Selective area growth is a templated growth technique at the micro/macroscale combining top-down lithography with bottom-up epitaxial growth. By masking and patterning the underlying substrate with a dielectric layer, different shapes can be created. These shapes can then provide a template to grow the required nanostructures of specific geometry.

Integrated optical devices require different active/passive elements (optical switches, filters, amplifiers) on one platform to reduce foot-print, power consumption and increase functionality. These technologies are not well spread in commercial applications yet due to the cost associated with the complexity of device processing.

The technique would allow devices of different functionalities to be integrated onto a single chip by engineering the appropriate shape of the device, for example a nano-ring as the cavity for lasers, long stripes for waveguides, bow-tie for nanoantennas and nano-stars for polarisation control devices.

The aims of project are to:

• design different types of geometries/shapes that are suitable for nanophotonic applications
• understand the fundamental growth mechanism of these nanostructures
• investigate their optical and electrical properties for device application
• develop advanced designs and concepts to couple functionalities between devices of different geometries

Physics, Material Science, Engineering