Archives

 

Dr. S. L. Chuang

University of Illinois

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

"A Tutorial on Strained Quantum-Well and Quantum-Dot Lasers: What do those experiments really mean?"

Thursday, October 21st, 2004, 6.30 PM
(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with speakers)

 

" Semiconductor Lasers: from Homojunctions to Quantum Dots "

Prof. Peter G. Eliseev

 

Center for High Technology Materials,

University of New Mexico

 

1313 Goddard SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106

eliseev@chtm.unm.edu

  

Thursday, August 19th, 2004 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building SU

 

 The presentation is devoted to the memory of outstanding Russian scientist, one of founders of the Quantum Electronics, Prof. N. G. Basov.

 

 

Abstract

A review is given on development of semiconductor lasers beginning from ideas and realization of first laser diodes to quantum-well and quantum-dot lasers. The progress in room-temperature threshold current density (improvement by 4-5 decades) is discussed. Role of electron and optical confinement is commented. A contemporary approach to the evolution of semiconductor laser devices is presented. Recent results on ultra-low current density laser structures on the base of quantum dots and quantum dashes are discussed. The energy spectra of QD ensembles are presented and analyzed from the point of view of influence of the confinement potential shape on the spectral peak positions. Data are given on anisotropy of quantum-dash structures, on gain cross-section and gain saturation in InAs/InGaAs quantum-dot lasers, on migration of carriers in structures with QDs. High overall efficiency of laser diodes (up to ~70%) is also discussed.

 

  

Biography


Peter G. Eliseev was graduated from Moscow State University (Russia) in 1959. Since 1963 he is a scientific coworker at P. N. Lebedev Physics Institute (Moscow, Russia), last time as a Principal Researcher. Since 1995, he is Research Professor at the Center for High Technology Materials, University of New Mexico. He is engaged in semiconductor laser technology and physics since 1962, developed several types of lasers starting from homojunction structures, then continued development of a number of heterostructures (introducing for the first time InGaAsP/InP and InGaAsSb/GaSb laser diodes), and then developing quantum-size heterostructure including ultra-low threshold quantum dot laser. He demonstrated and interpreted several phenomena in semiconductor lasers: voltage saturation, coherent collapse, asymmetrical nonlinear interaction of spectral modes, bistability in the external cavity, “optoelectronic signal”, frequency chirping, etc. He had awarded with the State Prize in Science and Technology of the USSR in 1984 and with the N. Holonyak OSA Award in 2004. Senior member of IEEE, member of OSA and Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.

 

" High-Power, Surface-emitting DFB

Lasers with Shaped Gratings"

Dr. Steven Macomber

Tucson, Arizona

 

Thursday, June 3rd, 2004 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Room, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building SU

 

 

Abstract

The simultaneous realization of both power and beam quality has long been a goal of high-power semiconductor laser research and development. Surface-emitting DFB (SE-DFB) lasers have precisely-shaped holographic gratings that are formed by imaging one of the two interfering beams through a binary-optic phase plate. In particular, they can be shaped to create a distributed unstable resonator. These devices have, in the past, been demonstrated to produce near diffraction-limited beam quality but tend to become aberrated at high power. A recent study of design parameters of SE-DFB lasers has revealed certain trends that significantly reduce the tendency to filament. A specific design that corrects for thermally-induced aberrations will be discussed.

 

 

Biography

Steven Macomber is currently an independent consultant in the field of high-power semiconductor lasers. He was formerly the manager of the Semiconductor Laser Research and Development Group at Spectra Physics in Tuscson, Arizona. Prior to that, he was a Senior Scientist at Hughes Danbury Optical Systems in Danbury, Connecticut where he worked on the development of spectrometric sensors and high-power semiconductor lasers and arrays. Steven holds a Ph.D. degree in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, New York).

 

 

 

" Perspectives on Future Interconnect Technologies "

Dr. Elisabeth Marley-Koontz

Texas Instruments, Inc.

Dallas, Texas  75243

 

Thursday, May 27th, 2004 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Room, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building SU

 

 

Abstract


Innovative product concepts for additional network peripherals, creative and new differentiated services, and more bandwidth-demanding applications under development will influence the need for increased bandwidth within the communication network infrastructure. The increase in peripherals, applications, and services will thus have a significant impact on the future highspeed interconnect requirements and architectures within a range of network infrastructure equipment. Furthermore, the addition of distributed services, such as storage applications, will likewise affect the selection of future interconnect technologies.

 

Binary electrical, multi-level electrical, single wavelength optical, and multi-wavelength optical solutions are examples of the technologies under investigation for the highspeed interconnections of the future. Although the optimum solution is not yet identified, in order to better down select, a number of topics are in need of further investigation; packaging, backward compatibility, and power and thermal management, to name a few. From TI’s perspective as an electronic component supplier, the discussion will touch upon the bandwidth driving applications as well as a few of the areas in need of additional investigation for realization of highspeed interconnect solutions.

 

 

Biography


Dr. Elisabeth Marley-Koontz is currently a research and development process engineer in the Silicon Technology Development (SiTD) organization of Texas Instruments Inc., in Dallas, Texas. Her focus is strained Si-based materials growth and analysis for development of the 65nm process node. From 2001-2003 she jointly held the positions of Photonics Strategy Manager in SiTD and R&D Manager in the Fiber Optics and Backplane Business Unit. She was responsible for setting the strategic direction for TI with regard to photonic technology, and managing the cross-departmental effort to assess future optical input/output product and technology needs for TI’s high performance integrated circuits. She also led multiple university research interactions and strategic customer relationships for joint exploration of the future optical technology. From 2000-2001 Elisabeth was with the TI Digital Light Processing Products organization, where she developed micro-optical-electromechanical systems (MOEMS) solutions for the optical networking market.

 

Elisabeth is a technical consultant to the TI Ventures organization and also a sits on the TI Ventures Strategy Team. Elisabeth is a frequent participant in programs to increase middle school and high school students’ interest in engineering and science. She is also a founder of the Women of TI Fund.

 

Elisabeth serves on conference program committees for the IEEE, and research proposal review committees for the State of Texas and the Semiconductor Research Corporation. She is a member of IEEE, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Sigma Xi.  She has over 20 published papers and articles. Elisabeth also sits on the Southern Methodist University Electrical Engineering Department Advisory Board.

 

Elisabeth received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University in 1994, her S.M. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 1996, and her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 2000.

 

 

" Photonic Integrated Circuits "

Professor James J. Coleman

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

University of Illinoise, Urbana, IL 61081

 

 

Thursday, May 6th, 2004 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Room, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building SU

 

 

Abstract

The level of integration in silicon integrated circuits is such that microprocessors are approaching the 100 million transistor level. In contrast, photonic integrated circuits are only comprised of a handful of devices. In this talk, we describe why photonic integration is so much more challenging and present some examples of technologies that will lead to a true photonic IC chip.

