Jun 10 (Tue) @ 3:00pm: "Silicon Photonic Modulators and Devices for Extreme Environments and Datacenters," Evan Chansky, ECE PhD Defense

Location: Henley Hall (HH), Room 1010

Abstract

Silicon photonics can extend the use of high bandwidth optical links from datacenter deployment to emerging applications with harsh operating conditions. Micro-ring modulators (MRMs) are a promising solution to interconnect bottlenecks in AI clusters, as well as cryogenically cooled computing and sensing (both classical and quantum) and radiation exposure for high energy physics detectors and intra-satellite communication. Silicon MRMs face carrier freeze out at cryogenic temperatures and pinch off from total ionizing dose of radiation. Both degradation mechanisms can be overcome with higher doping while improving device performance. Highly doped MRM devices fabricated in the GF Fotonix process are shown to be operational at 77 K and 1 Grad TID. WDM readout is shown for a 50 Gbps x 8 lambda MRM transmitter. Also at cryogenic temperatures, a GeSi EAM was demonstrated, with a shifted operating bandgap. A polarization insensitive wavelength selective optical switch will also be shown.

Bio

Evan Chansky is a PhD Candidate in Electrical Engineering at UC Santa Barbara in Clint Schow’s group. During the program, he received a fellowship through the Dept. of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program to work on his thesis at Lawerence Berkeley National Laboratory. He received a M.S. in electrical engineering from UCSB in 2022 and dual degrees in electrical engineering and engineering physics from Lehigh University in 2020.

Hosted By: ECE Professor Clint Schow

Submitted By: Evan Chansky <evanchansky@ucsb.edu>