All PhD Projects:
Supervisory Team: Professor Frederic Gardes, Dr Yaonan Hou
Photonic integration is becoming a key solution for next-generation information technologies. Compared with the existing technologies in the near-infrared wavelength band, UV/blue light integration is emerging as an attractive subdivision in integrated photonics. With the advantages of a smaller footprint and a larger bandwidth, UV/blue integrated systems hold the promise in the vast applications including, but not limit to, visible light communications, augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) systems, inter-satellite communications, light detection and ranging (Lidar), high-density data storage, quantum photonic chips, chemical/biological photonic chips, and non-Von Neumann photonics.
The objective of this innovative research project is to realize a hybrid system comprising UV/blue light sources fabricated from the third-generation wide band gap semiconductors (group III-nitride materials) and the photonic components based on rapidly developing Si photonics (e.g., waveguides, optical couplers, modulators, detectors).
The successful candidate will join a cutting-edge research group in the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton. Within this interdisciplinary project, you will develop a solid knowledge and practical skills in semiconductors and photonics. All the work will be carried out at the ORC, home to a number of modern cleanrooms and advanced testing labs. The work is mainly composed of the following parts, 1) design and fabrication of III-nitride laser diodes; 2) optimization and fabrication of waveguides, photonic couplers, and photodetectors; 3) characterization of the electrical and optical properties of both the individual devices and the integrated systems.
Supervisory Team: Frederic Gardes, Yaonan Hou
Applications are invited for multiple PhD studentships to be undertaken within the silicon photonics group at the University of Southampton. The successful applicants will join a world leading research group of more than 50 postgraduate students and researchers working on silicon photonics technologies and photonic interconnects technologies in close collaboration with academia (University of Cambridge, University College London and Cardiff University) and industrial partners(see links below). The work will be developed as part of a multimillion pounds project running for a period of 5 years and funded by Industry and UKRI/EPSRC UK.
This project is tackling major technological roadblocks associated to silicon photonics and aims to demonstrate the monolithic integration of III/V lasers with CMOS photonic waveguiding components. This breakthrough will enable the development of innovative photonic circuits to serve the requirements of a wide range of low-cost optical interconnects and sensing technologies. The student will work alongside other researcher industrial partners, national and international collaborators to develop integrated photonics circuits coupling III/V materials grown on silicon to CMOS compatible waveguides.
We are looking for several enthusiastic candidates with background in photonics, electronics, physics or material science to take on specific aspects of these projects. The work will focus on device simulation and design followed by process development and fabrication using the best University clean room facility in the UK. Device characterisation will be performed in our state-of-the-art silicon photonics laboratory and in collaboration with our academic partners.
We are looking for a passionate candidate excited about the latest developments in technology. You will work in a multidisciplinary team under a motivating and supportive environment. You are expected to have a bachelor’s degree in physics, chemistry, engineering, electronics or equivalent. A basic level of understanding semiconductor physics, photonics and material science are essential, and we will support you to expand in all these subjects. Experience with experimental work in either electronics, physics, optics or photonics, and computer modelling, programming languages are desirable, and you will have a chance to develop those further during the project.
Supervisory Team: Dr. Thalia Dominguez Bucio, Prof. Frederic Y. Gardes
Our aim is to develop the next generation of integrated photonics materials that will offer low optical losses over various wavelength windows spanning from the ultraviolet (UV ~400nm) to the visible (VIS~900nm) regime. These materials will enable the realization of photonic integrated circuits that will underpin emerging industrial applications in quantum photonics, metrology, spectroscopy, sensing, healthcare, and display technologies.
To achieve this aim, we are looking for a committed candidate that will join our team to help us identify the best material for broadband transparency in the UV-VIS wavelength range and to establish the fabrication processes that will be required to realize passive photonic integrated circuits that will be then incorporated into larger photonic systems.
