Projects
This is a selected list of the projects ORC is involved in, sorted by funding agency.
Contents
- EU projects
- Tekes projects
- Academy of Finland projects
- Marie Curie actions
- Other projects
- Finished projects
EU projects
These international projects are funded by the European Union.
EU FP7: RAMPLAS -- 100 Gb/s Optical RAM on-chip: Silicon-based, integrated Optical RAM enabling High-Speed Applications in Computing and Communications
RAMPLAS cross-disciplinary workplan blends innovation in computer science, optical design, photonic integration and semicondictor physics. It aims to provide the theoretical foundations of optical RAM and to introduce novel optical RAM circuit designs. A building block approach will associate circuit design with physical layer parameters. Novel epitaxial methods will be employed for the fabrication of ultrafast dilute-nitride-antimonide gain regions on GaAs (InGaAsNSb/GaAs) towards the deployment of active elements for 100GHz optical RAM. Heterointegration techniques will increase integration density on established SOI technology. Multi-bit RAM chips with up to 64-bit capacity are envisaged to pave the way to densely integrated optical RAMs and kByte capacities The research outcomes of RAMPLAS will be evaluated in a solid proof-of-concept validation plan based both on simulations and experiments, intending to set the scene for new paradigms in Computing, Communications and Test & Measurement.
Participants: Centre for Research and Technology Hellas CERTH Greece (Coordinator), Technical University of Berlin TUB Germany, VTT Technical Research Centre VTT Finland, Phoenix BV PHOENIX, Netherlands, National Technical University of Athens ICCS/NTUA Greece
Project duration : 2011 – 2014
Contact person: Prof. Mircea Guina
EU FP7: DeLight -- Development of low-cost technologies for the fabrication of high-performance telecommunication lasers
The DeLight project (http://www.delightproject.eu) develops advanced structures and low-cost technologies, in particular nanoimprint lithography (NIL), for the fabrication of high-performance telecommunication lasers. Surface gratings a thousand times smaller than the diameter of human hair are used to generate ultra-pure light and multiple laser sections are employed to provide direct-modulation speeds of 43 Gb/s and beyond. The surface-gratings - applied in the fabrication of distributed feedback (DFB) and distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) lasers at 1.3 and 1.55 µm - are compatible with a single-sweep epitaxial growth and processing. This avoids all the fabrication complication, yield reduction, performance impairment and, ultimately, device cost increase associated with the overgrowth required in the conventional DFB/DBR semiconductor laser fabrication process. High-order photon-photon resonances, taking place in multiple longitudinal section lasers, are exploited to extend the direct modulation bandwidth far beyond the limits imposed currently by the electron-photon resonance.
Project duration: 2008 - 2012.
Contact person: Mihail Dumitrescu.
EU FP7 : FAST-DOT -- Compact Ultrafast Laser Sources Based On Novel Quantum Dot Structures
The principal objective of FAST-DOT (http://fast-dot.eu) is to exploit the unique combination of ultrafast properties and key wavelengths available from quantum-dot (QD) materials to produce a new generation of compact ultrafast laser devices. Within the scope of FAST-DOT the consortium will develop QD-based laser technology to deliver compact, inexpensive, high-performance laser sources and devices in a broad spectral range; provide new, affordable photonics devices and supporting knowledge to enable widespread development of biophotonics applications, and apply the unique properties of QD-based ultrafast lasers to benefit already existing biophotonics applications.
Project duration : 2008 – 2012
Contact person: Oleg Okhotnikov.
Tekes projects
These projects are funded by Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation. Tekes is the main public funding organisation for research, development and innovation in Finland.
Tekes: FLIPSOI - Optics integration by flip-chip bonding on a silicon waveguide platform
Partners: VTT Micronova (Coordinator), ORC
FLIPSOI (Optics integration by flip-chip bonding on a silicon waveguide platform) is a TEKES-funded project which will develop dilute nitride semiconductor optical amplifiers, mode-locked semiconductor lasers, and modulators for hybrid integration on SOI (silicon on insulator) platforms.
