DIRECT ELECTRICAL MODULATION OF LIGHT EMISSION AT SUB-LIFETIME SCALES

Brown University, Providence RI

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this program is to develop a new architecture for high-speed phosphorescent devices based on the dynamic control of light emission at sub-lifetime speeds. Direct, sub-lifetime modulation of light emission promises to enable the development of compact, high-speed phosphorescent devices. Such devices would have a transformative impact on communication, display, and lighting technologies as well as applications in biological and chemical sensing. The educational aspects include development of a laboratory-intensive Photonics course that will emphasize the design of dynamic and reconfigurable optical systems; development of a new Advanced Spectroscopy Workshop for researchers, students, and teachers in Rhode Island; expansion of the SearchLight Project to help promote the new Design Workshop maker space in the Laboratory for Engineering, especially to train and support local community members. The intellectual significance is centered on the investigation of a new method for modulating the slowly decaying emitters that form the basis for many modern optoelectronic devices. Rather than modulating the excited state population, the goal is to modify the local optical environment and directly modulate emission rates into different modes within the excited state lifetime. The approach involves a program to demonstrate an electrically-modulated light emitting device based upon the sub-lifetime modulation of erbium emission near the telecom-wavelength of 1550 nm. In addition, a new material platform for high-speed modulation based on leveraging the electronic and vibronic emission from transition-metal phosphors will be investigated. This program will enhance the understanding of dynamic processes in both light emitting and phase change materials.