanics, solid state physics, and chemistry) in impacting wide ranging markets in addition to optical interconnects. less Until recently, the only known photonic band gap (PBG) structures were photonic crystals consisting of regularly repeating, orderly lattices of dielectric materials. It was generally assumed that crystal order was essential to have a photonic band gap. This longstanding assumption is now known to be false. New PBG structures, characterized by suppressed density fluctuations (hyperuniformity), include disordered structures that are isotropic. This means that light propagates the same way through the photonic solid independ... more
Appropriate candidate will matched to one or more of the following research activities at company facilities in either Seattle, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, New York City, or Princeton: 1. Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) design, layout, test, and analysis, in either the silicon photonics, III-V, or hybrid materials systems, working at the component and sub-system levels to develop one or more applications ranging from optical transceivers and sensors to solar photovoltaics, cameras, displays, etc. 2. Massively parallel computational modeling and optimization of advanced materials and structures 3. Self-assembly 4. Microwave engineering
PhD in one or more of the following fields: Physics, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or Chemistry.
Expert knowledge of one or more of the following: Photonics, microlithography, nanolithography, design of photonic integrated circuits, silicon photonics design, solar photovoltaics, photonic band gaps, electromagnetic simulations, microwave design, self-assembly, colloid chemistry, mechanical design, massively parallel computation, optimization algorithms, C++, C, GPU programming, and/or XSEDES.