The main objective of this project is to develop commercially viable technologies for hybrid integration of discrete optical chips into highly functional, state-of-the-art optical modules. The target applications are mainly in optical telecommunication and short-range optical interconnections where the total data rate per optical module can reach terabits per second. The modules can be used for example in optical fiber networks, high end routers, super computers, data centres and satellites. ORC’s role in this project is related to the fabrication of active chips, i.e. lasers, amplifiers and modulators based on GaAs technology.
InGaAsN/GaAs quantum-well (QW) heterostructures will be used to build SOAs, mode-locked lasers, and EAMs operating at 1.25–1.3 μm. The III-V chips will be bonded by VTT on the SOI platform. Finally, silicon-based packaging concepts will be developed as an alternative to presently used packaging methods that dominate the total cost of most optical modules.
Project duration: 2009 - 2012
Contact person: Prof. Mircea Guina.
Tekes: SOLAR III-V - Advanced III-V semiconductors for multi-junction high efficiency solar cells
Partners: ORC (Coordinator), Helsinki University of Technology, University of Turku
SOLAR III-V is a consortium research project funded by the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (TEKES) within the framework of the Functional Materials program. The general goal of the project is the development of functional semiconductors and nano-scale epi-structures for high efficiency solar cells.
Multi-junction (MJ) III-V compound semiconductor solar cells are the prime choice for efficient harvesting of solar energy. The key to pitching the conversion efficiency at the highest attainable level rests upon the ability to fabricate monolithic semiconductor heterostructures in MJ configuration, with each of the junctions being optimized to harvest a different part of the solar spectrum. When combined with concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) techniques, high efficiency III-V solar cells offer attractive opportunities for achieving the price target required to make solar energy competitive with traditional energy sources. The efficiency of current multi-junction cells can be increased by a more efficient conversion of the radiation band from about 0.8 eV to 1.25 eV. This is possible with the use of dilute nitride heterostructures (InGaAsN or InGaAsNSb); solar cells incorporating dilute nitrides are expected to reach efficiencies beyond 50 %. The main research topic to be addressed in SOLAR III-V is concerned with the rapid degradation of electrical and optical properties of InGaAsN as the mole fraction of [N] is increased. In parallel with improving the quality of semiconductor heterostructures, we will work on demonstrating novel solar cell concepts incorporating dilute nitrides.
Project duration: 2009 - 2012
Contact person: Prof. Mircea Guina.
Tekes: FABRICS – Fabrication and service performance of advanced stainless steels for demanding exhaust applications
FABRICS is a subproject of FIMECC Ltd. – Finnish Metals and Engineering Competence Cluster – Demanding Applications (DEMAPP) program, which aims to increase and deepen the cooperation between companies, universities, and research institutes in the area of top quality research. The program focuses on research and development of advanced materials for demanding application environments. The objective of the FABRICS subproject is to clarify the use of advanced ferritic stainless steels for exhaust system applications and to explore new applications. These materials are cost-efficient and sustainable, but their fabrication properties and possible limitations are not sufficiently well known. The scientific goal of FABRICS is to gain profound understanding of the mechanical-, oxidation-, and corrosion properties of these materials at high temperatures.
The role of Surface Science Laboratory in FABRICS is to provide experimental facilities for obtaining quantitative information concerning the local atomic structure of the alloy surfaces, adsorbate induced segregation effects, and chemical state of alloy constituents upon high temperature treatments and simulated corrosion tests of stainless steel materials. The surface analyses are performed primarily by electron spectroscopic methods utilizing both conventional and synchrotron radiation sources. The technological objectives of controlling the surface-mediated processes include improving the durability and self-healing properties of the protective oxide layer on ferritic stainless steels.
Project duration: 2010 –
Contact person: Prof. Mika Valden
Tekes: NanoFinish – Nanostructures and finishing of advanced stainless steel surfaces
NanoFinish project aims for the development of advanced stainless steel materials by controlling the formation of their surface nanostructures, such as the protective oxide layer, in great detail. Such control can be achieved through careful design of alloy composition, including the addition of specific minor and micro-alloying elements, and optimization of the surface finishing process (bright annealing) based on surface analytical research. The main research questions of this project are related to understanding the atomic- and molecular level details of the gas-solid surface interaction, which leads to reduction of unwanted oxide scales and subsequent formation of protective thin films. The goal is to control these phenomena in order to obtain desired properties, such as improved corrosion resistance, cleanability, durability under demanding application environments, and novel functionalities. The primary investigative tools employed in this research are molecular beam surface scattering and other methods of experimental surface science.
