20130703 Gent/Zwijnaarde/Belgium The Photonics Research Group in the Department of Information Technology of Ghent University is active in the field of photonic integration – more specifically silicon photonics – and its applications in information and communication technology, in sensing and in life sciences. The group is closely associated with IMEC.
The group puts its research focus on new concepts for photonic integrated devices and circuits and on the associated technologies and design methodologies. This includes passive and active waveguide-based photonic components, based on CMOS-compatible materials and processes as well as hybrid approaches combining silicon with other functional materials. The activities ÔcenterÕ around the telecom wavelength of 1.55 micrometer but are expanding both to longer wavelengths (mid-IR) and shorter wavelengths (visible).
The infrastructure of the group includes clean room facilities for in-house fabrication of components as well as a variety of CAD-tools and measurement labs. The group is associated with the micro-electronics research center IMEC in Leuven and uses the CMOS-oriented research facilities of IMEC for research on Silicon photonics.
The group has a research staff of about 70 people with a mixture of electrical engineering and applied physics profiles. The senior academic staff consists of the professors Roel Baets, Peter Bienstman, Wim Bogaerts, Nicolas Le Thomas, Geert Morthier, Gunther Roelkens and Dries Van Thourhout. © Sarah Van den Elsken 2013