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PROJECTS
AFFILIATED FACULTY
AFFILIATED LABORATORIES/CENTER
EXTERNAL SUPPORT
- NSF
- DOD
- NASA
- MIT Lincoln Laboratory
- CIPA
AFFILIATIONS
- Analog Devices, Inc.
- Boston Micromachines Corporation
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PHOTONICS and FIBER OPTICS
A very active area of research and development involves the tight coupling and interaction of light and electricity for making advanced communication, imaging, sensing, storage, and computational devices. Some of the more exciting goals of this area of "photonics" aims to incorporate the ultimate fastest speed of communication possible, namely, that of light, with the proven rich and versatile domain of miniature electrical devices as exists in microelectronics. Connecting regions of the world with fiber optics, yet doing this in a way to enable easily manufacturable connections, with high reliability, low signal loss, improved amplification strategies, and the best optical to electrical manipulation of signals, are a key interest here. Taking into account the near infinite degrees of freedom of electromagnetics, as well as the versatile properties of coherence, interference, and diffraction, coupled with the fact that electrical charges both react to and act to modify optical signals, enables a wide range of novel devices to be created. Key interests here are not only to develop and construct such devices, but to do so in a manner that is commercially feasible and manufacturable.
Several directions are pursued by the faculty to help enable such goals to be obtained, including investigating special opto-electronic materials, simulating detailed electro-optical situations of physical systems, constructing unique control scenarios for precise fabrication of optical films and crystals, and designing and fabricating tools for automated cleaning, cleaving, winding, and joining fibers.
For example, the InGaN ternary system has attracted a lot of attention as materials for light emitting devices operating in the red to ultraviolet regions of the energy spectrum. Our research involves the study of microstructure and defects in InGaN thin films grown on lattice matched single crystal substrates. Another area of interest is the study of phase transformations occurring in these III-V nitride alloys. Our research has shown that both phase separation and ordering occur as competing phenomena over a certain range of compositions. The effects of these defects and phase transformations on the opto-electronic properties of these materials are being studied.
Other research has involved the investigation of nondestructive measurement of sub-wavelength diffraction structures, including the area of what is called scatterometry, the use of subwavelength light signals to control and detect the movement of molecules, and the interaction of a wide spectrum of light signals within small cavities in conjunction with electrical signals.
Moreover, considerable advances have been made in automating previously time consuming and delicate operations of dealing with fiber optic connections. An automated fiber prep process was developed that can be used to prepare fibers for many tasks such as pigtailing, connector assembly, and splicing. Such automation advances minimize labor content, improve yields, minimize safety hazards, and reduce costs.
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