Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Photonics - the science and technology of light - is a defining technology of the 21st century. Dr. Berini’s proposed research program on nanophotonics is unique, at the cutting edge and relevant to several industrial sectors, such as telecom, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, automotive and aerospace. The main objective of the nominee’s research program is to research and develop new nanophotonic devices, specifically parity-time symmetric amplifiers and lasers, extreme UV sources, electro-optic modulators, electro-optic beam steering devices, photodetectors, and biosensors. An extensive network of (inter)national and industrial collaborators will participate in the program, and state-of-the-art photonics and nanofabrication labs established by the nominee will be leveraged. In general, the methodology rests upon modelling materials and effects, followed by extensive simulation of novel device concepts and ideas using numerical modelling tools of electromagnetic, semiconductor and quantum phenomena, based on Maxwell’s equations, Poisson’s and the drift-diffusion equations, and Schrödinger’s equation. Once suitable designs are obtained, prototypes will be fabricated using state-of-the-art nanofabrication tools located in cleanrooms at the university, such as electron-beam lithography and microscopy tools, and focussed ion beam tools. Testing and experimentation then follow in the nominee’s well-equipped photonics labs, leading to closure of a design-fabricate-test cycle. Designs are modified based on measurements and improved in subsequent runs. The research program will enable sub-diffraction nanoscale light sources, and ultra-fast detectors and modulators based on epsilon-near-zero materials for next-generation telecom applications. Compact, low-cost integrated biosensors for point-of-care medical applications will also be researched, aiming to shorten diagnosis times and improve the prognosis of patients – integration is key to disruption as it will enable biosensors to penetrate the large and expanding point-of-care market. Metasurfaces enable very compact structures that can be integrated in wafer-scale processes with other devices, enabling disruptive functions such as solid-state optical beam steering, optical switching and reconfigurable optics without the need for liquids or moving parts. These applications are well aligned with a significant global photonics market, projected to grow (globally) to over €800 billion within a few years.