1 PhD Scholarship in Nonlinear Integrated Photonics in Denmark | Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

The PhD study is directed at design, fabrication and characterization of non-linear waveguides and simple devices in different materials aiming at the most efficient nonlinear platform allowing extremely high power handling.

• The design is mainly related to waveguide dispersion, mode-expanders and possibly resonator structures.
• The main challenge lies in the (cleanroom) fabrication of devices and the trade-off between intrinsic material properties and processing abilities (e.g. scattering loss from waveguide sidewalls).
• The study will start with optimizations of the AlGaAs on insulator platform and literature study of nonlinear materials suitable for integration.
• The fabrication process is based first on wafer bonding to oxidized silicon for crystalline nonlinear materials or various deposition methods, as LPCVD, IBSD, ALD etc., for amorphous materials to create the base material for the devices.

This is followed by e-beam or DUV patterning, and subsequently dry-etching/lift-off processing has to be done, and finally possible cladding layers deposited.

For each material chosen the fabrication needs to be optimized to ensure the extremely smooth surfaces needed to lower the linear losses of the devices.

Finally, linear and nonlinear characterization of the waveguides will be carried out by the candidate.

Qualifications: Candidates should have a master's degree in engineering or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the master's degree in engineering.Good communication skills in written and spoken English are a must.