News: Optoelectronics
22 January 2024
VCSELence Torino inaugurated as VCSEL center of excellence in Italy
As part of the IEIIT-Reunion in Turin, Italy on 20 December, VCSELence Torino was inaugurated as a center of excellence (CoE). The primary scientific and technological goals are to investigate vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for applications in high-speed optical fiber data transmission links and optical sensing. Relying on its established technical background in VCSELs, VCSELence targets the experimental exploitation of these devices, pushing their application beyond the current limits by performing modelling of the in-laser phenomena, supported by in-house experiments, with final testing of the device in the entire system.
VCSELence Torino unites the competences of the founders Department of Electronics and Telecommunication (DET) at Politecnico di Torino), LINKS Foundations and IEIIT-CNR (Istituto di Elettronica e di Ingegneria dell' Informazione e delle Telecomunicazioni del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche). These organizations collectively have expertise in optical, electrical and spectral characterization, modeling and advanced applications of semiconductor lasers, spanning all wavelengths for the optical communication bands and optical sensing. The scientific goal is to advance understanding of the dynamics of the coupled photon-carrier system in these optoelectronic emitters by combining theoretical and experimental investigations. It is expected that this will allow improved devices to be designed on-demand, exploiting their ultimate limits and going far beyond the existing state-of-the-art.
VCSELence Torino says that it is open in offering its services of modelling, design, characterization and system testing on a worldwide platform by collaborating with all technology-driven and application-oriented groups. It is expected that this will result in international research, in the spirit of collaborative opportunities with innovative companies. VCSELence Torino already relies on a wide range of European and worldwide funded projects with universities and companies, and it intends to extend these.
VCSELence is building on the existing photonics infrastructure of LINKS and Photonext (Interdepartmental Center for Applied Photonics of Politecnico di Torino) where it shares a 300m2 lab. It aims to become a significant player in the development of knowledge and expertise in the application of semiconductor technologies, benefitting Italy’s economy. The new center is also expected to play an important role in advancing quantum physics-based technology and the ability to apply it to the advantage of society.
“Our Center of Excellence will be the research building for all scientists involved in modeling, design, technology and application of these low-cost semiconductor lasers, working together on the advancing of semiconductor optics research and optoelectronics,” says CNR’s Dr Pierluigi Debernardi, who has 25 years of experience working on VCSELs.