Project duration: 2010 – 2013
Contact person: Prof. Mika Valden
Tekes: KURKO – Composites for tissue construction
KURKO is a part of Functional Materials Program of TEKES and coordinated by the Department of Biomedical Technology, TUT. In this project, biodegradable porous synthetic polymer composite materials are engineered and studied for tissue engineering and medical applications. The aim is to manufacture scaffolds that mimic the structure and composition of the targeted tissue and promote differentation of stem cells and tissue growth. These composites enable treatments for difficult tissue injuries especially in bone, cartilage and tendon tissues. The project combines high level knowledge of polymer processing and development with supercritical carbon dioxide processing which enables the development and tailoring of functional porous polymer composites for biomedical applications.
The role of Surface Science Laboratory is to determine the surface properties of the composite materials and gain insights on how the surface properties change upon biodegradation and how bioactive materials in the composite are distributed and released in simulated physiological environment. The surface analyses are performed by electron spectroscopy.
Project duration: 2011 – 2014
Contact person: Prof. Mika Valden
Tekes: JOIN2 - Puolijohdekomponenttien automaattinen liittäminen ja testaus (Automatic joining and testing of semiconductor components
This extension for the JOIN Tekes project develops automatic joining processes for semiconductors and testing the joins and the components for the industry. Duration: 2011-2012. Contact: Pekka Savolainen.
Tekes: Produla - Photonics production platform
This project aims at developing flexible production capabilities for customised optoelectronic products. The research work will be guided by two pilot applications: i) LED lighting module and ii) Optoelectronic gas sensor module. The key technologies are hybrid-integration and low-cost light sources and photodetectors. Hybrid integration includes packaging of optoelectronics modules using customised sub-assemblies, circuit boards and encapsulant/molding processes. Novel photonic devices and optical components/structures will also to be studied and developed for the pilot applications. The light sources for sensing applications are mid-IR lasers and LED sources combined with photodetectors. Fabrication of these devices will utilize advanced epitaxial growth and nanopatterning expertise developed during the recent years. Especially the goal is to scale fabrication processes suitable for industrial production of the devices.
Project duration 1.6.2010 – 31.5.2012 (24 months).
Contact person: Prof. Tapio Niemi.
Academy of Finland projects
These projects are funded by the Academy of Finland, the main source of funding for basic research projects in Finland.
Academy of Finland: REDMETA - Resonance-domain metamaterials for sub-wavelength optics
Metamaterials often consist of nanoparticle arrays with periods of a few hundred nanometers. Such structures support propagating electromagnetic modes, which provide long-range coupling between the particles. Such resonance-domain metamaterials have been greatly underexploited. The overall goal of the REDMETA Consortium is to develop resonance-domain metamaterials. It is expected that such metamaterials will outperform conventional ones in (i) the tunability of spectral features; (ii) the ability to form a desired local-field distribution and to use it for radiation control; and (iii) the magnitude of the optical nonlinearity.
The work will be based on a close collaboration between Prof. Yuri Svirko at the Department of Physics of the University of Joensuu (coordinator), Dr. Goëry Genty at the Nonlinear Optics Group at the Department of Physics of the Tampere University of Technology, and Dr. Janne Simonen at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) of TUT.
Project duration: 2010 - 2013
Contact person: Janne Simonen.
Academy of Finland: NEREUS - Negative Refraction in semiconductor and Photonics Crystals Metamaterials
Metamaterials (MMs) constitute an exciting and important contemporary realm of science, which offers a completely new perspective to the optical world and enables practical applications that were previously thought to be impossible. Examples include perfect lenses, invisibility cloaks and light-stopping structures, the latter one having been proposed by one of the partners of this proposal.