As part of your project, you will explore a variety of materials with potential for UV-VIS operation and you will build upon demonstrated fabrication techniques to optimize their properties to achieve low propagation losses at the target wavelengths. Your role will also include the design of passive photonic integrated circuits (i.e., waveguides, optical coupler, demultiplexers) that will allow testing the performance of the materials with the aim of creating a component library that will enable the development of more complex photonic systems. You will optimize the processes required for the fabrication of the devices and, finally, you will characterize the optical properties fabricated devices.
During your PhD, you will become a member of the Group IV Photonics group at the Zepler Institute from the University of Southampton. As part of the team, you will work closely with a team of enthusiastic researchers with strong track record in the development of silicon photonic integrated devices/systems and you will develop a solid knowledge and practical skills in both semiconductor compatible materials and photonics.
The research will be carried out in the Zepler Institute, which is the leading photonics and nanoelectronics research institute in the UK. It comprises state-of-the-art cleanrooms for optical fibre, planar photonics, silicon, and bio-photonics fabrication and over 80 laboratories. Computer simulations will benefit from Southampton’s high-performance computing cluster Iridis, one of the largest supercomputers in the UK. In the Zepler Institute we are committed into sustaining an inclusive environment for all applicants, students and staff. We hold an Athena SWAN Silver Award, and we actively work to improve equality in the workplace and encourage a work-life balance. We have a unique, friendly and supportive environment supported by dedicated mentoring, professional development and wellbeing schemes.
Project description
Applications are invited for a PhD studentship to be undertaken within the silicon photonics group at the University of Southampton. The successful applicants will join a world leading research group of more than 50 postgraduate students and researchers working on silicon photonics technologies and photonic interconnects technologies in close collaboration with academia and industry. The project will be undertaken as part of a €10M research effort ongoing within the Horizon 2020 European project Plasmoniac and a new Horizon Europe EU project Charioteer.
The project is tackling a major technological roadblock associated to silicon photonics circuits and aims to demonstrate photonic memories based on CMOS photonic waveguiding structures. The potential breakthrough derived from these components will enable the development of innovative reconfigurable photonic circuits in applications such as artificial intelligence (in particular neuromorphic) and non-volatile photonic switches. The student will work alongside research assistants, industrial partners, national and international collaborators to develop innovative integrated photonics circuits.
We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate with background in photonics, electronics, physics or material science to participate to the development of non-volatile photonic memories. The work will focus on device simulation and design followed by process development and fabrication using the best University Clean room facility in the UK. Device characterisation will be performed in our state-of-the-art silicon photonics laboratory and in collaboration with our academic partners.
The PhD programme
The Zepler Institute PhD comprises a solid education for a research career. The structured first year involves attending our training programme running in parallel with carrying out your research project. This provides a smooth transition from your degree course towards the more open-ended research that takes place in the following years under the guidance of your supervisors. We expect the vast majority of our students to present their work at international conferences and to write papers in leading academic journals as their research progresses. Students will emerge from the PhD with skills at the forefront of future photonics and semiconductor research and will benefit from many opportunities to interact with the wider community of PhD students across the Southampton Campus.
The zepler institute is the leading photonics and nanielectronics research institute in the UK and possibly in Europe. It comprises state-of-the-art cleanrooms for optical fibre, planar photonics, silicon and bio-photonics fabrication and over 80 laboratories. Computer simulations will benefit from Southampton’s high performance computing cluster Iridis, one of the largest supercomputers in the UK. A PhD at the ORC has enabled our past graduates to make successful careers in academia, in national scientific laboratories, and as scientists or business leaders in industry. Our research papers, patents, spin-off companies and these successful alumni taken together place Southampton amongst the top institutes worldwide.
Please contact Prof Frederic Gardes on email: f.gardes@soton.ac.uk to discuss the project prior to the submission of the online application.
Project description
Applications are invited for multiple PhD studentships to be undertaken within the silicon photonics group at the University of Southampton. The successful applicants will join a world leading research group of more than 50 postgraduate students and researchers working on silicon photonics technologies and photonic interconnects technologies in close collaboration with academia(University of Cambridge, University College London and Cardiff University) and industrial partners(see links below). The work will be developed as part of two multimillion pounds projects running for a period of 5 years and funded by Industry and UKRI/EPSRC UK.