  

Biography

James J. Coleman holds the Intel Alumni Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois. Professor Coleman received all of his degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, and returned there as a member of the faculty after working at Bell Laboratories and Rockwell International. He and his students are presently involved in developing high performance narrow linewidth DBR lasers, integrable lasers and other photonic devices by selective-area epitaxy, and the growth processes for quantum dot and quantum wire lasers. Professor Coleman has published more than 350 papers in technical journals and 9 book chapters. He has 5 patents and has given more than 70 invited presentations. Professor Coleman won the IEEE LEOS William Streifer Scientific Achievement Award in 2000 and was an IEEE LEOS Distinguished Lecturer in 1997-98 and 1998-99. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, the Optical Society of America, the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

 

 

 

" Waterfalls and Other Curious Lasers "

Professor Lee W. Casperson

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Physics Department

Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

 

Thursday, April 1st, 2004 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Room, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building SU

 

 

Abstract


Lasers come in many sizes and shapes and operate according to a variety of physical principles. Many lasers even occur in nature. Several unusual lasers and laser-like systems will be demonstrated or illustrated with video recordings.

  

Biography

Lee W. Casperson is a native of Portland, Oregon. He received his B.S. degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering and physics from the California Institute of Technology. He served several years as a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of California at Los Angeles, and he is currently a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and in the Department of Physics at Portland State University.

 

Dr. Casperson is an author of more than 200 research publications. He is a fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the American Physical Society (APS). He was awarded the Centennial Medal of the IEEE and the Branford Price Millar Award for Faculty Excellence of Portland State University. He is currently serving as a Distinguished Traveling Lecturer for the APS Division of Laser Science.

 

 

 

 

" Exploiting the Advantages of Free-space Optical

Interconnections in Multiprocessor Systems"

Dr. Marc Christensen

Southern Methodist University

Thursday, December 4th, 2003 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)



PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Room, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building 9

 

 

Abstract


Free-space optical interconnects (FSOI), based on compact, high throughput (~Tbit/s/cm2) “smart pixel” technology, promise to overcome the interconnection limits of planar technologies for multiprocessor problems.  Significant applications are found in switching and multi-processor computing.  In this talk the interconnection advantages of FSOI for overcoming multiprocessor interconnection bottlenecks are analyzed and experiments that validate new FSOI architectures are described.  The advantages of FSOI are formulated in terms of topological transformations and geometric scaling rules that derive from the differing physical constraints of 3-D and planar interconnections.  By casting a multiprocessor interconnection problem as a combination of topological transformations, it is shown that any multistage interconnection network can be mapped onto a common FSOI module.  The topological advantages of FSOI are shown to provide large interconnection resource reductions over equivalent planar interconnection schemes.  FSOI are further shown to provide significant performance advantages in volume, signal latency, and interconnection power requirements for problems with Bisection Bandwidths (BBs) in the > 1Tbit/s regime.  The benefits of FSOI are greatest for applications in which globally interconnected networks are required to implement links across many smart pixel integrated circuit chips.  In such a globally interconnected module, the optical aberration of distortion is most problematic.  A novel method for canceling distortion in FSOI systems is presented along with experimental validation.  The status of the FAST-Net (Free-space Accelerator for Switching Terabit Networks) prototype demonstration effort, which has the goal of demonstrating an FSOI-based multiprocessor high-BB interconnection fabric, will also be discussed.  The FAST-Net concept uses dense arrays of high-speed Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) and Photodetectors as the I/O for a globally interconnected multi-chip module.  Results of the integration and packaging of the VCSEL-based smart pixel arrays in the FAST-Net project and related efforts will be presented.

 


Biography

Marc P. Christensen received the B.S. in Engineering Physics from Cornell University in 1993, the M.S. in Electrical Engineering from George Mason University in 1998, and the Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from George Mason University in 2001. 
From 1991-1998 he was a staff member and technical leader in BDM’s Sensors and Photonics group.  His work ranged from developing optical processing and interconnection architectures, to infrared sensor modeling and analysis.  In 1997, he co-founded Applied Photonics. His primary responsibilities included hardware demonstration for the DARPA MTO FAST-Net, VIVACE, ACTIVE-EYES programs.  All of which incorporated precision optics and micro-optoelectronic arrays into large system level demonstrations.  In 2002 he joined Southern Methodist University where he is currently an assistant professor in the electrical engineering department.  He has co-authored 12 journal papers and over 30 conference papers. In 2002, he was the Workshop Chair for the Workshop on High Speed Interconnections within Digital Systems (an IEEE ComSoc conference).  Dr. Christensen has two patents in the field of free space optical interconnections.  He is member of the Optical Society of America and the IEEE Communications and Lasers and Electro-optics Societies.

 

 

 

" Quantum Well and Quantum Dot Intermixing for

Optoelectronic Device Integration "


Professor Chennupati Jagadish

Department of Electronic Materials Engineering

Australian National University

 

 

Thursday, October 30th, 2003 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Room, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building 9

 

 

Abstract


Integration of optoelectronic devices is of current interest due to its application in communication systems for the fabrication of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) sources and photonic integrated circuits (PICs).  Quantum well intermixing is an enabling technology for the integration of optoelectronic devices.  In this talk, I will review various quantum well intermixing techniques and their suitability for various applications.  Main techniques covered are impurity free disordering and implantation induced disordering.  Results on multi-wavelength lasers and quantum well infrared photodetectors based on GaAs/AlGaAs/InGaAs material system will be presented.  Potential of these technique for the integration of devices based in InP/InGaAs materials system and InGaAs quantum dots will be discussed.


Biography

Professor Chennupati Jagadish is Head of the Semiconductor Optoelectronics and Nanotechnology Group in the Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering at the Australian National University. Professor Jagadish is a winner of 2000 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc (USA) (IEEE) Millennium Medal and also a Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS) as well as Distinguished Lecturer of LEOS. He has published more than 380 research papers (250 journal papers), co-authored a book and edited four conference proceedings. Prof. Jagadish is currently Chair of the IEEE Optoelectronic Devices Technical Committee of EDS and the Nano-Optoelectronics and Nano-Photonics Technical Committee of IEEE Nanotechnology Council.  He is also an elected member of EDS AdCom, member of AdCom of IEEE Nanotechnology Council and a member of compound semiconductor devices and circuits technical committee and nanotechnology technical committee of EDS. He has been elected as Vice-President (Publications) of the IEEE Nanotechnology Council for 2004 and 2005.  Professor Jagadish is a Fellow of IEEE,  Australian Institute of Physics, the Institute of Physics (UK), the Institute of Nanotechnology (UK) and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Prof. Jagadish is also an Associate Editor of IEEE/OSA Journal of Lightwave Technology, Journal of NanoScience and NanoTechnology.

 

 

 

Exceptional Talk 2003/2004 Series ---  September 24th




" Imaging with Terahertz Waves"


Dr. Daniel Mittleman

ECE Department

Rice University

 

Wednesday, September 24th, 2003 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Room, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building 9

 

 

Abstract


Traditionally, the region of the spectrum between 100 gigahertz and 10 terahertz (corresponding to the wavelength range 30 microns – 3 mm) has been among the least explored, due in part to the difficulties associated with efficient generation and detection schemes. However, the recent development of a number of new experimental techniques has sparked a growing interest in the use of terahertz radiation for imaging, spectroscopy, and a variety of commercial applications. This talk presents an overview of this rapidly developing field, and a description of a few of the unique imaging capabilities of the “T-ray” imaging system. For example, by combining interferometry with the coherent detection capability of time-domain spectroscopy, it is possible to form time-of-flight images with a depth resolution well below the limit imposed by the coherence length of the radiation. The use of broadband radiation for imaging also requires a rethinking of such concepts as the Fresnel zone, which is typically defined only at a single frequency. Such considerations have a bearing on the lateral resolution in a tomographic image, and have implications in fields as diverse as biomedical imaging and geophysical prospecting. 

 


Biography

Dr. Mittleman received his B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988, and his Ph.D. in 1994 from the University of California Berkeley, both in physics. After two years as a post-doctoral researcher at Bell Laboratories, he joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Rice University in 1996.  His current research involves imaging and sensing with terahertz radiation, with a particular focus on the use of terahertz pulses to study light scattering and photon diffusion. In 2002-2004, Dr. Mittleman is a Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society.

 

 

" Optical Device Integration and Connectivity:

Techniques, Challenges and Opportunities"


John Carberry

 

CEO

Neptec Optical Solutions

 

 

Thursday, May 29th, 2003 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Room, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building 9

 

 

Abstract

Solid state devices such as lasers, detectors, amplifiers, modulators have made great progress in performance, economy and reliability. While many comparisons are drawn between the history of the computer industry,  PC Boards and the IC chips, the stunning differentiator continues to be the fact that we move in  copper not by moving electrons but in waves, while  in fiber  optics we function by actually moving the photon. While the PC board does integrate many functions efficiently, it also must be recognized that it brings together for discrete assembly many disparate objects and devices wherein the problems of the pig tail are not encountered. Thus, the problem of the so called “pig tail” raises the question of when and if fiber optics will find efficiencies and scales, such as Moore’s Law, in integrating fiber optic functions. In this presentation several aspects of device integration and connectivity will be explored with regard to the problem of connecting devices to fiber, exploring engineering and manufacturing perspectives.

 

 


Biography

Founding Neptec Optical Solutions and Neptec in late 1995, John has been active as a technical and marketing leader, focusing on developing polishing technologies with industry leading low random mating losses, coupler tree technology for high uniformity port to port output, optical switch technologies for robust discrete hardened low cost solutions, variable optical attenuator technology for similar applications, fiber management and interface products, as well as focusing on market, technical and industry trends.

 

Having been involved in fiber optics since the late 70s, John has contributed technical innovations through patents, technical papers, and products in the areas of silicate chemistry and precursors (John is the founder and technical initiator and major shareholder of Silbond, perhaps the world’s largest provider of high quality purity ethyl silicate, a precursor source of silica for specialty glass, PWGs, passivation, aerospace castings, etc) zirconia and alumina ferrules, high frequency sources and tuning products for communication and electronic countermeasure applications such as RF transistors, TWOs, BWOs, microwave and RF communications devices, as well as coupler, TEC, termination, optical switch and attenuators in the fiber optic business.

 

One of John’s techniques for characterizing the markets is “choke point analysis” of key elements such as ferrules, fiber precursors, node, hub and head end demographics, as well as balance sheet, funds flow and cash flow analysis of market funnel players. These techniques have been proven to be good predictors of the balance for supply and demand, for instance, providing the basis for John to predict in 1999 a fiber and ferrule shortage coming in 2000.

 

Papers on zirconia, ferrules, Deming and Quality, polishing, aerospace castings, multiple patent holder in technical ceramics, optical switching, optical fiber shaping, core shaping, optical fiber management, orthodontics, RF electron sources, silica and silicon processing.

 

Has sat on multiple boards, in Japan, Switzerland, England, France, Belgium, and the US.

 

Previously CEO of Ceradyne (bringing it public in 1984), as well as Ceramatec, Minco, and Silbond.  While at Kyocera and before was active in development of ferrules from late 70s onward.  While at Silbond and onward actively involved in ethyl silicate developments in glass. Was active in late 80s in transition from alumina to zirconia ferrules.

 

Main interests today revolve around studying the evolution of telecommunications technologies and markets, especially with regard to CATV and Metro networks evolution and business development.

 

 

Exceptional Talk 2002/2003 Series ---  May 14th ,2003

 


" Femto and Pico-Second Optical Pulses from Laser Diodes"


Dr. Nikolai Stelmakh

University of Texas at
Arlington

 

Wednesday, May 14th, 2003 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Room, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building 9

 

 

Abstract

New demands on the stability of laser pulses, on the compactness and effectiveness of the optical pulsed sources, crucial to the multiple electro-optical applications and space telecommunications, bring a new interest to all-diode optical pulse sources based on single or array laser diodes.

The main basic concepts and particularities of physical process in semiconductor laser that govern the different regimes of short pulse generation will be present as an introduction into the chirped mode-locked regime demonstrated for the first time in 1992. Special attention will be devoted to presentation of an unique semiconductor material obtained by heavy ion irradiation as a femtosecond saturable absorber. A huge capacity of carrier recombination of such material give a possibility to create an all optical gate with potential modulation frequencies over 1THz.

These materials introduced in the cavity of semiconductor laser bring many surprising results: phase-amplitude coupling factor over 20, Q-switch with pulse duration less than round-trip of cavity, pulse repetition frequency higher than 500GHz, a typical pulse-width in mode-locking regime around of 1 picosecond. Nevertheless, the wide amplification spectra of laser diode (higher than 20nm) suggest the generation of pulses as short as 50 fs. During more then ten years, a large variety of ideas and cavity configurations were investigated to obtain this full spectra mode-locking. In 1992, crucial experiments were performed and 250 fs 25 W pulses were obtained directly from semiconductor laser. The conceptual development of Master equation for mode-locked laser diodes, key experiments leading to this results, recent achievements on array and matrix laser diode structures and today's perspectives will be discussed during the seminar.

 


Biography

Dr. Nikolai Stelmakh started his technical and scientific career early being a student of Ioffe Physico-Thechnical Institute of St-Petersburg. His first work was devoted to the investigation of the inertial property of ions in superionic crystals. The results of his work were largely used later in military applications as instantaneous batteries and high acceleration sensors. In 1985, he joined Alferov's laboratory and co-developed together with E.L Portnoi a significant improvement of an irradiation technique to reduce the recombination time in semiconductors. In 1990, he joined Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) as a research scientist. During 1990 to 1996 he produced a number of significant works in the domain of pulsed diode lasers. Among the others, the injection seeding technique of Q-switched laser diodes (1990), demonstration of optical 160fs 100W pulses from a mode-locked diode laser(1992), and demonstration of ~ 1-microjoule optical pulses from laser diode array(1996). In 1998, he produced a series of works demonstrating the high recombination capacity of semiconductor material irradiated by super-heavy ions. Up to 2000, he was a co-leader of RNRT project ASTRE united CNRS, Alcatel and CNET to develop an all optical non-linear filter for noise reduction in telecommunication lines on the basis of these irradiated materials.

 

In 2000 Dr. Stelmakh was invited in US by the pioneer of heterostructure lasers and silicon optical bench technology (modern name PLC) Dr. Rudolf Kazarinov to found Applied WDM, Inc. His technical and organizational contributions bring him to a position of COO/VP technology of Applied WDM.

Today he is a Visiting Associate Professor at University of Texas Arlington working on the development of the next generation of AWG multiplexers and other PLC devices enabling a hybrid package of pulsed laser diodes and planar waveguide technology. His current research interest includes non-linear organic materials and microwave optics.

 

He is an author of more then 100 publications and 5 patents. He is recipient of 2000 Blondel's medal of European society of Electrical engineers. He is a senior member of IEEE.

 


" The Collapse of the Semiconductor Laser Marketplace: Fact or Fiction?"

