Photonic integrated circuits are emerging as a key technology for future communication, sensing, and quantum computing systems. Current reconfigurable photonic platforms mostly rely on thermal tuning of optical waveguides, which requires continuous power consumption and limits scalability and energy efficiency. Developing low-power, stable, and programmable photonic hardware therefore represents an important challenge for next-generation photonic technologies.
In this research, you will explore a new class of photoaddressable and birefringent polymer materials that enable permanent, light-written reconfiguration of photonic circuits. By integrating these materials with low-loss silicon nitride waveguides, you will develop reconfigurable photonic devices for applications in quantum photonics, optical filtering, and photonic sensing. Particular emphasis will be placed on programmable Mach–Zehnder interferometers, reconfigurable optical filters, and low-loss quantum photonic circuits operating at telecommunications wavelengths. The project combines nanofabrication, optical experiments, materials science, and photonic circuit design to create energy-efficient and highly adaptable photonic technologies.
