Optical Characterization and Nanophotonics

Website
Phone number: (617) 353-1712
Location: PHO B11
Associated faculty: Goldberg, Ünlü, Swan

Nanophotonics addresses a broad spectrum of optics on the nanometer scale covering technology and basic science. Compared to the behavior of isolated molecules or bulk materials; the behavior of nanostructures exhibit important physical properties not necessarily predictable from observations of either individual constituents or large ensembles. We develop and apply advanced optical characterization techniques to the study of solid-state and biological phenomena at the nanoscale. Current projects include development of high-resolution subsurface imaging techniques based on numerical aperture increasing lens (NAIL) for the study of semiconductor devices and circuits and spectroscopy of quantum dots; micro resonant Raman and emission spectroscopy of individual carbon nanotubes; biosensors based on microring resonators; and development of new nanoscale microscopy techniques utilizing interference of excitation as well as emission from fluorescent molecules. In addition to microscopy, optical resonance is nearly ubiqutious in our research projects including development of resonant cavity enhanced photodetectors and imaging biosensors for DNA and protein arrays.