Semiconductor disk lasers for the generation of visible and
ultraviolet radiation

With semiconductor disk lasers having proven to be such a strong theme for the IoP in recent years, we felt the time was right to publish this review paper covering many of the innovative aspects. This paper considers applications, material and thermal considerations, structural design, cavity configurations and intra-cavity nonlinear conversion techniques. The latest developments, including the trend toards miniaturisation are also presented. Our co-authors are from the Optoelectronics Research Centre, Tampere University of Technology, Finland.

Laser and Photonics Reviews, 1-28 (2009) / DOI 10.1002/lpor.200810042

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/113511747/home

Laser Writing Headline News

With our colleagues in Chemistry, the IoP is pleased to see this exciting work hit the front page of Advanced Materials. The Institute's work encompasses materials, devices and applications and in this instance new materials and innovative processing show tremendous potential.

Fluorescent Nanostructures: Direct Laser Writing of Nanosized Oligofluorene Truxenes in UV-Transparent Photoresist Microstructures (Adv. Mater. 7/2009)

Fluorescent nanostructures within a transparent microstructure can be achieved via direct laser writing. On p. 781, Alexander Kuehne, Peter Skabara, Martin Dawson, Richard Pethrick, and co-workers report on a novel UV-transparent photoresist that incorporates star-shaped nanometer-sized oligofluorene truxenes. The method and materials will find applications in optical, electro-optical, and photonic devices. (Cover artwork by Leif Heuser).

Science Bridges to California, Feb 2009

The innovative and commercial strengths of the photonics sector are to be harnessed in a major venture between universities in Scotland- led by Strathclyde- and California.

Strathclyde, the Universities of St Andrews, Heriot-Watt and Glasgow, together with Stanford University and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), are collaborating in a project which has won funding worth £1.6 million over three years from the Science Bridges awards, announced by Research Councils UK (RCUK).

The project, the Stanford-Scotland Photonics Innovation Collaboration, is designed to capitalise on leading research in the photonics sector, in fields including life sciences and renewable energy, and the commercial opportunities the research offers.

 It also aims to bolster existing links between universities and businesses in Scotland and the US.

 The three-year venture between the six institutions will focus on:

 ·        Biophotonics, including stem cell imaging and neuroscience photonics

·        Solar cell devices

·        Integrated photonics

·        Solid-state laser engineering

·        Photonics sensors, including atom, quantum optic and environmental sensors.

 The project will give talented young researchers the opportunity to experience working in laboratories in California. It will also enable businesses in the US and the UK to share ideas and expertise with academics in both countries.    

Professor Allister Ferguson, Deputy Principal of Strathclyde and Principal Investigator in the Collaboration, said: "This is an ambitious and inventive programme aimed at delivering huge social and economic benefits. We are pleased to have secured funding from RCUK Science Bridges to work towards this goal.

"Photonics is a sector with vast capacity for innovation in research and for commercial opportunities. It is dominated in the UK by small companies, and we aim to build on that capacity through this venture, by broadening and strengthening the links in photonics between Scotland and California.

"Through this project, we intend to build enduring relationships which will form the basis of a network with sustainable economic impact."

The programme will be delivered through the creation of a series of inter-related activities:

A number of 'proof of principle' pilot projects in areas with commercial potential

A joint industrial affiliates scheme, giving access to knowledge exchange with academics in the other country to companies, large and small, in the UK and the US

A staff exchange scheme between the universities, to develop joint projects with clear commercial potential

An investor network, comprising individuals and businesses with an interest in investing in the technology covered by the programme

A post-doctoral entrepreneurial fellowship programme, offering outstanding early-career researchers the chance to work for a year in a leading laboratory in California     

Dr Stephen Armstrong, Head of the Research Development Service in Strathclyde's Department of Research and Innovation, said: "This programme brings a unique international dimension to our knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship activities, underpinned by excellence in research.

"It's about raising our ambitions and extracting value for economic and societal benefit through linking one of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial communities in the US with Scotland."

The collaboration will involve Strathclyde's Department of Physics, Institute of Photonics and Centre for Biophotonics.

Research Assessment Exercise, December 2008

Institute of Photonics researchers are extremely pleased with the results of the recent RAE exercise. With the research at the Institute ranging from 'strategic' to 'applied' in nature, and with our mission of 'commercially-oriented' research, it was appropriate to submit some of our researchers under the Physics unit of assessment but with greater numbers in the Engineering unit of assessment. There is no photonics 'unit of assessment' category. ''Our industrial and academic collaborators alike recognise the quality of the research we undertake, and it is satisfying to see this confirmed through such a rigorous process.'' added Tim Holt, Chief Executive.

Two out of three for Strathclyde in laser competition, November 2008

Strathclyde researchers have taken first and third prizes in a prestigious Scotland-wide competition for innovation in laser technology and applications.

First prize in the Thales Scottish Technology Prize - for the innovative idea of eye-safe diamond Raman lasers - was accepted by Dr Walter Lubeigt on behalf of a team from the University’s Institute of Photonics (IoP) including Dr Alan Kemp and Dr David Burns. Walter was awarded an individual prize of £2,500, and £40,000 to further the group’s research.

