Research Expertise
OptoelectronicsThe following highlights our research expertise in this area:
All-Solid-State-Laser
Engineering:
Science, technology and engineering of all-solid-state light sources;
development of practical systems for real applications; ultrashort-pulse
systems - stable, self starting, mode-locked operation using passive semiconductor
mirrors (Saturable Bragg Reflector), high average power oscillators, operating
CW, quasi- CW or pulsed; adaptive optics for real time intra-cavity correction
of thermal effects; applications include materials processing, next generation
semiconductor lithography.
Atomic, Molecular,
Discharge and Plasma Physics:
Reaction kinetics and dynamics of molecules and clusters in gaseous states;
atoms, molecules and ions in low temperature discharges and moderate/high
temperature plasmas; applications in communications.
Biomedical Instrumentation:
Laser treatment of tattoos and port-wine stains; development of optical
based biomedical instrumentation; cellular image processing, high revolution
spectroscopy.
Discharge Spectroscopy:
Tuneable laser spectroscopy of discharges.
Fibre-Optic Devices
and Sub Systems:
All fibre devices for filtering, modulation, switching; fibre laser design
and specialist system realisation; fibre and semiconductor hybrid lasers
and amplifiers.
Fluorescence
Photophysics:
Fluorescent molecular probe studies of structure and dynamics in macromolecules,
porous solids and microheterogeneous media; fluorescent lifetime sensors
for the remote detection of analytes such as metal ions, oxygen and halogens
as well as physical parameters such as temperature and viscosity; development
of time resolved fluorescent techniques on the fs to s timescale e.g.
multiplexed data acquisition for parallel measurement.
Gallium Nitride
Materials andDevices:
Metal organic chemical vapour deposition reactor for wide band-gap
gallium nitride growth; optoelectronic quality material for UV/blue/green
emitters; in-situ growth monitoring, novel pre-cursors and lateral overgrowth;
vertical cavity surface emitting laser and micro-LED array deviceformats;
displays, optical storage and biomedicine.
Lasers:
Ultrashort pulse/narrow line width, all-solid-state-laser systems; high
resolution spectroscopy; non-linear optics; mode locked and narrow line
rare earth doped fibre lasers; all-solid-state-laser system development.
Microscopy and
Spectroscopy:
Scanning probe microscopy; cathodoluminescence imaging and spectroscopy.
Non-Linear Optics:
Pattern formation; computer simulation of optoelectronic devices; control
of chaos and turbulence; chaos theory.
Optical Instruments
for Environmental Science:
Development of particle counters, flow cytometers, spectroradiometers
and submersible oceanographic instruments.
Optical Materials:
Design, growth, characterisation and fundamental spectroscopic studies
of crystals with applications in non-linear optics and solid state lasers;
bulk and thin film organic crystals; inorganic non-linear optics; thin
films; linear and non linear optical properties of materials; optical
sensor materials; development of flexible membrane mirrors for imaging.
Optoelectronics
and Optical Transmission:
Optical architectures and protocols (communication networks); optical
ATM processing; optical transmission systems; optoelectronic devices;
optical fibre technology; tuneable lasers.
Optoelectronic
Instrumentation:
Development of guided-wave optical devices and systems for gas measurement
(methane and hydrogen sulphide), distributed fibre-optic sensing for strain,
temperature, moisture and corrosion in structures; photon tunnelling probes
for characterising biological monitoring.
Optoelectronic
Sensors and Systems:
Absorption spectroscopy; damage assessment in composites; distributed
optical fibre sensing; evanescent wave sensors; fibre amplifiers in communications;
fibre lasers for spectroscopy; fibre-optic components; fibre- optic micro-sensors;
fibre-optic sensors for physical, chemical and bio-medical applications;
laser generated ultrasound; management and control of optical layers;
moisture measurement systems; multi-point and distributed sensor systems;
optical code division multiple access; optical fibre communications; optical
instrumentation; optical networking; optical packet switched layers; optical
switching and routing; performance analysis of networks; sol-gel materials
for optical sensors; trace gas sensors; ultra-high-speed imaging.
Quantum Optics:
Quantum images, squeezing quantum cryptography; study of quantum
properties of light and its interaction with matter to test quantum theory
leading to potential applications in quantum cryptography (with potential
applications in secure communications)
Relativistic Electron
Beams, Lasers and Discharges:
Intense, relativistic electron beams; electron cyclotron masers; cyclotron
autoresonance masers (CRAMs); free electron lasers; high power microwaves;
applications in communications, radar and diagnostics; novel methods of
sensing electromagnetic fields.
III-V Semiconductor
Optoelectronic Devices:
Materials, device design and device processing for next generation telecoms
and other applications- focus on active devices; narrow band-gap 'dilute'
nitrides (GalnNAs); vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers research
spanning UV/blue/GaN), visible and near IR (GaAs), engineerable gain media-wavelength
flexibility and power scaling, high performance mode- locked and tuneable
single frequency operation.
Semiconductors:
Optical spectroscopy and transport studies performed on compound semiconductors
e.g. InGaAs (high magnetic fields, low temperatures); photoluminescence
spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy; development of sensitive thermal
detectors; optical semiconductor devices.
Superconducting
Technology:
Superconducting quantum inference devices (SQUIDS)- modelling, design
and fabrication, applications in biomagentic studies (foetal, spinal,
neurological, visual systems), digital signal processing; detection of
magnetic fields; measurement of electrical noise; sensitive thermal detectors.
Departments and
Specialist Centres:
These areas of research
represent the activities of a number of University Departments and Specialist
Centres including:
Bioengineering Unit
Electronic and Electrical
Engineering
Institute of Photonics
Physics
Pure
and Applied Chemistry
