Acquisition of a Femtosecond Laser System for Semiconductor Research and Photonics Education

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

With this award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program the University of Pittsburgh will be able to acquire a laser system which would be a very flexible system for photonics research. This system will have wavelength tunability from the near-infrared to ultraviolet, variable repetition rate, and pulse width variable from 100 femtoseconds to picoseconds, plus a narrow linewidth constant-wave option for some wavelengths. This laser will be replace most of the functions of an existing dye-laser system which has become obsolete and will provide new optical functions which will allow a greater range of experiments. These experiments are part of the ongoing research at the University of Pittsburgh in the area of semiconductor photonics. This system would have immediate impact on undergraduate research at the University of Pittsburgh, because with the availability of the new system, the Nd:YAG-pumped dye laser system presently in use would be made available for a new undergraduate training facility for high-power lasers. This facility will be part of the existing Certificate in Photonics undergraduate education program at the University of Pittsburgh, created through a past NSF program and with continuing support from NSF. The new laser system would also have immediate impact in graduate education, because the primary users of the new system will be graduate students. %%% With this award from the Instrumentation for Materials Research program the University of Pittsburgh will be able to acquire a laser system which would be a very flexible system for photonics research. This laser will be replace most of the functions of an existing dye-laser system which has become obsolete and will provide new optical functions which will allow a greater range of experiments. The experiments are part of the ongoing research at the University of Pittsburgh in the area of semiconductor photonics. This system would have immediate impact on undergraduate research at the University of Pittsburgh, because with the availability of the new system, the Nd:YAG-pumped dye laser system presently in use would be made available for a new undergraduate training facility for high-power lasers. This facility will be part of the existing Certificate in Photonics undergraduate education program at the University of Pittsburgh, created through a past NSF program and with continuing support from NSF. The new laser system would also have immediate impact in graduate education, because the primary users of the new system will be graduate students.