UCL Nanoelectronics & Nanophotonics Lab

The team

Professor Tony Kenyon


Dr Adnan Mehonic

Dr Wing Ng

Salman Malik

Luca Montesi

Manveer Munde

Mark Buckwell

Hazel Kitching


Past members

Dr Daniela Diamare

Dr Miraj Shah

Dr Dan Konopinski

Dr Maciej Wojdak

Dr Ijaz Ahmed

Dr Harith Saleh

Dr Paul French

Dr Ben Jones

Dr Amadeo Pagliarani

Dr Silvia Bergamini

Dr Costas Chryssou

Matthew Shiers

Frederic Lucarz

Hasitha Jayatilleka


Visitors

Professor Enrique Miranda

Dr Edward Steinman

Tony Kenyon

Professor of Nanoelectronic & Nanophotonic Materials


Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering

UCL

Torrington Place

London

WC1E 7JE


T: +44 (0)207 679 3270

e: t.kenyon AT ucl.ac.uk













This is a phenomenon in which the electrical resistance of  device can be repeatedly switched between different non-volatile states, with a resistance contrast that can be several orders of magnitude.This is a very attractive technology to replace existing semiconductor memories as they reach their technological limits.


Our technology is based on silicon oxide, so it is entirely compatible with current microelectronic fabrication techniques - it is as simple an electronic material as can be.







































Welcome to the UCL Nanoelectronics & Nanophotonics lab.

Our research focuses on the applications of nanostructured materials in electronics and photonics. We are working on a number of topics in the following areas:






























































Resistive switching

Rare-earth doped photonics

Silicon photonics

Self-assembled nanostructures

Quantum effects in silica

Optical MEMS

Rare-earth doped materials are at the heart of fibre optic communications - the erbium doped fibre amplifier is critical to the success of long-haul optical comms networks. However, erbium has a small excitation cross-section, low solubility in silica, and needs high-power laser excitation.


We have worked for some time on ways to overcome these limitations by coupling erbium with silicon nanoclusters. We have been able to produce Er-doped LEDs with record emission efficiency.

There are two approaches to making nanometre-scale structures and devices: top down, in which we use complex lithographic and nanometre-scale manipulation techniques, and bottom-up, in which we design materials and devices that will self-assemble - often by using novel chemistry.


In collaboration with colleagues in UCL’s Department of Chemistry we have developed techniques to produce self-assembled chains of metal nanoparticles. We are investigating how these structures can be used in novel nanoelectronic or nanophotonic devices.

Silicon is a very inefficient optical material, thanks to its indirect band gap. We are working on ways to overcome this fundamental limitation - by creating silicon nanostructures, for example. Nanoclusters or nanocrystals of silicon have higher emission efficiencies than bulk silicon,and their band gap energy can be tuned by changing their size. We are working to understand their luminescence mechanisms and how they can be used in devices.

We have developed an indium-phosphide based optical Micro Electro-Mecanical System (MEMS) that acts as an optical buffer. We fabricate two suspended optical waveguides that can be moved together and apart by applying a voltage. As we move them apart, light travelling along the guides sees a reduced refractive index, changing tis velocity. This allows us to delay optical pulses, and create an optical buffer.

Our resistive switching devices show quantisation of conductance - that is, the resistance of the conductive filaments that form during switching increases and decreases in discrete steps, rather tan continuously. Importantly, this happens even at room temperature. This opens up interesting possibilities for quantum technologies.

NEWS


Wing to present his optical MEMS work at the Houses of Parliament in March


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Our resistance switching work has been awarded a UCL Enterprise “One to Watch” award


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