NEREUS is conceived towards harnessing the extraordinary properties of MMs through the meticulous theoretical study, design and fabrication of solid-state, metamaterial-based, structures capable of "superlensing" and, also, of dramatically slowing down or completely stopping (and then releasing) incoming light signals. The key objective will be to design and fabricate well-behaved, low-dimensional, meta-structures (semiconductor-based) with stable, broadband and, particularly, low-loss performance, such that they can be reliably deployed in the construction of MM waveguiding heterostructures.
Project duration: 2009 - 2012.
Contact person: Janne Simonen.
Academy of Finland: DAUNTLESS – Development of vanguard semiconductor sources for single and entangled photon emission
The DAUNTLESS project is developing semiconductor sources targeting the cavity quantum electrodynamic (QED) strong coupling regime, which would enable the study of single and entangled photon emission. These sources are based on the strong coupling of an excitonic state with the mode of a 3D photonic cavity. Quantum dots (QDs) are the primary sources for the excitonic state, to be placed in 3D photonic cavities, which are created by etched pillars or 2D photonic crystal defects in the transverse plane and by semiconductor and hybrid distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirrors in the vertical direction. Selective epitaxial growth of QDs on patterned substrates and self-aligned processing are applied for placing the excitonic source close to the in-plane antinode of the 3D photonic cavity. Modulated DBRs are employed to produce 3D photonic cavities resonant both at the pump and emission wavelength.
Project duration: 2008 – 2011 (4 years).
Contact person: Mihail Dumitrescu.
Academy of Finland: STEEL – Surface and interface physics of stainless steel materials
Project duration: 2008 – 2011
Contact person: Prof. Mika Valden
Academy of Finland: Surface biofunctionalization of metallic materials by metallosupramolecular nanostructures (research grant for researcher mobility to Finland)
Project duration: 2010 – 2011
Contact person: Prof. Mika Valden
Academy of Finland: NANOmat – Modular spectromicroscopy system for nanomaterials synthesis and characterization (FIRI project)
Project duration: 2010 – 2013
Contact person: Prof. Mika Valden
Academy of Finland: SR-MAXIV – Synchrotron radiation based studies at MAX-IV (FIRI project)
Project duration: 2011 – 2015
Contact person: Prof. Mika Valden
Academy of Finland: Biofunc – Biofunctionalization of stainless steel surfaces using novel electrospray mediated supersonic molecular beam deposition technique
Project duration: 2011 – 2015
Contact person: Prof. Mika Valden
Marie Curie actions
Marie Curie Actions are aimed at the development and transfer of research competencies, the consolidation and widening of researchers' career prospects, and the promotion of excellence in European research.
Marie Curie: LaserNaMi - Laser Nanoscale Manufacturing
Marie Curie IRSES project “Laser Nanoscale Manufacturing (LaserNaMi)” focuses on staff exchange between the partners in EU and China. The research topics is related to new maskless nanoscale manufacturing technologies based on laser interference lithography (LIL). The project has three partners from EU and four from China. Contact person: Prof. Tapio Niemi.
Marie Curie: RANDFIELDS - Random fibre lasers for telecommunications and distributed sensing
RANDFIELDS fosters collaboration between EU and Russian academic partners in the fields of ultra-long fibre lasers and random lasers and their telecommunication and sensing applications. The project has six partners (UK, Finland, Belgium, Russia) and is coordinated by Aston University, UK. Contact person: Prof. Oleg Okhotnikov.
Marie Curie: TeLaSens - Carbon Nanotubes Technologies in Pulsed Fibre Lasers for Telecom and Sensing Applications
The final target TeLaSens is the implementation of a non-linear optical device in fibre lasers in order to achieve ultra-short pulse generation in the optical range important for telecommunication, environmental and biological sensing. The exchange program will benefit from participation of leading experts in nano-materials, optical spectroscopy, computation chemistry, fibre optics and lasers from both EU (UK, Denmark, Finland) and Partner countries (Russia, Ukraine). TeLaSens is coordinated by Aston University, UK. Contact: Prof. Oleg Okhotnikov.