Dr. Jim Tatum

VCSEL Optical Product Division

Honeywell

 

Thursday, April 17th, 2003 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

NEW PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Room, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building 9

 

 

 

Abstract

Have you ever wondered why the laser marketplace experienced the “nuclear winter” of 2002? Was it the economy? Was it the threat of terrorism? Was it overzealous investors or mad research scientist? Or was it just bad business? Will the industry recover, and when? How has the semiconductor laser industry reacted to the hangover from the telecom exuberance? Is there life after telecom? These are some of uncertainties plaguing the semiconductor laser industry today. While there may never be complete solutions to these questions, this talk will offer some opinions, scope the state of the semiconductor laser industry today, apply economic principles to describe the telecom bubble, and forecast the future of the communications industry. Even during the meltdown of the telecommunications segment, other segments of the semiconductor laser market were experiencing double digit growth. For example, the widespread popularity of DVD players has pushed production of these laser systems into overdrive. The analysis presented begins with consumer driven demand that can be translated into market driving forces, which are further reduced to demand in the laser components industry.
 



Biography

Dr. Jim Tatum is the Strategic Marketing Manager for Honeywell’s VCSEL optical products division, where he is responsible for both the VCSEL and Detector product lines. Prior to this position, Dr. Tatum was the VCSEL Technology Manger at Honeywell, and was responsible for the design and manufacturing of VCSELs and detectors. Dr. Tatum is active in optical data communications standards, and is recognized worldwide as an expert in the VCSEL and data communications industry. He has authored over 50 technical papers and application notes, and has delivered numerous conference and industry panel presentations. Dr. Tatum received the Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1995.




"Low Noise Avalanche Photodiode"

Dr. John David


Department of Electronic Engineering
University of
Sheffield

Sheffield, S13JD UK

 

Monday, Mar 24th, 2003 6.30pm

(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

NEW PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Galaxy Room, Student Union

Click here for campus map, building 9

 

 

Abstract

Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are used in many applications when conventional unity gain photodiodes cannot provide enough sensitivity and the extra amplification provided by the impact ionization process gives it an advantage. Unfortunately this amplification or gain of the incoming optical signal is always accompanied by some ‘excess noise’ due to the stochastic nature of the ionization process and this sets a limit to the maximum useful gain. Early work by McIntyre showed that the excess noise depended on the ratio of hole ionization coefficient (b) to electron ionization coefficient (a).  a and b are semiconductor material dependent and unfortunately most III-V materials have a»b, giving rise to relatively high excess noise.  Since the ionization coefficients depend on the details of the band structure it is extremely difficult to modify, even using band-gap engineering techniques such as superlattices or MQWs.


In recent years, work done at the University of Sheffield and the University of Texas (Austin) has shown that low excess noise can be obtained in homojunction structures simply by utilising thin avalanching regions. Experimental results show that contrary to conventional theory, the excess noise actually decreases as the avalanching width reduces. This behaviour has now been observed in virtually all semiconductor materials including GaAs, AlGaAs, InP, AlInAs and even silicon. The reason for this anomalous behaviour in thin devices is due to the ‘dead space’ (d), defined as the minimum distance a carrier has to travel before it is in equilibrium with the electric field. Conventional models of the ionization process ignore d. This assumption is generally valid in devices with thick avalanching widths in which the dead space distance, d, is relatively small compared to the avalanching width, w. In thin avalanching width structures, d becomes a significant fraction of w and the ionizing process becomes more deterministic, reducing the stochastic variations that give rise to the excess noise.


This talk will review these results and show that in addition to reducing the excess noise, thin avalanching widths offer APDs with other advantages such as lower operating voltages, better temperature stability and predicted enhanced speed of operation.



Biography

Dr. John David obtained his B.Eng and Ph.D. in Electronic Engineering from the University of Sheffield. After working on the ionization coefficients in AlGaAs, he joined the Central Facility for III-V Semiconductors in Sheffield in 1985 where he was responsible the characterisation activity. In 2001 he joined Marconi Optical Components (now Bookham Technologies) before returning to a faculty position in Sheffield in September 2002. He has published in excess of 130 journal papers and has 120 conference presentations, largely in the areas of III-V characterisation, impact ionization and avalanche photodiodes.




 

Quantum Cascade Laser

Claire Gmachl

 

Click here to start

 

Table of Contents

Quantum design of QC-laser

QC-laser crystal grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE)

Key characteristics of QC-lasers

Milestones

Applications

Wide wavelength-range of QC lasers

High power, room temperature QC lasers operating in pulsed mode

High power, liquid nitrogen cooled QC lasers operating in continuous mode

Distributed feedback QC laser - schematic

High spectral single-mode purity and tunability

Wide single-mode wavelength coverage

High sensitivity detection of low-pressure Nitrous Oxide (NO) by light absorption spectroscopy

High sensitivity detection of low-pressure ammonia by light absorption spectroscopy

Room temperature detection of diluted N2O.by wavelength modulation spectroscopy

High sensitivity detection of diluted ammonia and H2O by photo-acoustic spectroscopy

Superlattice QC lasers

Multiple-wavelength superlattice QC lasers

Photon-assisted tunneling QC lasers

Original concept and theoretical prediction

Authors:
Federico Capasso
Claire Gmachl

Email:
fc@bell-labs.com
cg@bell-labs.com

Download pdf file

 

 

"Intimate integration of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with VLSI circuits"

Dr. Ashok Krishnamoorthy

Aralight, Inc.
Monroe Township, NJ 08831

Tuesday,Sept 17th, 2002 6.30 pm
(at 6:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

NEW PLACE: University of Texas at Dallas, Engineering Building, ECN 2.704

Click here for campus map, building 14




Abstract

Individual and Parallel optical interconnects based on vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are being widely deployed today in switching and routing systems, local area networks, and central offices,and are being designed into future campus and metro applications. One advantage of the VCSEL device that has yet to be fully capitalized upon is its ability, with certain modifications, to be directly connected to electrical circuits at the chip and wafer levels. If properly exercised, this can enable a new dimension of integration of photonics-to-electronics, ushering in a fundamentally lower-cost optoelectronics manufacturing platform and enabling new and perhaps even more pervasive applications of photonics.

There now exist manufacturable technologies that can provide chips with 2-D arrays of VCSELS on VLSI circuits. One such photonics-on-VLSI (or Opto-Electronic-VLSI) technology is based on the hybrid flip-chip area-bonding of VCSELs and p-i-n photodetectors and directly to the surface of active silicon VLSI circuits. Other key components that have also attracted a good deal of attention are 2-D array electrical and optical packaging techniques and connectors to support these optoelectronic chips and provide the physical means of transporting and distributing the data "fire-hoses" to and from the OE-VLSI chips.

In this presentation, we will describe the status, process, packaging, and performance of OE-VLSI circuits and progress made towards commercializing this technology for high-density optical transceivers and switching products.


Biography

Dr. Ashok V. Krishnamoorthy was born in Madras (now Chennai), India. He came to the United States in 1982 and received the BS in Engineering (with Honors) from the California Institute of Technology, the MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, and the Ph.D. in Applied Physics from the University of California, San Diego. He then worked as part of the research faculty in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at UCSD. In early 1994, he joined the Advanced Photonics Research Department at Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, New Jersey to work on the integration of photonic devices to Silicon circuits. In 1999, he joined the Lucent New Ventures organization as a program manager with the aim of commercializing Optoelectronic-VLSI technology. As of September 2000, he joined AraLight as a founder, its President and Chief Technology Officer.

