Leading Scientist: Pr. Gilles Lérondel

Summary

Photonics or the control of light propagation and emission lies in the development of materials and structures whose complexity as continuously increased as a function of time. Today’s photonic components can combine both electron (quantum structures) and photon confinement.In order to observe the light confined in the structures and thus to better understand the associated physical phenomena, new characterization techniques such as near field scanning optical microscopy and simulation tools need to be developed. Initially oriented toward the telecommunications industry, nowadays photonics potentially concerned numerous fields and industrial sectors, such as biology (photonic substrates), sensing (ultrasensitive sensors), energy production (high external yield solar cells), and lightning (ultra bright LEDs).

nanophotonics1
nanophotonics1

Specific research topics & applications

Non-exhaustive list

  • Alternative photonic materials (leader: G. Lérondel)
  • Near-field scanning microscopy (leader: A. Bruyant)
  • Optical near-field based devices (leader: S. Blaize)
  • Quantum nanodevices (leader: C. Couteau)
  • Numerical simulations (leaders: S. Blaize, R. Vincent and A. Bruyant)

Results

Nanophotonics: Complex field mapping over the surface of a chain of gold elliptical nanocylinders integrated on silicon on isolator. Example of polymer-tipped optical fiber. SEM images of the probe apex without and with a carbon nanoprobe. Experimental shear-force controlled s-SNOM setup. AFM and SNOM image of a 3 mm wide ion-exchanged waveguide. Optical near-field photonic devices: SWIFTS integrated spectrometer. “All silicon” omnidirectionnal mirrors. Volume integral method (angular radiation pattern of NSOM probe coupled to a single nanoparticle), RCWA method (periodic array of gold nanowire integrated on glass), FDTD (plasmonic gap waveguide integrated on SOI).

Collaborations:

Institut Néel (Grenoble), Teem Photonics (Meylan), Photonics research group (GeorgiaTECH, Atlanta, USA), IMEP-INPG (Grenoble), CEA/LETI (Grenoble), INSA (Lyon), Laboratoire d’Optronique (Lannion), LIRIS (Versailles), LAOG (Grenoble), LAAS (Toulouse), Nanovation, GEMaC, University of New South Wales, University of Trento (Italie), Chungbuk National University (Korea), University of Naples (Italie), Politecnico di Torino (Italie), National Central University (Taiwan).