The futurestarts here
Latest news
Zepler Institute welcomes ‘Father’ of the Photonic Bandgap concept
Electronics and photonics researchers gathered yesterday to hear from world-leading engineer and scientist, Professor Eli Yablonovitch, who visited the University to give a special lecture as part of the Zepler Institute’s Distinguished Speaker series.
Professor Yablonovitch, Director of the NSF Center for Energy Efficient Electronics Science (E3S) headquartered at UC Berkeley, is regarded as the ‘Father’ of the Photonic Bandgap concept and coined the term ‘photonic crystal’. Photonic crystals are periodic optical nanostructures that affect the movement of photons, blocking particular wavelengths and enabling light to be controlled for applications such as optical fibres and solar cells.
Presenting ‘Optoelectronics: Is there anything it cannot do; Can Opto-Electronics Provide the Motive Power for Future Vehicles?’, Prof Yablonovitch discussed the scientific principle behind the record-breaking solar cells developed by his start-up company Alta Devices Ltd and future applications of thermo-photovoltaic devices to power electric cars, homes and stationary power plants.
Prof Yablonovitch is the seventh speaker to feature in the Zepler Institute’s Distinguished Lecture series which was launched by Prof Federico Capasso (Harvard), inventor of the Quantum Cascade Laser in 2013. The series invites academics of the highest calibre to share their research and ideas.
The scientific advances made by Prof Yablonovitch underpin many everyday technologies, as well research currently being pursued at the Zepler Institute.
Prof Yablonovitch established the 4(n squared) light-trapping factor that is in worldwide use for almost all commercial solar panels. This factor, which increased the theoretical limits and practical efficiency of solar cells, is sometimes called the ‘Yablonovitch Limit’ and his company, Alta Devices, has held the world record for solar cell efficiency since 2011, now 28.8%. Furthermore, in his semiconductor lasers research, he introduced the idea that strained semiconductor lasers could have superior performance due to reduced valence band (hole) effective mass. Technologies such as DVD players and the ubiquitous red laser pointers all rely on this development.
Prof Yablonovitch’s seminal description of photonic crystals published in Physical Review Letters in 1987 is the second most-cited paper ever published by the journal. Indeed, researchers at the Zepler Institute are pioneering the fabrication of optical fibres using the photonic bandgap concept and recently produced a record 11km length of Hollow Core Photonic BandGap Fibre (HC-PBF), a breakthrough bringing this revolutionary fibre closer to being used in applications entailing long-distances such as telecoms.
The impact of Professor Yablonovitch’s research has recently been recognised by the Institute of Physics in London who have awarded him their highest honour, the Isaac Newton Medal, for his visionary and foundational contributions to photonic nanostructures. For more information, visit the Institute of Physics website.
Posted by rc2c12@sot on 05 Nov 2015.