Dr. Krishnamoorthy has served as member and chair of numerous conference program committees for the IEEE Laser and Electro-Optics Society (LEOS),IEEE Computer Society, and the Optical Society of America, and was the general chair for the 1998 IEEE LEOS Workshop on High Speed Interconnections within Digital Systems. Dr. Krishnamoorthy has been granted 22 US Patents with 15 additional pending, as well as several foreign patents. He was named an Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer for 1999 by the Eta Kappa Nu engineering society.

 

Jose Jimenez

"Beam Propagation Method in Integrated Optics"

Thursday, May 23, 2002, 7.30 PM
(at 7:00 p.m. refreshments with speaker)

Southern Methodist University at Richardson
1500 International Parkway, Richardson, TX 75081
Room 2.02

Click here for Directions to SMU RICHARDSON


Abstract

This talk is a short course on Beam Propagation Method, a commmonly used algorithm to study the propagation characteristics of waveguides in integrated optics. In this talk we will review:

The origin and formulation of BPM
Problems that can be solved and problem that can not be solved
Discretization Schemes adn Boundary Conditions
Alternative Algorithms



Biography

Jose Jimenez has worked in both integrated optics and semiconductor devices for the last 10 years in laboratories such as Telefonica R&D in his native country Spain, T.J. Watson IBM Research Laboratory and Beckman Institute in Urbana, IL. The last two years he was design manager at Nanovation Technologies, a photonics startup in Chicago, working on the design of InP and Silica integrated optics devices. Presently, he is leading a small Photonics Group (5 people) at TriQuint Semiconductor in Dallas.

 

 

Dr. Reddy N. Urimindi

"Are There Killer Applications Driving High Capacity Optical Networks?"

Thursday, March 14, 2002, 7.30 PM
(at 7:00 p.m. refreshments with speaker)

Southern Methodist University at Richardson
1500 International Parkway, Richardson, TX 75081
Meeting room 202

Click here for Directions to SMU RICHARDSON


Abstract

Internet traffic is surging and so is business data in the backbone networks. Private lines are being replaced by low cost virtual private networks (VPNs). Traffic mix is shifting from legacy voice to IP data. Network operators are experiencing the negative impact of the commoditization of bandwidth in their financial statements. Gigabit Ethernet for business and broadband service for residential users is gaining momentum. What are the "killer" applications that would generate the much needed revenue for the network operators? Video delivery, digital photography, distance education and telemedicine are some of the examples. This talk will provide an overview of current service delivery and the major applications driving the demand for optical networks.




Biography

Reddy N. Urimindi is a Principal Network Consultant in the Product Management/Market at Celion Networks responsible for the engineering and technical marketing aspects of the product. Dr. Urimindi has more than thirteen years of professional experience in the areas of Telecommunication Research, Network Design, Technology Planning, Network Deployment, Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining Celion, he was the Vice President of Technical Marketing for IP Communications, the largest independent broadband service provider in the South West and is based in Dallas. Dr. Urimindi was the founding employee of IP communications with key responsibilities in the areas of Network Architecture and Technical Marketing.

Prior to IP Communications, he held various senior level technical and management positions at Lucent Technologies and Worldcom (formerly of MCI). While at Lucent, he designed several service provider networks in the Central Region working with the data network sales team. Dr. Urimindi was the key architect of Worldcom's core optical network from the concept to deployment. Dr. Urimindi currently holds three United States patents in the area of optical network architecture and restoration. He is a frequent writer in the industry magazines and a speaker at the major industry conferences. He obtained his BS, MS and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and MBA in Corporate Finance.



Dr. Christopher J. Myatt

"Laser cooling and trapping along the road to Bose-Einstein Condensation."

Thursday, November 8, 2001, 5.30 PM
(at 5:00 p.m. refreshments with speaker)

Southern Methodist University

Caruth Hall - School of Engineering and Applied Science
3145 Dyer St,Dallas, TX 75205
second floor, room 229
Parking is available at Airline Parking Garage or Moody Parking Garage

Click here for Directions to SMU


Abstract

Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC), the observation of which was recently recognized with the award of the 2001 Nobel Prize, is a low temperature quantum phenomenon that took nearly 75 years to achieve after the prediction of Einstein. A series of technological advances in trapping and cooling of dilute gases were made during the 1980s and 1990s that allowed the direct observation of BEC. BEC was initially realized through a multi-step process where a sample of atoms are cooled and trapped in a magneto-optical trap, then transferred to a purely magnetic trap, and finally evaporatively cooled to the BEC transition. This talk will review the physics and technology behind these cooling processes, with a particular emphasis on the laser cooling and trapping aspects.


Biography

Dr. Christopher J. Myatt, CEO and Director of Technology, Precision Photonics Corporation. Dr. Myatt has been pushing forefront of precision laser technology for the past twelve years. In founding Precision Photonics, Dr. Myatt saw an ongoing need for commercial equipment for precise measurement and control of laser spectral properties. In its first year of business, Precision Photonics has secured backing of an investment incubator in California, introduced products on the market, and built a strong R&D and manufacturing team. Dr. Myatt's research accomplishments include pioneering a number of techniques using diode lasers for spectroscopy, discovery of novel effects in a new state of matter (Bose-Einstein condensation), and creation & study of a prototype quantum computation device. Dr. Myatt has authored or co-authored over 30 publications on these studies. Dr. Myatt holds BS and BA degrees from Southern Methodist University, a Ph.D. in atomic physics from the University of Colorado, and was a NRC Post-Doctoral Fellow with NIST.





Dr. Bob Biard

"Inventing the LED"

Thursday, October 25, 2001, 7.30 PM
(at 7:00 p.m. refreshments with speakers)

Texas Instruments/Raytheon
North Building Mini-Auditorium, Dallas

Abstract


Biography

Dr. J. R. (Bob) Biard became Chief Scientist of the Honeywell MICRO SWITCH Division in 1987. He retired 12/31/99 and was hired back by Honeywell as a consultant. In this job assignment Dr. Biard is responsible for developing long range technology, product road maps, and interfacing between MICRO SWITCH Division, the Honeywell Corporate R&D Labs, and universities. He started the MICRO SWITCH Sensor Design Center in Richardson, Texas and his product development responsibilities include optoelectronic components (light emitting diodes and photo detectors), fiber optic components and transmitter & receiver modules, and silicon Hall effect and pressure sensors. He is also on the staff of Texas A&M University as an Adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering. He has served in this capacity since 1980. From 1978 to 1987 Dr. Biard was Chief Scientist of the Honeywell Optoelectronics Division and was a member of the Components Group Sensor Planning Team. He was also the Components Group representative on the Honeywell Technology Board (HTB). The HTB was concerned with the development and transfer of technology throughout the Honeywell corporate structure. Dr. Biard joined Spectronics, Inc. as Vice President of Research in 1969 when the company was founded. Spectronics, Inc. was acquired by Honeywell in 1978. Previously he worked for Texas Instruments, Inc., from 1957 to 1969. While at TI he participated in the development of transistor circuits, microwave and optoelectronic components, avalanche photodiodes, silicon MOS technology, and compound semiconductor materials technology. In 1991 Dr. Biard was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering. In 1989 he received the Honeywell Lund Award. In 1986 he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M University. In 1985, He was a recipient of the Patrick E. Haggerty Innovation Award for his contribution to the design and development of Schottky Logic. In January 1968, Dr. Biard was elected a Fellow of the IEEE with a citation "For outstanding contributions in the field of optoelectronics."

