Dr.

Zongfu Yu
Physical Science Research Associate Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering Stanford University February 15 WEB 1230 3:05 p.m.

Manipulation of Light at the Nanoscale for Applications in Silicon Photonics and Energy Conversion
ABSTRACT:
New optical phenomena at the nanoscale provide interesting physics as well as exciting opportunities for applications. I will first discuss an example in nonreciprocal nanophotonics. Reciprocity is guaranteed when light propagates in linear media that have time-reversal symmetry. Conventionally, in order to create nonreciprocal optical devices, such as isolators and circulators, one needs to use the magneto-optical effect to break the time-reversal symmetry. Magneto-optical materials, however, are not compatible with standard Si CMOS fabrication, and thus are not suitable for integrated on-chip optical communication. I will describe a new approach to achieve nonreciprocity without using magneto-optical materials. This approach relies on time-dependent systems to break the time-reversal symmetry. The design and fabrication of the worlds first linear silicon isolator will be discussed. The possibility of using dynamic modulation to create effective magnetic field for photons will be also discussed. The second part of the talk will focus on energy conversion using optical nanomaterials. Nanostructures can enhance the interaction between light and materials, and thus facilitate energy conversion between light and other forms of energy. I will introduce a general light trapping theory for enhancing sunlight absorption in solar cells. This new theory shows that nanophotonic light trapping can achieve light absorption enhancement higher than the Yablonovitch limit, which had been considered as the upper limit for more than two decades. Further, I will also describe the experimental demonstration of thermal extraction, a new approach to enhance energy conversion between heat and light.
___________________________ Biography of Zongfu Yu Zongfu Yu is a Physical Science Research Associate in Ginzton Lab at Stanford University. His research focuses on photonic nanostructures and nanomaterials. He has published peer-reviewed articles in the fields of optics, photovoltaics, and nanomaterials, many of which are in high-profile journals and are frequently cited. He has given over 10 invited talks in conferences and universities. Dr. Yu is a recipient of the Stanford University Postdoc Research Award (2010). He holds a Ph.D. degree (2009) in Applied Physics, a M.S. degree (2008) in Management Science and Engineering, both from Stanford University, as well as a B.S. degree (2004) in Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China.

The public is invited