New phase change materials for photonics: from in-silico design to novel device concepts
Abstract
New phase change materials for photonics: from in-silico design to novel device conceptsIn response to Topic 11 (ONR) MURI call: Ph"ase Change Materials for PhotonicsPI: Ritesh Agarwal, University of PennsylvaniaUniversity Partners: MIT, Purdue, University of Mi""nnesota and University of MarylandProposed Budget Y1-Y3: $4,499,993: Y4-Y5: $2,999,990: Total: $7,499,983Phase Change Materials (P"CMs) undergo rapid and reversible structural transitions that havebeen used in important technologies such as optical and electroni"c memory. Among the variousclasses of PCMs, chalcogenide materials have had the most significant impact due to theunparalleled cha""nges in their refractive index and electrical conductivity between the two phases,which can be triggered via both optical and elect""rical stimuli. The existence of many metastable,non-volatile states in these materials also enables unique multi-level information"" storagecapabilities. However, significant challenges must be overcome to realize the full potential ofPCMs in next-generation opt""ical and electronic technologies. The most significant obstacles towidespread usage include the high power needed for switching, th""e need to improve materialendurance, and the difficulties in discovering new compositions with properties tailored for newand unco""nventional applications.In the past, the discovery of PCMs has been serendipitous, and applications have beenlimited by naturally-""occurring phenomena as found in nature. This empirical process has beenslow, yielding PCMs with limited technological potential. Ou"r MURI team aims to accelerate thesearch and development of PCMs and greatly expand the scope of their applications by reversingth"e traditional path of discovery. Instead of being constrained to empirically discovered bulkphase-transitions, we will actively des""ign materials based on atomic-scale phenomena that areknown to support useful phase-change behavior, and that can be encoded as a m"aterials genome.We will carry out theory-driven search for new materials and screen them based on PCMrelevantmaterials genomics. W"e will use state-of-the-art thin-film deposition techniquesincluding combinatorial synthesis, coupled with defect-engineering techn""iques, to optimize thematerials identified by theory. We will establish characterization protocols to evaluateoptoelectronic prope"rties and investigate their microscopic mechanisms. The most promisingcandidates among the materials studied will be quickly transf"erred to our device platforms fordemonstrating novel photonics concepts including fully reconfigurable metadevices,programmable ph""otonic networks, and neuromorphic computing. The measured deviceperformance will in turn inform the ongoing materials discovery eff""orts, thereby completing theinnovation cycle.Our world-class, vertically-integrated team brings expertise in first-principles mate""rialstheory, growth via sputtering, PLD, MOCVD, MBE, nanoscaling of materials, advancedcharacterization, in situ microscopies, int""egrated photonics design and fabrication, and braininspiredneuromorphic computing. Our recently-assembled yet highly-regarded team" consists offaculty members across all ranks who are recognized world leaders in respective fields and iswell-positioned to spearhead the development of next generation PCMs and translate them intorevolutionary applications.We will establish validated protocols for discovering new PCMs engineered from the firstprinciples to deliver functions that enable new photonic device applications. Our holisticresearch effort will help to revitalize PCM research in the USA. Our work is aligned with theDoD~s vision of harnessing" the entire electromagnetic spectrum and will deliver disruptivetechnologies for reconfigurable photonic devices and systems, for a"pplications in areas rangingfrom navigation and detection to optical communication and computation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 07, 2017
- Source ID
- N000141712661
Entities
People
- Ritesh Agarwal
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Pennsylvania