In the course of his technical career, Dr. Biard has published more than two dozen technical papers and made about the same number of unpublished presentations at major technical conferences. He also developed a one week seminar on Fiber Optic Data Transmission that he presented on five occasions in various parts of the U.S..

Dr. Biard holds 34 U.S. and 17 foreign patents. Five of his more significant patents are listed below. These patents include one of the first transistor DC differential amplifiers, the GaAs light emitting diode, the optical isolator, Schottky clamped logic circuits, and the MOS read only memory.

 


Dr Marko Labudovic

"Laser Diode Packaging Technology: 980 nm EDFA Pump Lasers for Telecommunication Applications "


Research and Development Team
Corning Lasetron
Bedford, MA, USA

Thursday June 28, 2001 7.30 pm
(at 7:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

NEW PLACE: TI Spring Creek, Bldg 2 (Chase Oaks just west of Hwy 75 between Legacy and Spring Creek), DLP Demonstration Theater (lobby area)

Directions: The main entrance (Bldg. 2 lobby) is located behind the 3 flag poles.

Physical address is 6550 Chase Oaks Blvd.




Abstract


Corning Lasertron, a part of The Photonic Technologies Division of Corning Incorporated, is a premier designer and manufacturer of optoelectronic components for telecommunication applications, recognized as one of the premier suppliers of 980 pump lasers. Corning's strong technology base allows for a variety of R&D activities at Corning Lasertron, including the design and development of the advanced optoelectronic packaging applications. The significance and the most important aspects of packaging of laser diodes will be addressed and the package assembly of 980 nm EDFA pump lasers will be presented with particular emphasis on fiber pigtail process. Since the fiber used for this purpose is a single mode fiber, the alignment tolerances required for optimum light coupling between rectangular shaped laser waveguide and the round optical fiber core are very tight, typically in the submicron regime. Once the fiber is aligned to the laser waveguide with optimum coupling efficiency, it is necessary to fix it in place in a secure fashion. The method of choice for doing this is laser welding, due to its inherit attributes of strength, cleanliness and long-term reliability. In fiber pigtail process, laser welding is used to "lock" fiber-pigtails into precise alignment with laser diode chips. Precise alignment is crucial to the success of laser diodes for telecommunication applications.


Biography

Marko Labudovic received his B.S. in Materials Science from University of Montenegro in 1993 and was awarded University award as the best student with the highest GPA since the establishment of the Department. He has received M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science from University of Montenegro in 1995 and 1998, and his second Ph.D., this time in Mechanical Engineering, from the Southern Methodist University in 2001. Dr. Labudovic joined the faculty at University of Montenegro in 1995, where he thought courses in materials and metallurgy and continued research in materials engineering. As the recipient of the British Scholarship Trust Fellowship, during 1996/97 Dr. Labudovic was the visiting scientist at the Department of Materials Engineering, Brunel University, United Kingdom. His Ph.D. studies at Southern Methodist University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, were supported by GAAN and Texas Higher Education Board. He was awarded Frederic E. Therman Award as the best graduate student at the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Labudovic has 30 publications, 15 of which are journal papers. Dr. Labudovic is a reviewer for ASME Transactions and a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Society of Materials (ASM), American Society of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) and IEEE Communications Society, as well as New York Academy of Science. In 2000, Dr. Labudovic has joined the Research and Development team at Corning Lasetron, Bedford, MA where he concentrates mainly on investigation and development of advanced optoelectronic packaging applications. His area of expertise includes thermo-mechanical modeling and design of laser diode packages, physics and kinetics of laser welding, material properties.


G. Ronald Hadley

"Numerical Modeling Directions at Sandia National Labs "


Advanced Compound Semiconductor Technologies Dept
Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Thursday May 17, 2001 7.30 pm
(at 7:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

NEW PLACE: TI Spring Creek, Bldg 2 (Chase Oaks just west of Hwy 75 between Legacy and Spring Creek), DLP Demonstration Theater (lobby area)

Directions: The main entrance (Bldg. 2 lobby) is located behind the 3 flag poles.

Physical address is 6550 Chase Oaks Blvd.



Abstract


Since about 1985 Sandia has been actively engaged in photonics research on a fairly broad spectrum. Although initially limited to edge-emitting semiconductor lasers, our domain of interest has since expanded to include vertical-cavity lasers, waveguides and switches, and most recently photonic crystals. The success of these research activities of course depends crucially on our modeling capability, due to the high cost of crystal growth and device fabrication. As a result we have developed a diverse suite of modeling tools that includes scalar and vector beam propagation, vertical cavity laser models, codes to model reflective structures (such as gratings and air facets), and models appropriate to photonic band gap structures. Such diversity is an important asset, since most structures of interest can be dealt with using combinations of these tools to handle different pieces of the overall device. In this talk I will attempt an overview of our modeling methods together with examples of real problems that they have helped us solve.



Biography



G. Ronald Hadley was born on Nov. 25, 1946 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He received his B. A. degree in physics from Wichita State University in 1968, and the Ph.D. (also in physics) from Iowa State University in 1972. Since graduation he has been employed at Sandia National Laboratories where he has pursued a wide variety of research interests. He has authored or co-authered over 60 publications, most involving computer simulations of diverse phenomena such as current flow in high-voltage vacuum diodes, two-phase flow of liquids through porous media, and the operation of solid-state and gas lasers. Since 1985 his research has centered in the area of photonics, and two-thirds of his publications have dealt with the numerical modeling of diode lasers or diffractive waveguide optics components. His most important recent contributions include new higher-order-accurate finite-difference algorithms for beam propagation, waveguide eigenmode computation, the modeling of reflective optical structures, and the simulation of vertical-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor lasers (VCSEL's). He is a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Sandia, a fellow of the Optical Society of America and a Senior Member of the IEEE.

 


Professor Vassilios Kovanis

"Domesticating Nonlinearity and Chaos:The case of diode lasers subject to feedback
University of New Mexico
Electrical Engineering Department
vik@eece.unm.edu
http://www.eece.unm.edu

postponed for April, 2001
Dallas, TX


Semiconductor lasers are critical components of a variety of modern photonic systems such as fiber and diode pumped solid state devices. However when they are subject to even small amounts of feedback from an external reflector, then radiation emitted from diode lasers exhibits a plethora of instabilities and irregular chaotic transitions. Recent experiments in semiconductor lasers subject to optical feedback as well experiments with pairs of mutually coupled diode lasers have renewed the interest to dissect theses experiments with simple delay rate equations. We will review two novel cases. Diodes pumped close to threshold with long cavities and biased well above threshold with ultrashort cavities. When diode lasers are biased near threshold and subject to moderate optical feedback, low frequency fluctuations appear in their radiofrequency spectrum that are evident as dropout events in the intensity time traces. Traditionally these events were observed to occur at sporadic time intervals. However, recent experimental measurements have shown that there are regions



Dr. Larry J. Hornbeck

"Digital Light Processing
TM Projection Displays:
What Are They and How Are They Changing the Way We See Things?"


Thursday, February 22, 2001, 7.30 PM
(at 7:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

NEW PLACE: TI Spring Creek, Bldg 2 (Chase Oaks just west of Hwy 75 between Legacy and Spring Creek), DLP Demonstration Theater (lobby area)

Directions: The main entrance (Bldg. 2 lobby) is located behind the 3 flag poles.

