Mid-infrared and Terahertz Integrated Photonics

About the project

About the Project This project focuses on advancing mid-infrared (MIR) and/or Terahertz integrated photonics by developing heterogeneously integrated semiconductor lasers directly on CMOS compatible chips, such as silicon. The mid-infrared (MIR) spectral region (2–10 µm) and Terahertz (THz, 30–300 µm) are crucial for chemical sensing, environmental monitoring, and free-space communications, but traditional MIR and THz systems rely on bulky, power-hungry components. By integrating efficient III–V semiconductor gain materials onto a silicon photonics platform, this project aims to realize compact, low-cost, and electrically pumped MIR laser sources compatible with large-scale CMOS fabrication. The student will design, simulate, and characterize hybrid laser structures that combine silicon waveguides for passive light routing with active III–V regions for optical gain and emission. This work will contribute to building a new generation of on-chip MIR and THz photonic systems, enabling applications such as lab-on-a-chip spectroscopy, gas detection, imaging and integrated optical communications. Candidates with strong backgrounds in one or more of the following areas are encouraged to apply: • Some background in Photonics and Semiconductors

Research areas