Research Overview

OMEL develops nanomaterials to investigate fundamental phenomena in nanophotonics. Because nanotechnology allows matter to be shaped and patterned, we use this to create materials that have interesting and advantageous interactions with light. While we often employ the sophisticated processes advanced by the semiconductor industry, we also seek much simpler strategies, e.g., chemical or self-assembly processes. By tailoring the size, shape, or periodicity of a solid, its optical behavior can be modified. Moreover, properties that are not present in any natural material can result.

Current efforts in OMEL are focused on several classes of optical materials.

First, we prepare and investigate nanometer-scale semiconductor particles known as nanocrystals. Because these materials are highly fluorescent with a color that is tunable with the particle size, they are currently exploited as phosphors in commercial flat-panel displays. Moreover, they are being explored for use as “quantum emitters” in quantum technologies. Our goal is to develop new nanocrystal materials and understand their fundamental properties for applications.

Second, we fabricate and study nanostructured surfaces (see figure above). Such structures can be used to manipulate and guide optical signals, which are heavily used in modern technology (e.g., internet traffic). Moreover, when they are made from metals, electromagnetic waves known as plasmons can propagate along the exposed interface. Because plasmons allow optical energy to be concentrated in nanometer-scale volumes, they lead to many interesting and useful phenomena.

Because we fabricate and characterize our structures and devices, researchers in OMEL become highly proficient in a broad range of skills. We also actively seek interactions with industry to develop our results beyond the laboratory.

For more details about our research, please see the links under “Research” above. There, we briefly describe some current activities related to Nanocrystals, Fourier Pixels, and Optical Computing. However, this list is incomplete and research in OMEL typically evolves faster than we update these web pages.