Research Areas

Our current research activities include semiconductor nanolasers, nanophotonics, plasmonics, quantum-dot and quantum-well semiconductor devices, and suplerlattice photodetectors.

1. Nanoplasmonic lasers:  We explore the concept of nanolasers using surface plasmonics, optical field enhancement, and mode coupling to active materials such as semiconductor quantum wells and quantuim dots.


2. Semiconductor optoelectronic device physics: The devices include (a) quantum-well and quantum-dot devices using strained semiconductor materials in integrated modulator-lasers, and (b) InGaN blue-green lasers and LEDs.


3. Type-II superlattice mid-infrared photodetectors: We design and fabricate antimony (Sb)-based type-II superlattice photodetectors. We investigate the defects in T2SL and characterize the detector performance using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR).


4. High-speed modulation of lasers: High-speed microwave modulation of semiconductor lasers and wavelength conversion using quantum-well and quantum-dot devices are investigated. Low-chirp high bandwidth nanolasers are explored for future photonic integrated circuits.


5. Slow and fast light using quantum-well and quantum-dot semiconductor optical amplifiers: We have demonstrated slow and fast light at room temperature using coherent population oscillation and four-wave-mixing effects. The slow light devices have potential applications as optical buffers, dispersion compensation devices, as well as microwave photonics.

Research Projects

• NACHOS: 
• MURI-ARO: Fundamental Study of Defects in Type-II Super Lattice Photodetectors
• MURI-Silicon photonics