Physical address is 6550 Chase Oaks Blvd.

Dr. Olga Blum Spahn

"
Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers Operating at 1.3 and 1.55 mm"

Wednesday, January 24, 2001

Abstract
Vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) sources emitting at 850 nm have been widely and rapidly adopted into high speed data link applications. To enable much higher bandwidths and longer transmission lengths, there is strong interest in developing VCSELs emitting at 1.3 and 1.55 m m to take advantage of the low loss and low dispersion of silica fiber at this wavelength.
In this talk present state of the art for VCSELs operating at 1.3 and 1.55
m m will be discussed. Some differences and obstacles to realizing operation at these wavelengths as opposed to devices operating at 850 or 980 nm will be highlighted. Finally, results of Sandia¹s work on InGaAsN based VCSELs operating near 1.3 mm will be presented.

Biography
Olga Blum Spahn received her B.S. degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana in 1987, and her M. S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley in 1990 and 1992, all in electrical engineering.
In 1993 she joined Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. Her research topics included microlens fabrication and integration with VCSELs and oxidation of AlAsSb and AlGaAs. She is currently working on 1.3 - 1.55 µm VCSELs, integration of VCSELs with microsystems (particularly MEMS and LIGA) and MEMS post-processing.
Dr. Blum has over 65 publication and conference presentations, including several invited talks and book chapters. She has served as a chair of the New Focus Award Committee (award administered by OSA). She was awarded Newport Corporation fellowship and UC Berkeley research mentorship while she was at UC Berkeley. She is a member of the Optical Society of America.



Dr. Jens Buus

"
Semiconductor lasers for WDM systems"

Wednesday, September 20, 2000 at 7.30 p.m.
(at 7:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

Texas Instruments/Raytheon North Building Mini-Auditorium


Abstract

This lecture is designed to bring attendees up to date on the state of the art of optical sources for WDM systems, dealing with devices beyond the fixed wavelength DFB lasers currently in use, such as tunable lasers. The characteristics of these lasers will be discussed. Tuning mechanisms and tuning properties will be described, and the operation of modified structures with extended tuning range will be explained, including sampled gratings and super structure gratings. The properties of co-directional couplers and the use of these in tunable lasers will also be discussed. Devices such as tunable VCSELs, multi wavelength laser arrays, and non-semiconductor sources will be included. Throughout the lecture numerous examples of laser structures from the recent technical literature will be presented. Practical aspects such as characterization, operation and control of tunable lasers will be included.


Biography

Jens Buus was born in 1952 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is an electrical engineer (MSc in electrophysics), graduated from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), August 1976. In addition he holds Lic. techn. (Ph.D.) and Dr. techn. (DSc) degrees from this University. 46rom 1979 to 1983 he was a post doctoral fellow at Electromagnetics Institute, DTU, and from 1983 to 1992 he was employed by GEC-Marconi Materials Technology (formerly Plessey Research Caswell), holding a position as Senior Chief Physicist from January 1988 to December 1992.Since January 1993 he has been a self employed consultant (Gayton Photonics Ltd.), in 1996 he was appointed visiting professor at Aston University. He has worked as project manager for several projects in the European RACE,ACTS and IST programs. Dr Buus has served on a number of conference committees and given invited talks, tutorials and short courses at several conferences, he has authored or co-authored about 60 papers, about 60 conference papers and 2 books. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and a member of the Optical Society of America, the Institute of Electrical Engineers and of the Danish Physical Society. His research has included numerous contributions to the understanding of the properties of semiconductor lasers and optical waveguides, as well as contributions to work on gratings, integrated optics and coherent optical communication.



Dr. Robert Groover

"Patent Law Developments and High-Tech Careers"

Thursday, May 4, 2000, 7.30 PM
(at 7:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

Texas Instruments/Raytheon
North Building Mini-Auditorium, Dallas

Abstract

Robert Groover will discuss how the patent system has changed (and is changing), and will particularly discuss the ways in which patents can help technologists' careers (including startup launches). Some specific developments discussed will be the recent "AIPA" legislation, how to use patents for research, how to use patents as a publication route, what to expect if your patent gets into court, and the morality of patenting.


Biography

Robert Groover is a 20-year veteran in a profession which he describes as "heaven-made for a technology dilettante." He has written nearly a thousand patent applications (including many in electro-optics), has been involved in a number of patent infringement lawsuits, and is a frequent speaker on patent law. He is also a Senior Member of the IEEE, and an inventor on several patents himself.
Robert Groover III
Groover & Associates PC
17000 Preston Road #230,
Dallas TX 75248
http://www.technopatents.com



Dr. Bob Biard

"Inventing the LED"

Thursday, March 30, 2000, 7.30 PM
(at 7:00 p.m. refreshments with speakers)

Texas Instruments/Raytheon
North Building Mini-Auditorium, Dallas

Abstract



Biography

Dr. J. R. (Bob) Biard became Chief Scientist of the Honeywell MICRO SWITCH Division in 1987. He retired 12/31/99 and was hired back by Honeywell as a consultant. In this job assignment Dr. Biard is responsible for developing long range technology, product road maps, and interfacing between MICRO SWITCH Division, the Honeywell Corporate R&D Labs, and universities. He started the MICRO SWITCH Sensor Design Center in Richardson, Texas and his product development responsibilities include optoelectronic components (light emitting diodes and photo detectors), fiber optic components and transmitter & receiver modules, and silicon Hall effect and pressure sensors. He is also on the staff of Texas A&M University as an Adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering. He has served in this capacity since 1980. From 1978 to 1987 Dr. Biard was Chief Scientist of the Honeywell Optoelectronics Division and was a member of the Components Group Sensor Planning Team. He was also the Components Group representative on the Honeywell Technology Board (HTB). The HTB was concerned with the development and transfer of technology throughout the Honeywell corporate structure. Dr. Biard joined Spectronics, Inc. as Vice President of Research in 1969 when the company was founded. Spectronics, Inc. was acquired by Honeywell in 1978. Previously he worked for Texas Instruments, Inc., from 1957 to 1969. While at TI he participated in the development of transistor circuits, microwave and optoelectronic components, avalanche photodiodes, silicon MOS technology, and compound semiconductor materials technology. In 1991 Dr. Biard was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering. In 1989 he received the Honeywell Lund Award. In 1986 he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M University. In 1985, He was a recipient of the Patrick E. Haggerty Innovation Award for his contribution to the design and development of Schottky Logic. In January 1968, Dr. Biard was elected a Fellow of the IEEE with a citation "For outstanding contributions in the field of optoelectronics."

In the course of his technical career, Dr. Biard has published more than two dozen technical papers and made about the same number of unpublished presentations at major technical conferences. He also developed a one week seminar on Fiber Optic Data Transmission that he presented on five occasions in various parts of the U.S..

Dr. Biard holds 34 U.S. and 17 foreign patents. Five of his more significant patents are listed below. These patents include one of the first transistor DC differential amplifiers, the GaAs light emitting diode, the optical isolator, Schottky clamped logic circuits, and the MOS read only memory.

 



Professor Bruce E. Gnade

"Field Emission Displays"

Thursday, February 24, 2000, 7.30 PM
(at 7:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

Texas Instruments/Raytheon
North Building Mini-Auditorium, Dallas

Abstract

Since the days of the first television tube, display engineers have dreamt of producing flat panel displays (FPDs) with the visual attributes of a cathode ray tube (CRT). The properties required of an FPD today include:
1) full color,
2) full gray scale,
3) high efficiency and brightness,
4) video rate speeds,
5) wide viewing angle, and
6) wide range of operating conditions.

