NanoPlasmonics, Microphotonics & Imaging

Semiconductor lasers on a silicon platform have attracted much attention due to the potential of integration with CMOS integrated circuits. Silicon Raman lasers have been demonstrated, however, they still require external optical pumps. Heteroepitaxy can grow compound semiconductor lasers directly on Si, but the growth temperature (> 400oC) is usually too high for post CMOS processing. To circumvent this issue, electrically-pumped compound-silicon hybrid lasers have been integrated on Si wafers utilizing oxygen plasma-assisted wafer bonding or DVS-BCB-assisted bonding techniques....

The lipid bilayer membrane is crucial to the proper functioning of biological processes. It not only secludes a cell’s contents from the surrounding environment, but the membrane itself also serves as a dynamic scaffold for membrane proteins. The lipid membrane’s thickness is of nanoscale dimension, thus making it an ideal structure for nano and micro bioengineering applications. My research of biological membranes is two-fold. The first objective is to engineer a microfluidic structure that serves as learning tool for understanding the fundamental mechanical behavior of lipid...

There is intense interest in electromagnetic fields in nanoscale metal structures because the difference of optical properties from bulk material is useful for biological and chemical sensing application. To control light-metal interaction, delicate fabrication such as electron-beam lithography and self-assembly, is necessary for waveguides below the diffraction limit of light. In this project, optimization of the nanostructure called 'nanocrown' based on template by mechanical, chemical and electrical self-assembly will be studied.

Project end date: 01/30/10

In recent years, SERS has been researched actively in order to develop label-free chemical, biological, medical, or environmental detections. This project addresses the SERS enhancement generated through the self-assembly of gold nanoplasmonic particles on a curved hexagonal mirror array to achieve highly sensitive probes. Self ordering anodic aluminum oxide coated with a thin layer of gold will serve as the curved hexagonal mirror array as well as a template for the self assembly of the nanoparticles. The SERS substrates utilize coupling between the continuous metal, mirror film and...