Infrared Semiconductor Lasers and Detectors
Developing high-performance infrared lasers and detectors (3-25 μm) using advanced materials, fabrication, and characterization techniques for improved power and spectral purity.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
NRC Research Associateship Programs has archived this opportunity.
Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: May 1, 2025 (NRL application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $99,200 stipend plus $3,000 travel allowance; relocation and health insurance benefits included. Typical award duration 2-3 years.
Summary: Postdoctoral fellowship to develop advanced infrared semiconductor lasers and detectors (3-25 μm) with enhanced performance at the Naval Research Laboratory.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents; requires prior contact with Research Adviser; rigorous application and review process.
Description
This fellowship opportunity at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) supports postdoctoral research focused on developing new classes of infrared (IR) semiconductor lasers and detectors operating in the 3-25 μm wavelength range. Research areas include type-II antimonide interband cascade lasers, “W” lasers, quantum cascade lasers, mid-IR vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, distributed feedback lasers, photonic crystal distributed feedback lasers, and plasmonic lasers.
The program emphasizes detailed band structure, optical, and transport simulations to optimize device designs before growth and fabrication. High-quality epitaxial growth is performed on GaSb and InP substrates using in-house molecular beam epitaxy systems. Device fabrication techniques include e-beam and optical lithography, reactive ion and wet chemical etching, facet coating, sputtering, thermal evaporation, e-beam deposition, gold electro-plating, and epitaxial-side-down mounting.
Characterization facilities feature pulsed and continuous-wave optical pumping sources, pulse generators, IR detectors and spectrometers, FTIR, IR cameras, signal averagers, beam analyzers, and automated data acquisition systems. Fundamental studies cover quantum well band structure, Auger recombination rates, internal loss and efficiency, linewidth enhancement factors, optical mode properties, far-field profiling, and thermal transport.
Primary research goals are to develop mid-IR laser sources with high continuous-wave output power and/or single-mode spectral purity at ambient or thermoelectric cooler temperatures, and IR detectors with high dynamic resistance-area products. NRL’s interband cascade lasers are recognized as leading low-input-power semiconductor sources in the 3-5 μm spectral band.
