How a photonic crystal laser works
We build photonic and electronic components on nanophotonic structures. Our core expertise and IP cover semiconductor lasers, modulators and photonic crystal cavities, on silicon and on other rigid or flexible substrates.
Photonic crystal surface-emitting lasers
First proposed by S. Noda and colleagues in 1999, PCSELs achieve large-area, coherent lasing with a narrow, single-mode beam. Their electrical and optical cavities are orthogonal: current flows vertically while light resonates in the plane of the photonic crystal.
That design has made PCSELs one of the most promising platforms for high-power diode lasers, with uses in LiDAR, free-space communications, and data and consumer electronics.
- High power density and efficiency
- Narrow, stable, single-mode beam
- Scalable manufacturing on silicon substrates
- A wide range of available wavelengths
Photonic crystal spatial light modulators
The same nanophotonic structures can control how light is emitted and how it propagates. PCSLMs apply that control to build compact, efficient modulators that integrate with silicon photonics.
- Silicon photonics integration
- Compatible with flexible substrates
- Monolithic device fabrication
- CMOS-compatible processes
Research and development
Our technology comes out of the Zhou group at the University of Texas at Arlington and collaborators at Stanford University. We keep pushing the devices toward higher performance, lower power and new functions. Read more at zhoulab.uta.edu.
Intellectual property
We hold IP covering key innovations in photonic crystal design, device fabrication and system integration.