About the project
This project involves the design, fabrication, and testing of waveguide couplers and their integration into sensing systems. It makes use of the Optoelectronics Research Centre’s world-leading cleanroom fabrication and photonic device characterization facilities.
A key challenge for silicon photonic circuits is how to efficiently couple light between on-chip waveguides and external light sources like optical fibres or free-space laser beams. Efficient couplers are critical in any optical sensing systems where the signal to noise ratio depends on the light intensity reaching the photodetector. The mid-IR is a new frontier for integrated photonics that requires the use of new waveguide materials and geometries, and new solutions will therefore be needed for efficient light coupling.
The project would involve collaboration with Professor Cheben from the National Research Council of Canada, whose group has been a leading developer of new waveguide coupling technologies based on metamaterial engineered photonic devices, which will be applied in this project.
