Collaborative Research: Laser Treated Sol-Gel Glass for Ultra-High-Quality Photonic Devices

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Technical: This project, funded by the Electronic and Photonic Materials (EPM) and Ceramics (CER) Programs, is to investigate a laser enhanced, flow and evaporation-induced self-assembly (FEISA) approach to synthesize sol-gel materials and ring-shape micro-resonators for ultra-high-quality photonic devices on silicon. The research combines experimental and theoretical activities in photonics, complex fluids dynamics, and sol-gel synthesis to (a) develop the laser-enhanced, sol-gel-FEISA glass as a novel material; (b) study the optical gain generation in various sol-gel-FEISA glass resonators; and (c) probe and characterize the optical functions of ultra-high-quality micro-resonators by using the materials fabricated in (a). The research focuses on micro-resonators as a benchmark system and investigates optical gain enhanced phenomena, such as nonlinear optics, lasing and plasmonics. The research is expected to impact the design and synthesis of novel photonic materials capable of generating optical gain for nonlinear optics at low light level and ultra-low-threshold microlasers on a silicon wafer with emission covering a wide spectral window from ultraviolet to near infrared. This is a collaborative research project that includes scientists at the Washington University and University of Washington with complementary expertise.Non-technical: The project addresses basic research issues in a topical area of materials and optical sciences with high technological relevance. The success of the project can lead to a route to achieve high-performance photonic devices on a silicon wafer. Through the project, Ph. D. and undergraduate students are trained in a multi-disciplinary environment that includes photonics, materials science, nano-fabrication, and applied physics. The discoveries from this project will be disseminated through publication in scientific journals, as well as wiki pages and videos on the project webpage for education purpose.