IEM Distinguished Lecturers Seminar: New Frontiers in Terahertz Technology
*** Drinks and pizza at 11:45 in the lobby of BM 5202 ***
Abstract
Although the unique potential of terahertz waves for chemical identification, material characterization, biological sensing, and medical imaging has been recognized for quite some time, the relatively poor performance, high cost, and bulky nature of current terahertz systems continue to impede their deployment in field settings. In this talk, I will describe our recent efforts to develop new terahertz electronic and optoelectronic components, as well as imaging and spectroscopy architectures, to address the performance limitations of existing systems. Specifically, I will introduce new designs for high-performance photoconductive terahertz sources and detectors that utilize plasmonic nanoantennas to achieve significantly higher power efficiency and detection sensitivity. I will also present a monolithically integrated terahertz optoelectronics (MITO) platform that employs quantum well (QW) structures to enable tunable terahertz signal generation and detection on a single chip, with substantially enhanced power efficiency and sensitivity compared to previous devices. By integrating semiconductor optical amplifiers, lasers, modulators, filters, demultiplexers, and other passive optical components with photomixers using commercially available photonic integrated circuit foundry processes, this platform enables the development of compact, scalable terahertz systems capable of high-speed data transfer, spectroscopy, and hyperspectral imaging.
Bio
Mona Jarrahi received her B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in 2000 and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 2003 and 2007. She served as a Postdoctoral Scholar at University of California Berkeley from 2007 to 2008. After serving as an Assistant Professor at University of Michigan Ann Arbor, she joined University of California Los Angeles in 2013 where she is currently a Professor and Northrop Grumman Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Director of the Terahertz Electronics Laboratory. Prof. Jarrahi has made significant contributions to the development of ultrafast electronic and optoelectronic devices and integrated systems for terahertz, infrared, and millimeter-wave sensing, imaging, computing, and communication by utilizing novel materials, plasmonic nanostructures, and quantum structures. The outcomes of her research have appeared in more than 400 publications and 280 invited talks and have received significant attention from scientific news outlets including Huffington Post, Popular Mechanics, EE Times, and IEEE Spectrum. Her scientific achievements have been recognized by several prestigious awards including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE); Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; Moore Inventor Fellowship from Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET); Guggenheim Fellowship by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation; Kavli Fellowship by the USA National Academy of Sciences; Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Award from the USA National Academy of Engineering; Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics Magazine; Harold E. Edgerton Award in High-Speed Optics from the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE); Aron Kressel Award from IEEE Photonics Society; Advanced Career Technical Achievement Award from IEEE Sensors Council; Lot Shafai Mid-Career Distinguished Achievement Award from IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society; Early Career Award in Nanotechnology from IEEE Nanotechnology Council; Outstanding Young Engineer Award from IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society; Booker Fellowship from the USA National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science; Research Award from Okawa Foundation; Innovations in Regulatory Science Award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund; Early Career Award from the USA National Science Foundation (NSF); Young Investigator Awards from the USA Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); Watanabe Excellence in Research Award from UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science; Elizabeth C. Crosby Research Award from the University of Michigan; and Distinguished Alumni Award from Sharif University of Technology. Prof. Jarrahi is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Optical Society (OPTICA), International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), American Physical Society (APS), Institute of Physics (IoP), and has served as a distinguished lecturer of IEEE, traveling lecturer of OSA, and visiting lecturer of SPIE societies.
Abstract
Although the unique potential of terahertz waves for chemical identification, material characterization, biological sensing, and medical imaging has been recognized for quite some time, the relatively poor performance, high cost, and bulky nature of current terahertz systems continue to impede their deployment in field settings. In this talk, I will describe our recent efforts to develop new terahertz electronic and optoelectronic components, as well as imaging and spectroscopy architectures, to address the performance limitations of existing systems. Specifically, I will introduce new designs for high-performance photoconductive terahertz sources and detectors that utilize plasmonic nanoantennas to achieve significantly higher power efficiency and detection sensitivity. I will also present a monolithically integrated terahertz optoelectronics (MITO) platform that employs quantum well (QW) structures to enable tunable terahertz signal generation and detection on a single chip, with substantially enhanced power efficiency and sensitivity compared to previous devices. By integrating semiconductor optical amplifiers, lasers, modulators, filters, demultiplexers, and other passive optical components with photomixers using commercially available photonic integrated circuit foundry processes, this platform enables the development of compact, scalable terahertz systems capable of high-speed data transfer, spectroscopy, and hyperspectral imaging.
Bio
Mona Jarrahi received her B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology in 2000 and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 2003 and 2007. She served as a Postdoctoral Scholar at University of California Berkeley from 2007 to 2008. After serving as an Assistant Professor at University of Michigan Ann Arbor, she joined University of California Los Angeles in 2013 where she is currently a Professor and Northrop Grumman Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Director of the Terahertz Electronics Laboratory. Prof. Jarrahi has made significant contributions to the development of ultrafast electronic and optoelectronic devices and integrated systems for terahertz, infrared, and millimeter-wave sensing, imaging, computing, and communication by utilizing novel materials, plasmonic nanostructures, and quantum structures. The outcomes of her research have appeared in more than 400 publications and 280 invited talks and have received significant attention from scientific news outlets including Huffington Post, Popular Mechanics, EE Times, and IEEE Spectrum. Her scientific achievements have been recognized by several prestigious awards including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE); Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; Moore Inventor Fellowship from Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; A F Harvey Engineering Research Prize from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET); Guggenheim Fellowship by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation; Kavli Fellowship by the USA National Academy of Sciences; Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Award from the USA National Academy of Engineering; Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics Magazine; Harold E. Edgerton Award in High-Speed Optics from the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE); Aron Kressel Award from IEEE Photonics Society; Advanced Career Technical Achievement Award from IEEE Sensors Council; Lot Shafai Mid-Career Distinguished Achievement Award from IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society; Early Career Award in Nanotechnology from IEEE Nanotechnology Council; Outstanding Young Engineer Award from IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society; Booker Fellowship from the USA National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science; Research Award from Okawa Foundation; Innovations in Regulatory Science Award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund; Early Career Award from the USA National Science Foundation (NSF); Young Investigator Awards from the USA Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); Watanabe Excellence in Research Award from UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science; Elizabeth C. Crosby Research Award from the University of Michigan; and Distinguished Alumni Award from Sharif University of Technology. Prof. Jarrahi is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Optical Society (OPTICA), International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), American Physical Society (APS), Institute of Physics (IoP), and has served as a distinguished lecturer of IEEE, traveling lecturer of OSA, and visiting lecturer of SPIE societies.
Practical information
- General public
- Free