These projects are tackling major technological roadblocks associated to silicon photonics and aims to demonstrate the monolithic integration of III/V lasers with CMOS photonic waveguiding components. This breakthrough will enable the development of innovative photonic circuits to serve the requirements of a wide range of low-cost optical interconnects and sensing technologies. The student will work alongside research assistants, industrial partners, national and international collaborators to develop integrated photonics circuits coupling III/V materials grown on silicon to CMOS based waveguides.
We are looking for several enthusiastic candidates with background in photonics, electronics, physics or material science to take on specific aspects of these projects. The work will focus on device simulation and design followed by process development and fabrication using the best University clean room facility in the UK. Device characterisation will be performed in our state-of-the-art silicon photonics laboratory and in collaboration with our academic partners.
The PhD programme
The Zepler Institute PhD comprises a solid education for a research career. The structured first year involves attending our training programme running in parallel with carrying out your research project. This provides a smooth transition from your degree course towards the more open-ended research that takes place in the following years under the guidance of your supervisors. We expect the vast majority of our students to present their work at international conferences and to write papers in leading academic journals as their research progresses. Students will emerge from the PhD with skills at the forefront of future photonics and semiconductor research and will benefit from many opportunities to interact with the wider community of PhD students across the Southampton Campus.
The Zepler Institute is the leading photonics and nanielectronics research institute in the UK and possibly in Europe. It comprises state-of-the-art cleanrooms for optical fibre, planar photonics, silicon and bio-photonics fabrication and over 80 laboratories. Computer simulations will benefit from Southampton’s high performance computing cluster Iridis, one of the largest supercomputers in the UK. A PhD at the ORC has enabled our past graduates to make successful careers in academia, in national scientific laboratories, and as scientists or business leaders in industry. Our research papers, patents, spin-off companies and these successful alumni taken together place Southampton amongst the top institutes worldwide.
Please contact Prof Frederic Gardes on email: f.gardes@soton.ac.uk to discuss the project prior to the submission of the online application.
Our vision is to develop a new generation of photonic devices on-chip for applications that underpin our societal telecommunications, computing and sensing. To achieve this vision, we are looking for an exceptional candidate to join our team to develop these technologies and investigate their commercial potential by working closely with our industrial partners Graphenea and Grolltex.
Your PhD project will exploit the unique physical properties of atomically thin (2D) materials like graphene to push the performance boundaries of on-chip photonic systems. You will build upon demonstrated unconventional and novel techniques to develop a growth method enabling these materials to be integrated at a wafer scale. You will also take part in the integration of these materials into photonic devices, test their device performance and assess them against simulated results. You will also collaborate with leading research groups in photonics and 2D materials from Imperial College, University of Cambridge and UCL.
The research will be based in the Zepler Institute, the largest centre for photonics research in the UK, encompassing one of the largest University cleanrooms in Europe. You will be a member of the Integrated Photonics group and work within a team of highly enthusiastic researchers with a strong track record in developing on-chip silicon photonic devices and novel optoelectronic materials, many of which have reached maturity and are currently commercialised by our various industrial partners.
If you wish to discuss this further, please contact Dr Yasir Noori by emailing y.j.noori@southamtpon.ac.uk
The PhD programme
The Zepler Institute PhD comprises a solid education for a research career. The structured first year involves attending our training programme running in parallel with carrying out your research project. This provides a smooth transition from your degree course towards the more open-ended research that takes place in the following years under the guidance of your supervisors. We expect the vast majority of our students to present their work at international conferences and to write papers in leading academic journals as their research progresses. Students will emerge from the PhD with skills at the forefront of future photonics and semiconductor research and will benefit from many opportunities to interact with the wider community of PhD students across the Southampton Campus.
The Zepler Institute is the leading photonics research institute in the UK and possibly Europe. It comprises state-of-the-art cleanrooms for optical fibre, planar photonics, silicon and bio-photonics fabrication and over 80 laboratories. Computer simulations will benefit from Southampton’s high performance computing cluster Iridis, one of the largest supercomputers in the UK. A PhD at the Zepler Institute has enabled our past graduates to make successful careers in academia, in national scientific laboratories, and as scientists or business leaders in the industry. Our research papers, patents, spin-off companies and these successful alumni taken together place Southampton among the top institutes worldwide.
