Two-dimensional Photonics Fabrication Facility

在石墨烯之外的二维半导体、设计者的准表面以及集成的量子或非线性光子器件方面的显著发现和进步正在推动光电子和光子技术的革命。赫里奥特-瓦特大学的二维光子学制造设施将促进英国的这场革命，其用户设施是英国景观中独一无二的。核心仪器是一种无掩模直写激光器，它是一种光刻工具，可以快速制造具有新功能的大规模定制2D光子器件。这种无掩模激光写入器弥补了电子束光刻和传统光刻之间在横向分辨率和写入速度方面的差距，能够在大范围内快速制造纳米级的光子器件。独特的光刻系统将通过电子束蒸发器进行扩展，使高质量金属和介电材料能够以纳米精度沉积到由直写激光光刻定义的设备上。最后，为了实现薄膜、表面和材料计量的终极目标，将使用光谱成像椭偏仪。这一独特的仪器对于表征新兴的二维半导体器件至关重要，无论是通过光刻工具进行预加工还是后期加工。该设施将被整合到赫里奥特-瓦特大学新装修的洁净室中，其中包括一系列补充设备。这将为众多博士生以及华威大学和英国各地的早期职业生涯和知名学者提供新兴的2D光子学研究。该设施大力利用赫里奥特-瓦特的光子学和量子科学研究所在光子学研究方面的现有优势，并在两个EPSRC博士培训中心、两个英国量子技术中心和EPSRC基于激光的生产工艺创新制造中心内存在一大批潜在的设施用户。该设施将推动四项具体的研究：1.基于最近发现的嵌入在2D半导体中的量子发射器的二维量子光子学，这种发射器可以产生非常广泛的电子和光学性质。将制造新的器件来驱动这一令人兴奋的新兴量子光子平台。由超表面制成的超薄光学器件，这是一种具有不寻常光学特性的二维超材料。该设施将能够快速制造大规模的亚表面，以在一定的频率范围(例如可见太赫兹)上为潜在的应用(例如显微镜、照相机、显示器和移动电话)创造平坦的光学元件。3.优化的单光子焦平面阵列、微透镜阵列、马赛克滤光片、低损耗光波导以及用于量子、非线性和超快光子学的高质量腔体的集成光电子学器件的制造。4.一系列新型薄膜和二维半导体材料和器件的高分辨率表征。

Remarkable discoveries and advances in two-dimensional semiconductors beyond graphene, designer meta-surfaces, and integrated quantum or non-linear photonic devices are driving a revolution in optoelectronic and photonic technologies. The Two-Dimensional Photonics Fabrication Facility at Heriot-Watt University will facilitate this revolution in the UK with a user facility unique to the UK landscape. The centrepiece instrument, a "maskless" direct write laser, is a lithographic tool to rapidly fabricate large scale but bespoke 2D photonic devices with novel functionalities. The maskless laser writer bridges the gap in lateral resolution and write speed between electron beam lithography and conventional photolithography to enable rapid fabrication of nanoscale photonic devices over large areas. The unique lithography system will be augmented by an electron beam evaporator enabling deposition of high-quality metals and dielectrics with nanometre precision onto devices lithographically defined by the direct write laser. Finally, for the ultimate in thin-film, surface and materials metrology, a spectroscopic imaging ellipsometer will be used. This unique instrument is crucial for characterization, either pre- or post-fabrication by the lithographic tool, of emerging two-dimensional semiconductor devices. The facility will be integrated into the newly refurbished cleanroom at Heriot-Watt University housing an array of complementary equipment. This will underpin emerging 2D photonics research for numerous PhD students and early career and established academics at HWU and across the UK. The facility strongly leverages existing excellence in photonics research within the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences at Heriot-Watt and a large cohort of prospective facility users exist within two EPSRC centres for doctoral training, two UK Quantum Technology Hubs, and the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Laser Based Production Processes. Four specific research thrusts will be enabled by the facility:1. Two-dimensional quantum photonics based on recently discovered quantum emitters embedded in 2D semiconductors 'beyond graphene' that can produce a remarkably wide range of electronic and optical properties. Novel devices will be fabricated to drive forward this exciting emergent quantum photonic platform.2. Ultrathin optical devices made from metasurfaces, which are two-dimensional metamaterials exhibiting unusual optical properties. The facility will enable rapid fabrication of large-scale metasurfaces to create 'flat' optics for potential applications (e.g. microscopes, cameras, displays, and mobile phones) across a range of frequencies (e.g. visible - terahertz). 3. Fabrication of integrated photonics devices including optimized single photon focal plane arrays, microlens arrays, mosaic filters, low-loss waveguides, and high-quality cavities for quantum, non-linear, and ultra-fast photonics. 4. High-resolution characterization for a wide-range of novel thin film and two-dimensional semiconductor materials and devices.