CAREER On-chip non-classical light sources in nanophotonic platforms

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Title:Harnessing the quantum nature of light in photonic structures engineered on semiconductor chipsNontechnical abstract: The goal of this project is to study the behavior of light when it is confined for a long time in a very small volume of matter. Early work has shown that a novel generation of structures made on silicon may realize such a strong light confinement and as consequence generate so-called non-classical light. This is a type of light with properties inherently different from the light produced, for example, by the sun or by the lasers, and that can only be explained by quantum, i.e., non-classical, theory. Such structures are fully integrated on a chip to form photonic platforms at the nanoscale, i.e., as small as one-hundredth the diameter of a human air. Lying at the intersection of condensed matter physics, quantum photonics, materials science, and nanotechnology, this project draws upon expertise from broad areas of physics and engineering, while presenting major opportunities to advance fundamental research and transformative photonic devices. Photonics has been recognized as one of the key enabling technologies for future prosperity. This project investigates the physics and engineering of quantum-enhanced devices that may constitute the building blocks for futuristic photonic technologies that leverage the mature infrastructure of silicon-based devices. Advances in this field may enable computing and communication devices with superior performances and broad impact on energy, defense, and manufacturing. At the same time, the study of non-classical light has a vast impact in basic science. At the fundamental level, the quantum nature of light is intimately tied to modern science and plays a central role, for example, in the experimental foundation of physics and measurement theory.The interdisciplinary character of this research combined with its broad impact on technology and society provides an excellent educational opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students across different departments. The project incorporates a strong outreach program and enhances the complementarity and cooperation with national labs, NIST, and world-class transnational universities.Technical abstract : In this project I will study novel on-chip nanophotonic structures working at the single photon level and based on nonlinearities in silicon and III-V semiconductors quantum dots. Such devices harness quantum coherence for their core operation while exploiting photonic functionalities designed by a genetic evolution approach.The realization of this goal will involve numerical modeling, nanofabrication, and laser spectroscopy. Those activities will be applied to develop fully integrated genetically designed photonic crystal nanostructures, to growth and characterize materials with improved nonlinearity, and to implement on-chip single photon sources based on silicon. The expected results of this project will pave the way for silicon quantum photonics made with nanophotonic platforms amenable for scalability and large-scale integration.This CAREER award is jointly funded by the Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices (EPMD) Program in the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) and the Electronic and Photonic Materials (EPM) Program in the Division of Materials Research (DMR).