Other projects
ERA-NET NanoSci-E+: ACEPLAN - Active plasmonics and lossless metamaterials
Metal surfaces can support so called surface plasmons, density waves of free electrons. These plasmon waves can interact with light, opening the way to a novel area of optics, namely plasmonics. When the metal surface is nanostructured, a possibility for true nanoscale optics emerges. This work aims to alleviate or even remove the unavoidable absorption losses caused by the metal by amplifying the plasmon waves with semiconductor quantum wells and dots, thus demonstrating low-loss plasmonic components. They will be designed by novel electromagnetic simulation methods developed during the project, running on a supercomputer cluster. This approach will also be used to design and fabricate novel wide-band low-loss or even lossless metamaterials, highly promising structures with a negative refractive index that can for example slow or even stop incoming light pulses. The final aim of the project is to demonstrate applications for telecom wavelengths.
The partners of the project are Dr. Janne Simonen from ORC (coordinator), Prof. Ortwin Hess from the University of Surrey, UK, and Dr. Antonella Bogoni from CNIT, Italy.
Project duration: 2009 - 2012
Contact person: Janne Simonen
Council of Tampere Region: LaserNano - Laser- ja nanoteknologiaan perustuva materiaalin valmistus- ja muokkausmenetelmä (Laser based fabrication and modification of nanomaterials)
The main idea in the “LaserNano”- project is to fabricate various nanoparticles and -materials by laser ablation either in vacuum or in liquids. Possible application areas include sensors, coatings, electrodes, biomedical, fluorescent labeling etc. To support networking and collaboration with industry a steering group is set up. The group consists of members from TUT, industrial partners and the council of Tampere. The project is funded by European Regional Development Fund via the Council of Tampere Region.
Project duration: 2010-2013.
Contact person: Prof. Tapio Niemi.
More information: LaserNano website.
Finished projects
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Acedemy of Finland
- A-PLAN - Active Plasmonics
- ActiveFibre - Microstructured optical fibres functionally enhanced by photoactive molecules
- Keski-infrapuna-alueen laser
- GEMINI - Ultrafast Sources Based on Vertical Cavity Geometry
- LIGHTCAVITI - Light localization in optical nanocavities
- NANOTOMO - Mechanical properties of nanostructures
- NEONATE - New compound semiconductor materials for optoelectonics devices
- IR LASERS - Advanced vertical IR lasers and broadband superluminescent diodes
- MAGELLAN - Managing the speed of light: from slow light to fast and back
- QUEST - Ultra-Fast Quantum-Regime Semiconductors, Optoelectronics and Subsystems
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European Space Agency
- DFB - Design and Development of Extremely Narrow-band Semiconductor Feedback Laser Technology
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European Union
- DELILA (FP6) - Development of lithography technology for nanoscale structuring of materials using laser beam interference
- NATAL (FP6) - Nano-Photonics Materials and Technologies for Multicolor High-Power Sources
- FAST ACCESS (FP6) - Low-cost 1.3 um sources for Fast Access technologies
- MONOPLA (FP6) - Monolithic Short Optical Pulse Diode Laser for Ultrahigh Speed Communication
- URANUS (FP6) - Ultrafast Technology for Multicolor Compact High-Power Fibre Systems
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Tekes
- BioPulse - Multiphoton biomaterial processing using ultrashort laser pulses
- JOIN - Puolijohdekomponenttien automaattinen liittäminen
- Kustannustehokkaat THz-lähteet
- LAMP - Cost-effective Fiber Lasers for Material Processing
- LASE -- Ultrafast Optical Technology
- Lena - Tarkat litografiset menetelmät miniatyrisoitujen ja energiatehokkaiden näyttöjen ja antureiden valmistamisessa
- Nanophotonics and Nanophotonics Extension
- Pulsar - Ultra-Short-Pulse Fibre Laser Deposition of thin-films
- V2C - Building University innovations from Venture Capital
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TE-Centre
- INFRA - Puolijohde- ja kuituteknologian kehittäminen
- L3 - Lasersirujen ja laserbaarien liittäminen
- Service Centre for Industry