Functional Silicon Photonics

获得卫生保健的机会并不统一——许多农村和偏远社区获得卫生保健的机会有限，在低收入和中等收入国家，由于缺乏设施和训练有素的卫生保健工作者，这一问题可能会更加严重。世界卫生组织将全民卫生保健定义为：“全民健康覆盖意味着所有个人和社区都能获得所需的卫生服务，而不会遭受经济困难。它包括从健康促进到整个生命过程中的预防、治疗、康复和姑息治疗等全方位的基本优质卫生服务。”使用多种技术是帮助资源不足的系统跨越式进入先进医疗保健系统的关键。先进通信、人工智能和大数据都可以发挥作用。与此同时，便携式护理点检测有望加强疾病的筛查、监测和早期诊断。将具有强大网络的便携式传感系统连接在一起将是必要的。为了实现这一愿景，需要低成本，高性能的光子器件，光数据网络和传感系统来支持广泛访问的物联网（IoT）。硅光子学为实现低成本和功能集成光学电路提供了一条途径，它可以很容易地与CMOS电子和成像器件集成。然而，作为一个平台，硅有一些局限性。硅波导的高折射率对比度导致波导内有效的光约束，因此与外部环境的重叠较差，限制了传感应用。硅没有直接带隙，因此不能提供光学增益。硅具有中心对称的晶体结构；因此它不具有二阶非线性张量，也没有自然的电光效应。本应用旨在开发一条通向功能性硅光子学的道路。我们的方法将集中在低折射率波导结构和二维超表面。基于增强型低折射率波导方法的波导允许透明材料的容易协整。我们将发展这一想法，并展示稀土掺杂增益材料，非线性有机物和功能传感材料的协整。与此同时，我们将研究二维硅超表面，在那里我们将使用刺激响应微和纳米凝胶来生产光学生物传感器。我们的重点将是通过手指刺破的容易获得的样本来获得血源性标记物。这项工作计划将为研究生提供一个理想的跨学科训练基地。他们将发展光子学、微纳米制造和设备测试方面的技能。与此同时，我们将利用这一核心项目与行业和国际合作者建立新的伙伴关系，这将为学生提供发展新方法和同伴网络的机会。

Access to health care is not uniform - many rural and remote communities having only limited access and in low- and middle-income countries the problem can be exasperated buy lack of facilities and trained healthcare workers. The world health organization defines Universal Health Care as: "UHC means that all individuals and communities receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship. It includes the full spectrum of essential, quality health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care across the life course." The use of diverse technologies is key in helping under resourced systems leapfrogging into advanced healthcare systems. Advanced communications, artificial intelligence and big data all have a role to play. In parallel, portable of point-of care testing promises enhanced screening, monitoring and early diagnosis of diseases. Linking together portable sensing systems with robust networks will be necessary. To realize this vision there is a need for low-cost, high performance photonic devices, optical data networks and sensing systems to support a widely accessible internet of things (IoT). Silicon photonics offers a route to achieving low cost and functional integrated optical circuits which can be easily integrated with CMOS electronics and imaging devices. However, as a platform silicon has some limitations. The high refractive index contrast of silicon waveguides results in efficient light confinement within a waveguide and hence poor overlap with the external environment which limits sensing applications. Silicon does not have a direct band gap and hence does not provide optical gain. Silicon has a centrosymmetric crystal structure; hence it does not have a second order nonlinear tensor and no natural electro-optic effect.  This application aims to develop a route towards functional silicon photonics. Our approach will focus on low index waveguide structures and 2D metasurfaces. Waveguides based on the Augmented Low Index Waveguide approach allow for the easy co-integration of transparent materials. We will develop this idea and demonstrate the co-integration of rare earth doped gain materials, nonlinear organics, and functional sensing materials. In parallel, we will work on 2D silicon metasurfaces where we will use stimuli-responsive micro and nano gels to produce optical bio sensors. Our focus will be on blood borne markers available via an easily accessible sample from a finger prick. This program of work will provide an ideal interdisciplinary training ground for graduate students. They will develop skills in photonics, micro and nano-fabrication, and device testing. In parallel we will use this core program to leverage new partnerships with industry, and international collaborators, which will provide students with the opportunities to develop new methodologies and peer networks.