Exploring New Resonator Designs for Thin-Film Lasers on Photonic Chips

Metal halide perovskites are an exciting material family for compact light sources. They can emit efficiently, their colour can be tuned by design, and they can be processed as thin films on different photonic platforms. We explore how new resonator designs can turn these materials into efficient, compact and controllable lasers for on-chip photonics.

In this project, you will work with photonic structures fabricated in imec’s 200 mm cleanroom and combine them with thin-film emitter materials. The work includes device fabrication in thin-film optoelectronics labs and optical measurements with tools such as photoluminescence imaging spectrometry, streak-camera measurements, and near-field and far-field characterization. This offers hands-on experience in nanofabrication, thin-film processing, integrated photonics and optical characterization, while contributing to a new generation of thin-film light sources.

The work can include optical design and modelling with electromagnetic simulation tools, preparation of perovskite thin films, and optical characterization with spectroscopy equipment. The experimental part will focus on how the lasers emit, how their spectrum changes, and how their performance depends on the resonator geometry. You will analyse the data, compare the measurements with simulations, and build a physical understanding of what makes the devices work. The exact balance between design, fabrication and characterization can be adjusted to your background and interests.

You will join a multidisciplinary team of PhD researchers, senior researchers and professors working in photonics and optoelectronics. We are looking for someone who is curious, motivated to learn new experimental and analytical techniques, and comfortable working in a collaborative setting. A background in photonics, optics, semiconductor devices or electromagnetics is highly desirable.