Reconfigurable Quantum Dot Photonic Integrated Circuits

Dr. Luke F. Lester

Center for High Technology Materials, Albuquerque

The guiding principle of the work to be discussed is the concept of the Reconfigurable Cellular Block (RCB), which refers to a discrete physical arrangement of repeated elements organized in various dimensions from nanoscale to microscale. The most successful example of the RCB idea is the field-programmable gate array (FPGA), which allows a system designer to program logic blocks in an integrated circuit to perform specific user-defined functions. Our vision is to apply the RCB principle to nanoscale photonic devices to realize the benefits of compactness, low cost, and flexibility of function. In particular, we examine the quantum dot photonic integrated circuit configured to operate as a mode-locked laser. The small size, low power consumption, and direct electrical pumping of monolithic mode-locked lasers make them promising candidates for optical clock distribution, high bit-rate optical time division multiplexing, OCT, two-photon microscopy, and arbitrary waveform generation. Some unique advantages of quantum dot (QD) materials, such as ultra broad bandwidth, ultra fast gain dynamics, and easily saturated gain and absorption, make them an ideal choice for semiconductor monolithic mode-locked lasers. The fundamental design principles for using QDs in mode-locked lasers are presented to explain the observed results and to describe why QDs are particularly well-suited for reconfigurable laser devices. Concluding remarks will be given on a series of open problems and future applications for these kinds of photonic integrated circuits.

Speaker Biography:Dr. Lester is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Microelectronics Endowed Chair and General Chair of the Optical Science and Engi- neering program a UNM. He received his B.S. in Engineering Physics and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. Prior to his arrival at UNM, Dr. Lester worked as an en- gineer for General Electric Electronics Laboratory in Syracuse, New York. Dr. Lester has over 20 years experience in III-V semiconductor materials and devices and was a co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Zia Laser, Inc., a startup company using quantum dot materials to develop quantum dot laser products for communications and computer/microprocessor applications. As a senior member of the IEEE since 2000, he is an active organizer of Lasers and Electro-Optics Soci- ety (LEOS) conferences, workshops and journals. He was an Air Force Summer Faculty Fellow in 2006 and 2007. Dr. Lester’s other awards and honors include the 1998 UNM School of Engineering Research Award, the 1994 Martin Marietta Manager’s Award, and the 2007 UNM ECE Teaching Award. He has published 80 journal articles and over 100 conference papers.

Friday, May 22nd at 2:15pm

Center for High Technology Materials, Room 101

Refreshments will be served at the talk.