Tunable photonic nanostructures for laser pulse control and dynamic imaging
Abstract
For decades, nanofabrication has been the driving force behind the transformations in electronics. Light-based devices currently experience a similar transition: nanostructure-based photonic elements bear promise to revolutionize several key technology areas, such as telecommunications, augmented reality, remote sensing, and imaging. In this talk, I will introduce the concept of tunable photonic nanostructures, where time can be leveraged as an additional degree of freedom to manipulate the flow of light on demand. In a multi-faceted study, we will explore how silicon-based nanostructures can be used as ultrafast all-optical switches that can control light with light at subpicosecond timescales and record-low Joule-per-bit counts. Next, by marrying designer nanostructures to a technologically mature switching agent, liquid crystals, we will demonstrate the world’s thinnest lens with an electrically tunable focal spot. We will conclude on remarks how our technology enables lightweight and compact imaging solutions for spatial light modulators, mixed reality glasses, head-on displays, and microscopes, and outline its potential biomedical applications.
Biography
Maxim Shcherbakov is an assistant professor at UCI EECS. He was a postdoctoral associate with the School of Applied and Engineering Physics at Cornell University from 2016 to 2021. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics from Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia. As a deputy group leader at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, his research was focused on wearable electronics, remote sensing, and LiDARs. He is an author of more than 50 research papers and book chapters, and recipient of awards in photonics, telecommunications and nanotechnology.
