PIC: Charge Trapped Photonic Devices for Computing, Sensing and Sequencing Applications

University Of Dayton, Dayton OH

Investigators

Abstract

The proposal seeks to develop novel hybrid silicon charge trapped photonic waveguide devices for low (practically zero power) on-chip optical memory, computation, label-free sensing and genetic sequencing applications. The program will expose students to interdisciplinary research in photonics, electrical engineering, biochemistry and microbiology. Together with novel ferroelectric integration in silicon photonics, demonstration of label-free gene sequencing using integrated photonics will train undergraduate and graduate students under a multidisciplinary umbrella integrating silicon photonics with microbiology. Devices fabricated in a multi-project wafer (MPW) run at a commercial CMOS foundry will expose students to critical tasks of fabless companies in submitting layouts for finished designs to commercial foundries for fabrication. The project will culminate with the feasibility demonstration of charge trapped silicon photonic devices in diverse applications for next generation on-chip computing as well as enabling the potential for photonic based readout of biologically stored data in DNA. Project members will engage in STEM outreach targeting middle and high school students in greater Dayton, OH and broaden participation of minority students in STEM education and training. Specific project activities supported by Intel OASIS have been designed for undergrads for workforce development in semiconductors. The activities planned here will expose a larger pool of students in the physical sciences and engineering that will build industrial manpower to address the significant future US need in the semiconductor industry not only for chip fabrication but also its applications in next generation computing and biological stored data readout using photonic integrated circuits. Carrier charge modulation in silicon photonics has been used for modulation of optical signals in integrated photonic p-n doped waveguides and resonators. During the past decade, storage of non-volatile, adjustable, multi-level weights in undoped low-loss photonic devices has attracted significant interest for computing applications. The discovery of ferroelectric properties in thin film oxides promises the potential for trapping charges in undoped silicon in hybrid ferroelectric silicon waveguides for integrated photonic non-volatile memory applications. Such devices can also be used for label-free DNA sensing/sequencing with ion selective membranes. The intellectual significance of the proposed activities includes: (a) demonstrating hybrid ferroelectric silicon photonic waveguides and nanostructured resonators as energy-efficient non-volatile optical memory for computing; (b) demonstrating multi-level optical memory; (c) demonstration of high sensitivity proton sensing in ion-sensitive-photonic-field-effect-waveguide (ISPFEW) devices with ion selective membranes integrated with photonic waveguides, and d) demonstration of potential for label-free gene sequencing on a photonic chip, in contrast to labeled methods elsewhere. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.