He who seeks shall find.

-- Italian Proverb

Our research embraces key areas of nanoelectronics and nanophotonics, including organic semiconductors, nanowires, plasmonics, and new ideas in quantum and “cognitive” optical networks. We are particularly interested in fundamental properties of materials emerging from small dimensionality, large interface area, hybridization and artificial nanostructuring.

The main topics are:

Light Emission and Detection at the Nanoscale

Low dimensional material structures, like quantum dots and nanowires, offer immense possibilities for tailoring the optoelectronic response of heterogeneous nanoscale devices. We study the fundamental mechanisms of charge carrier photogeneration, transport and recombination in these nanostructures at extremely broad time and energy scales, and implement prototype devices such as nanowire lasers, quantum dot solar cells, and nanowire photodetectors.

These studies will push scaling limits and efficiency of photodetectors and nanoscale light sources for future integrated photonic circuits.

Ongoing project:
  • Superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (NRF-QEP)
Relevant publications:

New Materials & Structures for Metamaterials

Electromagnetic metamaterials are artificial structures engineered to have optical properties that do not occur in natural materials. We employ unconventional material platforms such as hybrid perovskites, phase-change chalcogenide and topological insulators to demonstrate new metamaterial concepts and to control light-matter interaction.

Functional metamaterials obtained by hybridization and nanostructuring of emerging material platforms, with unique electronic, optical and magnetic properties, enable reconfiguration, spectral tunability, and new ways to interact with electrons and other quasiparticles.

Ongoing projects:
  • Perovskites for tunable nanoantennas at visible and infra-red frequencies (A*STAR-AME)
  • Quantum and topological nanophotonics (MOE-Tier 3)
Relevant publications:

Organic Optoelectronics

Organic semiconductors (conjugated polymers, molecular crystals, small molecules) and organic-inorganic hybrids (organo-metal halide perovskites, heterostructures) are widely considered for applications in low-cost organic solar cells, light-emitting diodes, field-effect transistors and sensors. Lying at the boundary between conventional semiconductor crystals and disordered materials, these systems have extremely rich photophysical properties.

By advancing the understanding of fundamental optical and transport properties of these systems, we aim at finding new ways to optimize efficiency and extend functionality of organic photovoltaic, photo/chemo/bio-sensors, and light emitting devices.

Ongoing projects:
  • Perovskite optoelectronics: multidimensional perovskites for high performance solution-processed light-emitting devices (NRF-CRP)
  • Probing the biotic/abiotic interface of living cells on metasurfaces (MOE-Tier 1)
Relevant publications:

Specialty Optical Fibers and Photonic Networks

Optical fibers provide a mature, mass-manufacturable technology that has given rise to complex networks of interconnected computing nodes, transferring information around the planet. Our research in this area involves four layers of activity: 1. the integration of functional materials and devices within optical fibres, 2. the development of quantum technologies on the fibre platform, 3. the exploration of network architectures for optical neuromorphic computing, and 4. the application of deep-learning methods for optical fibre imaging and signal transmission.

“Cognitive” and quantum photonic networks may drastically increase efficiency and functionality of existing approaches for imaging, signal processing, and optical telecommunications.

Ongoing projects:
  • Nanophotonic quantum toolkit on the fibre platform (A*STAR-QTE)
  • Application of machine learning to complex photonics (MOE-Tier 1)
Relevant publications: