Events Calendar

EE-Electrophysics Seminar

Speaker: Peter Catrysse, Stanford University, CA

Talk Title: Metal Optics at the Nano-scale for Photonic Devices in Optoelectronic Applications

Abstract: Electromagnetic waves are essential energy and information carriers in our technology-driven society. We use light to see the world, communicate over great distances, and tap into the sun as an unlimited energy source. Manipulation of light is important in all these applications. One of the emerging opportunities in manipulating light is the use of nanostructures. In information technology, it can lead to monolithic integration of photonics and electronics, and to smaller, faster information processing. In image capture technology, it enables more effective control of light inside wavelength-size pixels and can lead to novel optical components that increase imaging system resolution while maintaining efficiency.
In this talk, I present my work on the use of high-index contrast nanostructures to control light at deep-subwavelength scales. First, I describe my theoretical contributions to the basic physics of metal optics at the nano-scale. I demonstrate a conceptual approach for designing novel material systems based on the existence of deep-subwavelength modes in metallic systems. In metamaterials, these modes act as the electromagnetic equivalent of electronic states in conventional materials and they allow unprecedented control over optical properties such as refractive index. In nano-scale aperture geometries, they enable extremely broadband, efficient light transport at optical frequencies. Next, I describe my experimental contributions to the creation of ultra-compact photonic devices in highly-integrated optoelectronic systems. As a demonstration, I employ nano-metallic structures to design wavelength-size photonic devices in solid-state image sensors. Specifically, I implement monolithically-integrated metallic color filters in a standard 180-nm mixed-signal CMOS process. I also show far-field focusing experimentally with planar nano-slit lenses implemented using semiconductor-compatible methods. Finally, I describe how nano-slit lens geometries can give rise to some very unusual optical capabilities as well, including deep-subwavelength (~λ/100) focusing and imaging. With these examples, I illustrate the rich set of opportunities for nano-scale metal optics research at the interface between fundamental physics and integrated optoelectronic systems.

Biography: Dr. Peter B. Catrysse is an Engineering Research Associate in the E. L. Ginzton Laboratory at Stanford University. He holds Ph.D. and M.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He pioneered the integration of subwavelength metal optics in standard deep-submicron CMOS technology. His current work focuses on nanophotonics at the interface between basic physics and integrated optoelectronic systems for imaging, thin-film photovoltaic, and information processing applications. He has authored more than 85 refereed publications and holds several US patents. Dr. Catrysse is a Brussels Hoover Fellow of the Belgian American Educational Foundation, a Fellow of the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders, a Senior Member of the IEEE, and the recipient of a 2008 Hewlett-Packard Labs Innovation Research Award.

Host: EE-Electrophysics

Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Marilyn Poplawski