Flat panel displays should also:
1) be thin and light weight,
2) have good linearity,
3) be insensitive to magnetic fields, and
4) have no x-ray generation.

Flat panel display devices ranged from 1/2 inch diagonal displays used in head-mounted displays to 50 inch diagonal plasma displays. The flat panel display market is currently dominated by liquid crystal displays (LCD). Other competing flat panel display technologies include electroluminescent displays (EL), plasma display panels (PDP), vacuum fluorescent displays (VFD), and field emission displays (FED). FEDs are just becoming available, and are used in only a few commercial products at this point. We will review the current state-of-the-art for field emission displays, and what issues remain to be solved for this technology to become pervasive.

Biography

Dr. Gnade recently joined the faculty at UNT (9/98) as Chair of the Materials Science Department. Prior to his appointment, he was on a temporary assignment at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) where he managed or co-managed the High Definition Systems Program, the Molecular Electronics Program, and the Heterogeneous Integration of Materials on Silicon Program. He also actively engaged in research and managed several research and technology groups during his 15 years at Texas Instruments including the Si Materials and Processing research group, the field emission display advanced technology group, and the Advanced DRAM Materials group. Dr. Gnade’s expertise includes chemistry of electronic materials, high-
e capacitor materials, chemistry of display materials, stability of field emission arrays, and CVD precursors. Dr. Gnade has authored/co-authored approximately 65 refereed papers, over 50 U.S. patents and 20 foreign patents.



Prof. Ryszard Stroynowski

"Radiation tolerant Optical Data Links and the ATLAS Experiment"

Thursday, October 7, 1999, 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Conference Room 1&2, Dallas Texins Activity Center
Texas Instruments Expressway Site (US-75 and I-635).

Abstract

The ATLAS project at the European Center for Particle Physics in Geneva, Switzerland is a very large international collaboration of about 150 university and laboratory groups from 25 countries. The goal of ATLAS is to search for clues to the answers of the most fundamental questions of particle physics today: Why is there apparently more matter than anti-matter in the Universe? Why do fundamental particles have different masses? What breaks the symmetry of electromagnetic and weak interactions?

The answer is expected to be found from the debris of collisions of protons at energies of 14 TeV. However, the probability of finding events associated with the clues to our questions is very small and requires that we collect and sort through Petabits of information generated over a period of several years to identify a handful of events of interest.

In this talk, we will give an overview of the CERN accelerator complex, explain the questions we want to address, and describe in some detail the detector and optical data links that allow us to collect an enormous amount of data in a hostile environment. These optical links, consisting of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), multimode graded-index optical fibers, PIN photodetectors, serializers and deserializers, will use commercially available components.

Biography

Prof. Richard Stroynowski
SMU Physics Department, Dallas, TX


Richard Stroynowski received the M.Sc. degree from Warsaw University in Poland in 1968, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Geneva, Switzerland in 1973. From 1968 to 1975 he was a staff Research Physicist at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. After immigrating to the US in 1975 he worked for 6 years as a staff physicist at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. For the next 11 years he was a Senior Research Associate and the Lecturer at the California Institute of Technology. Since 1991 he is a Professor of Physics at Southern Methodist University. Dr. Stroynowski's research area is experimental High Energy Particle Physics with an emphasis on searching for new phenomena at the energy frontier. He is currently working on two collaborative experiments: one is the CLEO detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (which is designed to study the properties of heavy quarks and leptons and to search for effects of time reversal violation in the bottom quark systems); and the other is the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN which is designed to search for mechanisms of symmetry breaking between electromagnetic and weak interactions. Dr. Stroynowski is an author of over 300 scientific papers. In 1993 he was elected a Fellow of American Physical Society for "contribution to the understanding of the tau lepton".


 



Dr. Henry Kressel

"
NEW BUSINESS FORMATION: THEORY & PRACTICE"

Thursday, September 23, 1999 7:30PM
(at 7:00 p.m. refreshments with the speaker)

Texas Instruments/Raytheon
North Building Mini-Auditorium,Dallas

Abstract

Thousands of new technology-based businesses are started every year. Every new wave of technology creates new opportunities for start-up ventures as well as major challenges to existing companies. As a result of the availability of large amounts of venture capital to finance new businesses in selected markets, there tends to be an over abundance of entrants in "hot markets". Currently, of course, the Internet is such a hot market. In previous years, it was semiconductors, computer peripherals, and I am sure that historians will have no trouble making a much-extended list of previously hot areas. No matter what the potential market addressed might be, some basic principles and practices underlie the building of a successful new business. Starting with a definition of the founders’ personal objectives, the product(s) to be offered need to be carefully defined, the financial requirements properly scoped, and the management team and staff carefully selected. In this talk, fundamental principles will be discussed together with examples that illustrate their successful application in real situations.

Biography

Dr. Henry Kressel is a partner of E. M.. Warburg, Pincus & Co., a diversified venture capital firm which he joined in 1983, where he is responsible for investments in high technology companies. He was with RCA from 1959 to 1983 where he occupied positions of increasing responsibilities at the RCA Laboratories, Princeton, New Jersey. In 1979 he became Staff Vice President responsible for solid state research and development. His responsibilities encompassed integrated circuits, CAD software, optoelectronic devices and systems, pilot line production and technology transfer to manufacturing. He led the development of many semiconductor devices, accomplishing a succession of breakthroughs, most notably in technologies bearing on new integrated circuits, power transistors, and optoelectronics. Notable achievements include pioneering the development and commercial introduction of the first practical heterojunction semiconductor lasers. He holds 33 US patents covering various aspects of electronic and optic-electronic devices. He is the co-author of a text with J. K.. Butler, "Semiconductor Lasers and Heterojunction LEDs," Academic Press, 1977, editor of another book, "Semiconductor Devices for Optical Communications," Springer-Verlag, 1987, and published over 120 technical and scientific papers .

Dr. Kressel was the founding President of the IEEE Laser and Electro-Optics Society and co-founded the Journal of Lightwave Technology. He served as Chairman of the IEEE New Technology Directions Committee and also chaired a National Academy of Engineering study of "Technology, Management and Capital in Smaller Companies." He was a member of the Advisory Committee for Engineering of the National Science Foundation from 1996 to 1999.

He was the recipient of the RCA David Sarnoff Award (1976), the Bernard Revel Award from Yeshiva University (1983), the IEEE Centennial Medal (1984), the IEEE David Sarnoff Award (1985), and the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society Distinguished Service Award (1992). He is a fellow of the IEEE and the American Physical Society, and was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering.

A graduate of Yeshiva College in Physics, Dr. Kressel received an MS degree (Applied Physics) from Harvard University, an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in Material Science from the same university.

Dr. Kressel serves on the Board of Directors of several private and public technology companies. These include the Sarnoff Corporation (a division of SRI); information services of which Nova Corporation is a public company; software of which IA Corporation is a public company; Internet companies, of which EarthWeb is a public company; and data communications of which Covad Communications is a public company. He formerly was on the Board of Zilog, Inc., a semiconductor company; Maxis Inc., a consumer software company (now part of Electronic Arts); and TresCom International, a long distance telephone company (now part of Primus Telecommunications group), Level One Communications (now part of Intel Corporation).