The Photonics and Semiconductor Nanophysics group at the Eindhoven University of Technology (The Netherlands, http://www.phys.tue.nl/psn) has an open postdoctoral position on the physics of nanolasers and nanophotonic structures.

Background

Densely-integrated optical interconnects on silicon chips will be needed in order to solve the interconnect bottleneck and sustain the continued growth of computing power and communication bandwidth. Such optical interconnects demand the development of a new generation of nanophotonic structures operating at ultralow energies and high speed. Photonic crystals, plasmonic structures and their combination will represent essential building blocks of this future integration technology. Nanophotonic components operating at the sub-wavelength level and close to the quantum level present fascinating new physical phenomena, including the modification of spontaneous emission, the production of nonclassical light states, etc., areas where our group is very active. A particularly interesting device is the nanolaser, pionereed in Eindhoven [1], where photons and carriers are both confined in a sub-wavelength cavity. This is expected to lead to a wealth of new effects, related to the modified spontaneous emission rate, the extreme spatial hole burning and the modified electron-photon interaction. These physical effects play a major role in determining the efficiency and modulation speed and their understanding is therefore vital to the design of nanolasers for interconnect applications. Our group has a joint project with Prof. Smit's group in the Electrical Engineering (EE) department with the goal of fabricating and investigating the physics of a novel generation of nanolasers.

Project description

The selected candidate will perform cutting-edge fundamental research on laser physics at an unconventional scale. He/she will apply ultrasensitive time-resolved, single-photon measurement techniques developed in our lab to study the dynamics of the nanolasers fabricated at the EE department. The spontaneous emission dynamics below threshold and the relaxation oscillation dynamics above threshold will be measured, enabling the investigation of the unique characteristics of lasing at the nanoscale. Additionally, and depending on the personal interests, he/she may contribute to other ongoing nanophotonic research activities, including single-photon devices and physics and fundamental studies of solid-state cavity quantum electrodynamics.

Requirements

We welcome applications from candidates with an excellent academic background in Physics or Electrical Engineering and with a PhD degree in optics or photonics Candidates must prove a strong attitude towards experimental physics and the drive and capacity to tackle different aspects of a complex physical problem with large independence.

Appointment

The initial appointment will be for one year, and may be renewed for a total duration of up to 2.5 years, in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities. The University offers an attractive package of fringe benefits such as excellent technical infrastructure, child care, savings schemes and excellent sports facilities.

Application

For the application procedure, see

http://jobs.tue.nl/en/job/postdoc-on-the-physics-of-nanolasers-175546.html

Candidates are urged to apply as soon as possible, as selection will start immediately.

References

[1] Hill et al., Nature Photonics 1, 589 (2007)