Also recognised in the awards, run by optronics company Thales UK, was Professor Deepak Uttamchandani of Strathclyde's Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE). He accepted the third prize of £1,000 for the joint EEE/IoP proposal on MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems) devices for advanced laser systems.

There were also individual prizes of £500 for eight other finalists, including 3 from the Institute of Photonics.

Tim Holt, Chief Executive of the Institute of Photonics added, 'We embraced the spirit of the competition, and were so pleased with the result, not just for Walter but to have four finalists from the Institute of Photonics, and with our collaborator Prof Uttamchandani from Strathclyde's Electronic and Electrical Engineering taking third place, it was a great example of our strength in depth at the IoP and Strathclyde.'

Professor Uttamchandani said: "We are delighted with the recognition received from a world-leading laser manufacturer for this branch of our MEMS research, which was undertaken in collaboration with Dr Lubeigt and Dr Burns of the Institute of Photonics."

David Lockwood, Managing Director of Thales UK’s optronics facility in Glasgow, said: "The scope of the competition and its prize fund are truly unique in the history of engineering in Scotland and the results have generated ideas which have an encouraging commercial future.”

The competition was co-sponsored by Scottish Enterprise. Jack Perry, chief executive of Scottish Enterprise, said: “The Laser Technology Competition has amply demonstrated the strength of engineering capability in Scotland and shows how we can nurture the innovators and technology entrepreneurs of tomorrow."

Responding to Industry Needs

The Institute of Photonics has recently employed a new Research Technologist, in an effort to respond more quickly to the needs of industry. Whilst University staff are often committed to long term research projects, the Institute recognised the need to be able to work more flexibly with industry and in particular with SMEs.  It is SMEs frequent desire to be able to start more quickly and work with short term contracts that led to this new initiative.  It is one of several initiatives instigated by the Institute to address the misperception that universities are slow to react.  Business Development Manager Simon Andrews commented ‘With the blossoming biotech sector in Scotland, we are receiving more and more requests for help from a variety of life science companies.  As many of these companies are young SMEs they do not usually have in-house expertise in optical systems, even though they are heavily reliant on optical sensing, measuring and imaging.’ 

This new post enables a researcher with expertise in optics, electronics and software to bring his research experience from academia and industry to bear on challenges from industry.  The Research Technologist will be supported by the Institute’s in-house electronics and mechanical workshops and will draw on the knowledge of the 60 strong staff and students in the Institute. Chief Executive Tim Holt added ‘We are grateful to the University for its support in this endeavour. We are hopeful that other departments will adopt this model once it has proven its worth to industry and the University.’

Next generation of hybrid lasers

Novel, compact and versatile lasers operating at visible wavelengths are the focus of a major, new £3.8 million collaboration between four institutions.

The four-year project, between the Universities of Strathclyde, St Andrews and Edinburgh and Imperial College, London, will see the development of lasers, consisting of organic semiconductor structures – effectively lasing plastics - which are interfaced to control electronics via familiar blue/green light-emitting diode (LED) technology.

These lasers are poised to have a major impact in areas as diverse as biosensing, communications and instrumentation.

The project is being supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The research will see close research collaboration between the departments involved: the Institute of Photonics and Department of Pure & Applied Chemistry at Strathclyde; the School of Physics & Astronomy at St Andrews; the School of Engineering and Electronics at Edinburgh, and the Department of Physics at Imperial.

Professor Martin Dawson of the University of Strathclyde, the co-ordinator of the project, said: “We are delighted to have this opportunity to contribute to continued UK leadership in organic and hybrid organic/inorganic optoelectronics.

"Organic semiconductor lasers are very attractive new light sources for research and commercial applications, and my colleagues at Imperial College London and the University of St. Andrews have been world leaders in developing the basics of this technology. The challenge now is to produce these devices in compact and robust form under electronic control, and the collaborators in my own University and at the University of Edinburgh are perfectly placed to contribute the interfacing and complementary technologies needed.

"Our near-term goal is to produce components consisting of single-emitter organic lasers on blue LEDs in a form suitable for volume manufacture. Longer-term goals are to demonstrate optoelectronic interfaces and integrated circuits involving multiple laser and LED elements.

• "This is a very strong partnership with an ambitious and exciting research agenda, and we look forward to major progress during the course of the grant”.

The Principal Investigators at each of the partner institutions are:

Prof Martin Dawson, University of Strathclyde

Prof Ifor Samuel, University of St Andrews

Dr Robert Henderson, University of Edinburgh

Prof Donal Bradley, Imperial College London

Pump Primed Photonics Projects (P4)

The Institute of Photonics has successfully won funding to be able to offer Pump Primed Photonics Projects P4 with industry. To get academia and industry working together more quickly and more easily, this new fund will allow small projects to get the ball rolling between potential industrial partners and the IoP.

For further details on the scheme click here.