On-chip light source produces versatile range of wavelengths

Science Daily  December 19, 2019 A team of researchers in the US (NIST, University of Maryland, Carnegie Mellon University) has created visible light from an infrared pump by widely separated optical parametric oscillation (OPO) using silicon nanophotonics. The OPO creates signal and idler light in the 700 nm and 1300 nm bands, respectively, with a 900 nm pump. It operates at a threshold power of (0.9±0.1)mW, over 50× smaller than other widely separated microcavity OPO works, which have been reported only in the infrared. This low threshold enables direct pumping without need of an intermediate optical amplifier. The device design […]

Using a virus to make a better type of memory

Nanowerk   November 27, 2018 An international team of researchers (USA – MIT, Singapore) controlled the morphology, composition, and functionality of Segregating-binary-alloy-type germanium–tin oxide systems using template-driven nucleation that leverages the electrostatic-binding specificity of the M13 bacteriophage surface. A wire like phase-change materials (PCM) was achieved, with controllable and reliable phase-changing signatures, capable of tens of nanoseconds switching times. This approach addresses some of the critical material compositional and structural constraints that currently diminish the utility of PCMs in universal memory systems…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE