Research Programs
Thrust 1
Organic Electro-Optic and
All-Optical Materials and Devices
Thrust 1 Overview
Optical microscope image of the cross section of a back-filled sol-gel waveguide.
The vision of this thrust is to develop "transformative" electro-optic (EO) and all-optical (AO) materials and devices for light-weight, low power, and ultrahigh-speed information processing. This will be achieved through "end-to-end" cross-disciplinary collaboration in theory, materials synthesis, processing and device design and fabrication. The X2 and X3 activity of materials will be significantly enhanced through improved NLO chromophores and materials that are developed through theory-guided structural design, innovative synthetic chemistry and self-assembly.
The research within Thrust 1 is organized into two major science and technology areas, one on light-emitting devices and their integration with organic-field-effect transistors, and another on flexible portable photovoltaic cells combined with packaging and patterning technologies:
STA 1
Materials, Devices, and Subsystems Based on Organic EO Materials with Large r33
STA 1 is organized into two main research projects:
- Project 1.1: E-O and spatial light modulators; hybrid integration with silicon
- Project 1.2: Materials and devices for terahertz generation
STA 1 is focused on the molecular engineering of materials with ultrahigh electro-optic
activities and suitable optical attenuation, thermal stability, and photochemical stability,
and which can be incorporated into novel device structures for applications in ultralow
voltage EO modulators, silicon-based photonics, and terahertz emitters and sensors.
Learn more about the Thrust 1 Research Projects
STA 2
Materials with Large All-Optical Nonlinearities, Devices and Subsystems
STA 2 is organized into two main research projects:
- Project 2.1. Materials and devices for all-optical switching in integrated devices
STA 2 is focused on the development of materials with very large χ3 properties that can
be used for all-optical switching and free-space signal processing.