Supervisor: Professor Graham Reed
Co-Supervisor: Professor Dave Thomson/Dr Ke Li
The supervisors have recently been awarded a new EPSRC grant (EP/V012789/1) entitled ‘Towards a revolution in optical communications’. In this project, we have invented several approaches not only to enhance the throughput of the optical transmitter but also to transfer functions that were traditionally done in the electronic domain, to the optical domain, saving cost and energy and dramatically improving performance.
We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate with a background in analogue electronics and an interest in photonics to join this project. The student will join the silicon photonics team and work with the RAs on the project to co-design the electronic and photonic devices that can enable the novel 100GBaud/s optical transmitter. The applicants will have the opportunity to undertake the mm-wave CMOS chip tape-outs and conduct the practical implementation of electronics-photonics device packaging. Furthermore, the project partners will provide strong engagement with both industry (Rockley Photonics, UK) and academia (Peking University, China).
The resources of the project will be leveraged to maximise the impact of the student’s work, and to enhance progress, maximising the effectiveness of both the studentship and the additional EPSRC grant funding.
Supervisor: Professor David Thomson
Co-Supervisor: Dr Weiwei Zhang
Future growth in the performance of computing systems is hindered by the electronic technology upon which the vast majority of its hardware is realised. Electronic technology is being pushed ever closer to its physical limitations and as performance is pushed further, power consumption is also becoming problematic. Silicon photonics technology is widely seen as the solution, however in its current form the performance and how densely it can integrated into such systems are not sufficient. Especially, the performance of silicon optical modulator which is an important component of a photonic interconnect is limited due to the weak electro-optic effect in silicon.
This project will pioneer a new photonic platform which has the potential to immensely improve the performance of silicon electro-optic modulators and revolutionise future compute systems. The platform involves integrating high performance electro-optic materials such as Lithium Niobate with low cost silicon photonic waveguides to make high performance electro-optic devices for computing systems
We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate with background in photonics, electronics, physics or material science to take on this project. The work will involve design of electro-optic devices using modelling software, fabrication of devices using one of the best clean room facilities in UK as well as device characterisation in our state of the art high speed silicon photonics laboratory.
Supervisor: Professor Graham Reed and Professor Goran Mashanovich (ORC)
Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) based on silicon have recently become an established and powerful technology that supports many applications such as optical communications, chemical and biological sensors, and LiDAR systems. In order to further extend the functionality and feasibility of PICs, programmable photonic circuits have attracted a lot of research interest recently. A programmable photonic circuit can be readily fabricated and then programmed to perform multiple photonic processing functions by using the same hardware programmed into different configurations. This approach has the benefit of providing greater flexibility and is more cost-effective mass fabrication of photonic products as compared to application-specific PICs.
The objectives of this project are to study and realise reliable and efficient programmable PICs on a silicon photonics platform. New technologies and architectures for building programmable photonic integrated circuits will be explored. This role will include the design, fabrication and testing of configurable silicon photonics waveguides and switches. Directional couplers and Mach-Zehnder Interferometers will be studied as basic building blocks, in order to form more complex programmable photonic integrated circuits. Network architecture designs will also be studied and evaluated, such as binary trees, rectangular architectures, and square or hexagonal loops.
We are looking for candidates interested in integrated programmable photonics on a silicon photonics platform. The successful applicants will join the world-leading Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics, and one of the world’s pioneering silicon photonics research groups with over 50 postgraduate students and researchers. The group possesses world-leading research facilities and experimental laboratories, such as a full silicon fabrication suite for 200mm wafer-scale fabrication of silicon photonics circuits, including a DUV scanner, automated and bench measurements setups for wafer-scale testing, as well as full modelling and design capabilities for both electronic and photonic circuits, including bespoke and commercial software suites. The work will be carried out in a collaborative manner within an experienced and committed team, including collaboration visits to both UK and international academic and industrial partners.