Optics and Photonics

Optics and Photonics technologies are flooding into our lives at the speed of light. In fact, many leaders within the photonics community believe that light-based technologies will be as fundamental to 21st century society as electronics was to the 20th century. In this team, participants will study first-hand the vast potential of light-based technologies, working to develop numerous ground-breaking devices which may lead to commercial products. Topic areas include fully-integrated laser characterization systems, new methods for low-cost rapid prototyping of optical/electrical devices, flexible photonic sensors, low-cost photovoltaics, nanoscale optical switches, and high-speed optical communication links. Through these pursuits, skills developed in areas of semiconductor device theory, electromagnetic fields, and digital devices will be put to use to study the interaction of light and matter as well as fundamental principles of lasers and photonics. Don’t miss the wave!

Projects will include:

• Develop an understanding of the importance and impact of photonics technologies
• Develop an understanding of the properties of light waves and light propagation
• Develop an understanding of optical materials, light generation and detection, interaction of light with materials, optical characterization techniques, and optical spectroscopy
• Develop compact, high-efficiency, and low-cost optoelectronic and photonic devices
• Develop skills interfacing equipment with LabView software for automating measurements and programming efficient graphical user interfaces

Interested? Contact Prof. Nathaniel Kinsey (nkinsey@vcu.edu)