Optical Metasurfaces enable Optical Sensor Miniaturization for Robotics and Healthcare

The era of mass-manufactured optics using CMOS technology is revolutionizing the world of displays, sensing and compute. Optical metasurfaces, 2D optical devices made by nanopatterning thin films, outperform traditional optics in terms of form factor as well as performance. The technology is already getting implemented for its excellent properties in the latest products of Samsung, Google, and Apple. Besides these obvious applications, its excellent properties for miniaturization have also been identified as a key technology for display technologies, quantum compute technologies as well as for medical and pharmacological technologies.

In this doctoral research we will pursue the field of miniaturized retroreflectors for the purpose of passive and active optical read-out of physical properties. Optical metasurfaces allow for the manufacturing of miniaturized retroreflectors, optical devices that reflect incident light back to its source. In this research, you will be functionalizing these devices and make out of ordinary retroreflectors, “smart” retroreflectors, because the reflected light will contain information. Through remote optical read-out, the information will have an efficient retroreflective communication path which makes it ideal for non-contact interface in challenging conditions. As there are in underwater sensing, aerial drones, space applications, robotics and healthcare applications.

It will be the task of the selected PhD student to select the device architecture and technology to be used. This technology platform will become the foundation of its research. The first target application is the demonstration of an optical read-out technology with an ultra-compact, high-performance angular sensor for robotics and surgical navigation. Such miniaturized sensors would become a game-changer for surgical navigation in orthopedics, or spine surgeries.

The ideal candidate has a strong hands-on background in engineering, physics, electrical engineering, or equivalent. You will need to be self-driven and passionate about your topic, as well as a team player with a critical mindset and excellent communication skills. Given the international character of imec, an excellent knowledge of English is a must.